The Archaeology Detectives: How We Know What We Know About the Past

By Paul G. Bahn

The Archaeology Detectives: How We Know What We Know About the Past This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076210306X
• ISBN13: 9780762103065
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Readers Digest
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.8" x 1.1" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A Surprisingly Interesting Survey of Archaeology

"Archaeology Detectives" is a pretty interesting little book. The general editor is Paul Bahn, a well-known archaeologist who is also the editor of the "Cambridge History of Archaeology." The contributors are scientists who appear to be well-qualified to write on the subjects they are discussing--there are no lay authors to misunderstand or sensationalize things, nor are there any tales of Ancient Astronauts or Atlantis.The book is chronologically arranged within sections on Africa, Europe, Asia, and New World/Oceania. It is also well illustrated, with many color photographs of sites, remains and artifacts.Published in 2001, "Archaeology Detectives" also reviews some cutting-edge developments. For example, the chapter on "Sterkfontein: The Case of Little Foot" tells the story of how archaeologists used some foot bones in a box to locate an Australopithecine skeleton. That skeleton is still being removed from the rock at Sterkfontein, but it is already producing a wealth of information about ancient hominids. My only criticism of the book is that some of the articles are a bit too short--the piece on Masada, for example, is tantalizing but ends abruptly. Of course, this is a "Reader's Digest" book, so I suppose that isn't surprising.If you enjoy "Archaeology Detectives," you might want to take a look at the well-illustrated "Seventy Great Mysteries of the Ancient World" (edited by Brian Fagan). That book also features short articles written by qualified scientists, though it covers ground that is generally different from that explored in "Archaeology Detectives."