Ancient History: reconstruction by analogy

The process of reconstructing events, ideas, conditions, etc. from ancient history can be compared to reconstructing an ancient building.

• When we approach the sources for the first time, they are often mutilated and misleading, especially in the Hellenistic and early Roman period. This is similar to seeing an ancient temple for the first time, for example, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the ancient seven wonders of the world.
  • View of actual temple site (with reconstructed column)
  • Detail of site: approach to temple
  • Close up of rubble at site
• Besides carefully piecing together the fragementary details, the historian also has to study parallels.
  • Temple of Apollos at Bassae
• Then the historian can look at other efforts at reconstruction.
  • Reconstruction in form of a drawing
  • Graphic Reconstruction
  • Detailed Reconstruction
  • Other Reconstruction
• By following these steps the budding historian, once s/he has decided what is interesting to reconstruct, can create a compelling revision of the past.