The Instituto de Arqueología de Mérida (CSIC-Junta de Extremadura) has just published four volumes of the series La novela arqueológica o la ensoñación de la realidad (s. XVIII-XXI), which have been edited by Dr. Trinidad Tortosa. Volume I, Estudios de Ricardo Olmos, collects a selection of articles by Prof. Ricardo Olmos published in the 90s of the last century in the disappeared Revista de Arqueología. Volume II, De relatos, sortilegios y mujeres, is made up of six essays on novels linked to Classical Antiquity of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, preceded by an interesting article by Prof. Olmos on the influence that Pompeii and Herculaneum had in the literary stories of the 19th century. Volume III, Austin Henry Layard y las Antigüedades de Nínive, written by Professor Jesusa Vega, explains the cultural impact that Layard’s publications on the archaeological discoveries of Nineveh of the time had on British society in the 19th century. Finally, volume IV, Viajes por el Mediterráneo, is made up of eight articles related to various characters and archaeological objects linked to the classical cultures of the Mediterranean.
We must highlight the interest of these volumes that, with different perspectives, help us understand the cultural heritage of Classical Antiquity and the influence it exerced, and continues to exert, on our contemporary society. Also worth highlighting is the careful and elegant design of the publication, made by Sara Olmos.
These publications can be downloaded for free through this link: http://www.iam.csic.es/es/publicaciones/novela-arqueologica/