Gods, Tombs, Scholars

The mysteries of ancient civilizations, the fairy-tale treasures of royal tombs, traps, dangers, and curses lurking for daring discoverers who risked bringing back to light the temples of forgotten gods... It sounds like a teaser for an adventure movie. However, long before Indiana Jones and Lara Croft burst onto the big screen, archaeology ceased to be a dusty science interesting only to learned men. This transformation was partly due to the book you are holding in your hands.
First published in 1949, the popular science "novel of archaeology" by Kurt Keppler (Ceram) has been translated into more than 28 languages and has sold over 10 million copies. Written in an easy and engaging style, this book has ignited interest in history and archaeology in more than one generation of schoolchildren in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, rivaling the popularity of novels by Jules Verne and Stevenson. Because the real history of archaeological discoveries is just as captivating as the adventures of fictional characters.
The book is divided into four parts. 'The Book of Statues' tells about the birth of archaeology in connection with the excavations of Pompeii, the discovery of Troy and Mycenae, which confirmed Heinrich Schliemann's hypothesis that Homer's 'Iliad' is a reliable historical source. The following parts are dedicated to revealing the secrets of the ancient civilizations of Egypt ('The Book of Pyramids'), Mesopotamia ('The Book of Towers'), and Mesoamerica ('The Book of Steps').