Archaeology is generally thought to have begun with the first excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii in the mid-18th century. But A SHORT HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGY begins long before that time period, with the ancient Babylonians' search for their own ancestors about 2,500 years ago. The book continues from there right up to the relatively recent discovery of the tomb of Alexander the Great's father in Northern Greece and the spectacular army of terra-cotta figures guarding the burial mound of the Chinese Emperor Huang Ti. A SHORT HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGY goes beyond the historical highlights we commonly think of with regard to archaeological findings. This book also looks more globally at research being done in Eastern Asia (India and China, primarily) and in the Americas as well. Included is a survey of the progress of archeology as a science, not just discovery of ancient times, places, and objects--leading to crucial advances of our understanding of man's past.