Germany's ancient pasts : archaeology and historical interpretation since 1700 /
The book offers a vivid portrait of the development of antiquarianism and archaeology, the interaction between regional and national history, and scholarly debates about the use of ancient objects to answer questions of race, ethnicity, and national belonging. While excavations in central Europe thr...
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| Format: | Licensed eBooks |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Chicago ; London :
The University of Chicago Press,
[2018]
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| Online Access: | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=1796098 |
| Summary: | The book offers a vivid portrait of the development of antiquarianism and archaeology, the interaction between regional and national history, and scholarly debates about the use of ancient objects to answer questions of race, ethnicity, and national belonging. While excavations in central Europe throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries fed curiosity about the local landscape and inspired musings about the connection between contemporary Germans and their?ancestors,? antiquarians and archaeologists were quite cautious about using archaeological evidence to make ethnic claims. Even during the period of German unification, many archaeologists emphasized the local and regional character of their finds and treated prehistory as a general science of humankind. As Maner shows, these alternative perspectives endured alongside nationalist and racist abuses of prehistory, surviving to offer positive traditions for the field in the aftermath of World War II. A fascinating investigation of the quest to turn pre- and early history into history, Germany?s Ancient Pasts sheds new light on the joint sway of science and politics over archaeological interpretation. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (354 pages) : illustrations |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780226593104 022659310X 9780226592916 022659291X 9780226593074 022659307X |