Europe in ancient times - we have the history.
(flourished AD 143176) Greek traveler and geographer. His Description of Greece is an invaluable guide to ancient ruins. He describes the religious art and architecture of Olympia and Delphi, the pictures and inscriptions at Athens, the statue of Athena on the Acropolis, and (outside the city) the monuments of famous men and of Athenians fallen in battle. According to James George Frazer, without Pausanias the ruins of Greece would be a labyrinth without a clue, a riddle without an answer.
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