Down from Olympus is a magnificent contribution to the history of archaeology. Historian Suzanne Marchand traces how for over 150 years, mediated by research institutions and government patronage, the German intelligentsia's infatuation with the ancient Greeks shaped the development of German archaeology.

Interaction between scholars and government officials made possible great accomplishments in collecting, fieldwork, and specialized scholarship and enabled classical archaeologists to control the development of other branches of archaeology. Marchand argues that growing dependence on state patronage also shaped the development of classical archaeology in ways that were not conducive to its professional and moral integrity.