The Tomb of Agamemnon by Cathy Gere
Mycenae, the fabled city of Homer's King Agamemnon, leapt into the headlines in the late nineteenth century when Heinrich Schliemann announced that he had opened the Tomb of Agamemnon and found the body of the hero smothered in gold treasure. In this book, historian of science Cathy Gere tells the story of these extraordinary ruins.
Archaeologist Cathy Gere’s wonderful little history/guidebook, The Tomb of Agamemnon, is about a lot of thingsIt’s about how each new era bends the past to its own needs. It’s about what’s gained—and lost—when scientists displace passionate amateurs. It’s about the human desire to impose narrative, false if need be, on the mute relics of history. What Gere’s book isn’t about, strictly speaking, is the tomb of Agamemnon, because that doesn’t exist… Still, lots of historical icons are fictional…and Gere spends a hundred or so lively, thought-provoking pages describing the ‘highly productive career’ of this one… [A] real page-turner. -- Joann C. Gutin * Newsday *
[The] tangled history of remaking and unmaking the myths of Mycenae is the subject of Gere’s fascinating book… [A] compact and richly informative cultural history. * Publishers Weekly *
For a history of both ancient Mycenae and its rediscovery and significance, read The Tomb of Agamemnon, by Cathy Gere. -- Erica Marcus * Newsday *
[An] elegantly succinct and enlightening book… Gere reconstructs the history and significance of Mycenae in the literary and archaeological records and astutely examines why the place and its denizens have so gripped the collective consciousness of the West through the centuries… Gere concludes by asking ‘can we finally acknowledge the battle-scarred heroes of Mycenae without recruiting them to fight?’ This delightful book goes far to answer that question in the affirmative by combining a crisp, yet nuanced portrayal of the ‘tomb of Agamemnon’ and associated artifacts with an absorbing history of their reception through the ages. -- James P. Holoka * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
A wonderfully lively tale of Mycenae, its mythic king Agamemnon, and the popular and academic understanding of the site down through the ages. -- Aaron Britt * Dwell *
[The] tangled history of remaking and unmaking the myths of Mycenae is the subject of Gere’s fascinating book… [A] compact and richly informative cultural history. * Publishers Weekly *
For a history of both ancient Mycenae and its rediscovery and significance, read The Tomb of Agamemnon, by Cathy Gere. -- Erica Marcus * Newsday *
[An] elegantly succinct and enlightening book… Gere reconstructs the history and significance of Mycenae in the literary and archaeological records and astutely examines why the place and its denizens have so gripped the collective consciousness of the West through the centuries… Gere concludes by asking ‘can we finally acknowledge the battle-scarred heroes of Mycenae without recruiting them to fight?’ This delightful book goes far to answer that question in the affirmative by combining a crisp, yet nuanced portrayal of the ‘tomb of Agamemnon’ and associated artifacts with an absorbing history of their reception through the ages. -- James P. Holoka * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
A wonderfully lively tale of Mycenae, its mythic king Agamemnon, and the popular and academic understanding of the site down through the ages. -- Aaron Britt * Dwell *
Cathy Gere is Associate Professor of the History of Science at the University of California, San Diego.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780674063884 |
| ISBN 10 | 0674063880 |
| Title | The Tomb of Agamemnon |
| Author | Cathy Gere |
| Series | Wonders Of The World |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press |
| Year published | 2012-04-02 |
| Number of pages | 208 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |