The Assos Journals of Francis H. Bacon

The idea of finding a set of journals kept by an Archaeologist is one of those that just tickles the edges of my little black heart. Considering that these early notebooks were considered primary sources for much of the early work done in the field, many researchers studied art to be able to more accurately represent maps, objects, recovered pieces of art and the like within the pages of their journals.

Prior to photography, all that we had was a sketch journal or perhaps some artist's work to capture the likeness of a statue or ruined building.

In its early years, the Archaeological Institute of America sponsored investigations in the American Southwest from 1880 to 1884 and excavations at Assos (Turkey) from 1881 to 1883 and at Cyrene (Libya) and Quirigua (Guatemala) during the early 1900s. Extracts from the journal of Francis H. Bacon, one of the Assos expedition leaders, appeared in the April 1974 issue of ARCHAEOLOGY. Those are republished here, illustrated with a selection of photographs and drawings from his monumental publication of the excavation, Investigations at Assos.

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