The biblical city of Nineveh. The Maya cities of Uxmal and Chichen Itza. The site of Homeric Troy. King Tut's tomb. These archaeological finds astonished the world. And their discoverers were archaeologists whose lives and travels were nearly as remarkable as the discoveries themselves. Who were these adventures? Professor Brian M. Fagan takes you on your own exploration-a captivating journey into the stories of archaeology's major historical figures and the ways they made their astonishing finds. On one hand, our understanding of pre-industrial societies is the result of the efforts of adventuresome but sometimes unethical and even violent men, and of tomb robbing and crude excavation methods that destroyed incalculable amounts of archaeological evidence. On the other hand, it is the product of admirable and constant dedication, the painstaking improvement of science and technique, and the steady and successful accumulation of pieces to the puzzle of who we are.