Ever since Roman tourists scratched graffiti on the pyramids and temples of Egypt over two thousand years ago, people have traveled far and wide seeking the great wonders of antiquity. In this book, Fagan offers an engaging historical account of our enduring love of ancient architecture--the irresistible impulse to visit strange lands in search of lost cities and forgotten monuments.

Archaeological travel began with that gossipy Greek explorer, Herodotus, flourished with Romans journeying along the Nile, and continued with the Grand Tour as young aristocrats from northern Europe traipsed around Mediterranean lands. A rich history of archaeological tourism with writings spanning twenty centuries and every corner of the world, the book joins early antiquarians in the English countryside, shadows Edward Gibbon as he finds inspiration wandering through the ruins of the Roman Forum, and accompanies Lady Hester Stanhope as she explores Persepolis and Palmyra. Fagan's commentaries link the colorful excerpts, as archaeological travel turns from bold adventures, like those of John Lloyd Stephens in the steamy Maya lowlands, to early leisure trips in Egypt and the American Southwest. The Victorian novelist Amelia Edwards takes us up the Nile; then it's across the Red Sea to explore Petra at a time when marauding Bedouin often robbed visitors. We are led by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin into the deserts of Central Asia, marvel at Englishman Sir Aurel Stein's side as he buys priceless Buddhist manuscripts at Dunhuang, China, and labor up the steep slopes of the Andes into Machu Picchu with Hiram Bingham. And yet alongside some of these writers, consumed with a passionate and omnivorous curiosity for mysterious megaliths, we are also introduced to some of the less reputable figures, such as the Earl of Elgin, who sold large parts of the Parthenon to the British Museum.

The last two chapters cover the archaeologist travellers of the twentieth century, among them Ella Maillart, Peter Fleming, Robert Byron, and Paul Theroux, ending with today's commodified travel industry, the greatest obstacle to replicating the individualistic and evocative experiences of earlier explorers. In discussing the changing nature of archaeological tourism, from the romantic wanderings of the solitary figure to modern cruise-ship excursions, Fagan laments the masses of tourists flocking to ruins without fully appreciated their splendor.

From the Holy Land to the Silk Road, Chaco Canyon to the Inca Trail, Fagan follows in the footsteps of great writers and determined travellers to retrieve their first impressions.