Most scientific disciplines experienced fundamental revolutions during the twentieth century. But not archaeology. Its time has now come, however. More and more highly specialised scientists are taking over the investigation of the past. Using satellites, aircraft and helicopters, they are screening entire regions around the world in an attempt to find hidden traces of the past. What's more, their discoveries are changing our views of prehistoric civilizations - and the new views are often in complete contrast to archaeology's established schools of thought. It is becoming increasingly clear that the ancients knew more than we expected. What was the effect of the volcanic eruption of Thera? What caused the collapse of the Minoan kingdom on Crete? Did Atlantis ever exist? In THE FUTURE OF THE PAST, Eberhard Zangger takes the reader into the field to look at various excavations around the world; explains current thinking in archaeological research; and explores the new methods and techniques that have only recently become available and the new insights gained from them.