It seems almost a precondition of modern civilized life that we should concern ourselves with our past, recovering it and understanding it. No doubt this activity sets a seal on our concept of progress and provides an incentive, a justification for endeavours to do better; it provides a sense of continuity for the species, providing encouragement as well as delivering warnings. As a result archaeology has never been more popular as a subject for more than casual study by a very wide spectrum of the population. We are reminded of the achievements of peoples far removed in time and far less advanced technologically, yet capable of the production of works of art and architecture that can still impress us. This perhaps in no way better demonstrated than when modern artisans try to imitate them and fail. They demonstrate that homo sapiens has always been able to rise to the challenge of environment and the materials available to him, has always been ready to learn even from enemies. We wonder at the works of people who might otherwise seem infinitely remote or primitive and are made to acknowledge the shortcomings of some of our own successes, to acknowledge that there has been in the history of man more than one way of pursuing peace and happiness, and that en route his ability to make serious mistakes has not abated. For the modern archaeologist and his reader the challenge is to try to understand the past from the material evidence, and that alone, which has survived the years, very often without any help from conventionally recorded history. For westerners the achievements or peoples to whose culture we are the most direct successors will naturally seem the more deserving of attention; and this means the land of Greece. [...]

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