The Bull of Minos - by Leonard Cottrell (Paperback)

About the Book

A story of two of the most heroic, and controversial, figures in archaeology: Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the remains of Troy, and Arthur Evans who unearthed the great city of King Minos. Replete with drama and adventure, it tells of the 3,000-year old civilisations that were brought back to life.

Book Synopsis

The cities of Troy and Knossos are the stuff of legend. One, the city of Homer's "Iliad", of Paris, Hector and Helen; the other home to a king who built a labyrinth in which to hide his monstrous son. This is the story of two of the most heroic, and controversial, figures in archaeology: Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the remains of Troy, and Arthur Evans who unearthed the great city of King Minos. Ranking alongside Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, the discoveries at Troy and Knossos enabled a new understanding of Prehistoric Greece, the very dawn of civilisation.They also proved that what until then had only been myths and daydreams were actually real. The Cretans did indeed worship the cult of the bull. Achilles and Agamemnon really did live. Replete with drama and adventure, "The Bull of Minos" tells of the 3,000-year old civilisations that were brought back to life, of the extraordinary men who toiled in their dusty ruins and of the magic and mystery of life in a world of gods and warriors.

Review Quotes

"The story of the heroic discoveries grips him and communicates itself to his readers, who must welcome a book both scholarly and easy, painstaking and alive." --Freya Stark, Time and Tide

"This book is a stimulating introduction to the Mycenaean age of Greece." --Sir John Forsdyke, Sunday Times

"Cottrell has not only passionately studied the literature of Aegean archaeology, but he has visited some of the most important sites and conveys vividly his sense of excitement and discovery." --Guardian

"[Cottrell is] at his best when communicating that fresh and fateful sense of life which must have prevailed in very ancient times when gods walked the earth like men. It is this feeling of epiphany which makes Mr. Cottrell's book a most worthwhile popularisation of its subject." --E.B. Garside

About the Author

Leonard Cottrell (1913-1974) was most famous for his books on history and archaeology. He was also a commentator, writer and producer for the BBC, responsible for a popular series of radio programmes on Egypt's archaeological treasures. In 1960 he resigned to become a full-time writer and wrote several bestselling books, including The Lost Pharaohs, Enemy of Rome, Queens of the Pharaohs and Realms of Gold.