Scriptures and Civilizations

While the debates over the antiquity of humankind and human progress continued, much popular interest in the past surrounded an emerging biblical archaeology. At the same time, the classical authors remained a primary source of information for interpreting early civilizations. In this chapter we discuss the origins of biblical archaeology, the sensational discovery of the so-called “Flood Tablets” from Nineveh, the discovery of Homeric Troy, and the beginnings of scientific archaeological excavation.