• From the Motor City to the Mediterranean
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From the Motor City to the Mediterranean

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From 1924 to 1926, archaeologists from the University of Michigan roamed the Middle East and North Africa in two vehicles donated by Dodge (a truck and a sedan). Using photographs and letters from ...
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  • 31 January 2025
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From 1924 to 1926, archaeologists from the University of Michigan roamed the Middle East and North Africa in two vehicles donated by Dodge to assist in pioneering archaeological projects. Driven and maintained by expedition photographer George R. Swain, these vehicles—a truck and sedan—navigated uncharted deserts, perilous mountains, and road-less terrains, bringing their passengers into contact with both the ancient past and the people living around its historic remains. From the Motor City to the Mediterranean transports readers into the heart of one man's journey alongside these intrepid vehicles. Using Swain's fascinating photographs and letters—some published here for the first time—author Lauren E. Talalay skillfully reconstructs his archaeological adventures of the 1920s, taking us to places rarely seen by the outside world during a decade of major social change after the Great War.

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Price: £26.50
Pages: 167
Publisher: Kelsey Museum Publications
Imprint: Kelsey Museum Publications
Series: Kelsey Museum Publication
Publication Date: 31 January 2025
ISBN: 9781733050456
Format: Paperback
BISACs:

HISTORY / Ancient / General, Archaeology by period / region, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, PHOTOGRAPHY / History, Ancient history, Expeditions: popular accounts, Photographs: collections
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Lauren E. Talalay is curator emerita and former associate director and acting director of the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan. She has written or collaborated on seven books, numerous articles, and several book chapters. Her research, fieldwork, and conference presentations have taken her to the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Balkans, with a focus on figurines, gender, and the human body as a symbol in the Neolithic period. Lauren has also published articles on contemporary issues, such as the use of archaeological images in political cartoons and modern advertising. Her coedited book on the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy was voted one of the best books of 2002 by the Times Literary Supplement. She is the recipient of several external grants, including from the Michigan Humanities Council, the Chrysler Foundation, and the American Council of Learned Societies. She is currently coauthoring two chapters on prehistoric material from a site on the island of Euboea, Greece.
Preface
Introduction
Part I: The Age of Automobiles
2. Horseless Carriages and the Michigan Cars
3. The Pioneering Brothers
Part II: George R. Swain: The Man Behind the Lens (1866-1947)
4. George R. Swain: A Brief Biography
5. Swain and His Cameras
Part III: Back Roads, Lotus Eaters, and Monastic Life: The 1924-1926 Expeditions
6. Life on the Road: Overview of the 1924-1926 Expeditions
7. Travels of 1924
8. Travels of 1925
9. Travels of 1926
Part IV: Observations a Century Later
10. Refocusing the Lens
Acknowledgments
Endnotes
References
Index
About the Author