Читать книгу World History For Dummies - Peter Haugen - Страница 21

IN THIS CHAPTER

Unearthing long-lost legendary cities

Spawning myth or reality: Plato’s Atlantis

Connecting with the past in the form of preserved bodies

If you think of history as lists of facts, dates, battles, and key civilizations, you may memorize a lot, but you’ll never experience the thrill of the past. If, on the other hand, you’re able to make the leap to identify with people who are long dead and to imagine what their lives must have been like, you may be among those for whom the past becomes a passion — and perhaps even an addiction.

Maybe you read history, and your imagination brings the stories to life. Or maybe you need help. Hard evidence, the kind you can examine at historic sites or in museums, often works. Seeing what the people of the past left behind — what they made and built, and even their preserved bodies — can bridge the gap between then and now. These things are reminders that real people walked the Earth long ago, carrying within them dreams and fears not so unlike yours.

In this chapter, I look at two “lost” cities and discuss evidence for their actual existence. I also look at mummies and discuss the ways they can bring history alive.