1: vastly improved methods
Fagan provides a quick walkthrough of the development of archaeology. He starts with a description of how the ancient Romans would embark on tours of Egypt, to peer at the tombs that were already far older than Rome. And how we are now left with Roman graffiti that is two thousand years old!
But the bulk of his narrative concerns archaeology as it developed since the Industrial Revolution. How it had to shake off the albatross of religious Christian dogma. Fagan describes this field primarily through recaps of its most prominent practitioners. Which include Heinrich Schliemann, who found Troy, and Howard Carter, who unearthed the tomb and treasures of Tutankhamen. From these and other notables like Mary Leakey, we see how understanding and techniques have vastly improved our understanding of our past.
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