It All Began with Cave-dwellers: MacKowen and the ancient history of Capri

John Clay MacKowen was a decorated officer in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, a medical doctor, a passionate and knowledgeable collector and bibliophile, and a Capri resident for twenty years (from 1877 to 1897). He wrote Capri, originally published in 1884: the range of topics is wide, covering the geology of the island, its palaeontology and archaeology, its prehistory and the long periods under the Roman emperors, its position in the Middle Ages and on to the modern era, and the many outside influences that throughout have left their mark on the economy and social life of its people. John Clay MacKowen had been specially involved in searching and preserving Greek and Latin inscriptions found on the island of Capri. The essay looks into the pages of Capri dedicated to the island’s ancient history: it assigns a significant role to cave-dwellers and Greeks’ presence on the island.