Since its foundation in 1860, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History's world-renowned collections have become a key centre for scientific study and its much-loved building an important icon for visitors from around the world. The museum now...

In conservation, perhaps no better example exists of the past informing the present than the return of the California condor to the Vermilion Cliffs of Arizona. Extinct in the region for nearly one hundred years, condors were successfully reintroduce...

Nineteenth-century paleontologists boasted that, shown a single bone, they could identify or even reconstruct the extinct creature it came from with infallible certainty – "Show me the bone, and I will describe the animal!" Paleontologists such as Ge...

The stories behind the acquisition of ancient antiquities are often as important as those that tell of their creation. This fascinating book provides a comprehensive account of the history and development of classical archaeology, explaining how and...

The cave art of France's Dordogne region is world-famous for the mythology and beauty of its remarkable drawings and paintings. These ancient images of lively bison, horses, and mammoths, as well as symbols of all kinds, are fascinating touchstones i...

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, three life-sized marble statues of women were found near Portici on the Bay of Naples. This momentous discovery led to further exploration of the site, which was soon identified as the ancient city of Hercu...

The balance between conserving fragile ancient cultural sites and making them available to increasing numbers of visitors is one of the main themes of this book. Topics discussed include site management, the reconstruction of ancient buildings and wa...