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Monika Rekowska’s new book, In Pursuit of Ancient Cyrenaica (Oxford, England: Archaeopress), substantially analyses the eastern coastal region of Libya, focusing on its history of archaeology over two centuries. The 273-page monograph offers a considerable variety of research materials, including accounts, site descriptions, drawings, maps and photos. In particular, Rekowska’s book forms a detailed report on research, travels and digs performed by European antiquarians and scholars who visited the region between the 18th century and the early 20th century. The short Introduction (pages 1–2) clarifies the chronological range of Rekowska’s monograph, covering the period between the first journey in Cyrenaica (1706) and the Italian conquest of Libya (1911), which started a new era for local archaeology thanks to Italian scholars’ research. Early 20th century Italian foreign missions already have been examined elsewhere1. Four chapters comprise the main body of this monograph. The first is a general introduction on the history of European archaeology (3–10), which forms the book’s historical framework and helps the reader understand the evolution of archaeological discipline in terms of methodology and scientific approach. The section outlines only selected topics, considering the extent of the subject2. The second chapter, Travellers in Cyrenaica (11–49), is a valuable look at early work in the region. Following a short introduction on the spread of antiquarian trips in Libya and their impact on local archaeology, Rekowska provides a detailed list of 19 travellers who came across the Libyan region. This section, organised chronologically, offers biographical information on the travellers and their activity in Cyrenaica (e.g. documenting archaeological sites, sketching or photographing ancient buildings, drawing maps). Starting from Dominique Girard (1668, 1775), the list ends with the Italian Federico Halbherr (1857–1930), who “ends the early stage in the exploration of Cyrenaica, when travellers were succeeded by archaeologists” (49)3. The most substantial part of this book is the third chapter, The Topography of Ancient Sites (50–187). The author offers a good analysis for each of the 22 sites of Cyrenaica, providing information on local archaeology, travellers’ accounts and the most recent archaeological excavations. A beneficial scheme (Table 135, p. 182) shows all visits of travellers among the sites. A final discussion on the itineraries closes out the chapter. ‘Transferring’ Cyrenaica to Europe (188–238), the fourth chapter, is a welldocumented section on the development of antiquities collections formed by finds from Cyrenaica. The author explains how interest in Cyrenaica’s archaeology, encouraged by travellers’ accounts and antiquarian studies, provoked a high demand

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Rezension zu: Monika Rekowska, In Pursuit of Ancient Cyrenaica…Two Hundred Years of Exploration Set Against the History of Archaeology in Europe (1706-1911)