Archeology Affecting Literature

6 Pages 1558 Words

Archeology Affecting Literature


Since the beginning of time men have wondered about the lives of people who came before. Numerous archeologists have discovered various objects made and used by past civilizations which have supplied us with vital information about our past. Many of those discoveries have helped to clarify bits and pieces of our world and its people. As men marvel and try to understand how our ancestors lived, these artifacts can help. Many of these past discoveries from archeology digs can perhaps sometimes be substantiated by physical evidence. To what degree do these discoveries discredit or support the information presented? Contemporary archeology is greatly affecting the validity of literary works previously considered fictional, as well as disclaiming the thesis of some non-fictional works. Discoveries made due to archeological digs affect the validity of (1) American, (2) British, and (3) Greek works of literature.
Barry Fell’s publication of American B.C. is an account of our earliest settlers in North America and how their origins are tied to the Mediterranean littoral. About 3,000 years ago Celtic mariners crossed the Atlantic to settle in New England and other areas. Other colonist followed speaking many different languages and settled in other parts of the United States. In 1975, in the northwest region of the United States, discoveries of ancient Celtic inscriptions were found on areas of buried buildings and they were
believed to be temples to the Celtic God’s. Indian culture developed and formed from these European and the Middle East influences. A tablet found in an ancient Indian burial mound in 1874 was another mystery that brought clues that we could use to help us understand past civilizations. “For on it are inscribed astronomical instructions in three ancient languages –Egyptian, Iberian Punic, and Libyan” (Fell 4). Barry Fell’s findings have caused much contro...