Review of "Secrets of the Past: The Fascinating World of Archeology," by Eva Knox Evans

Review of

Secrets of the Past: The Fascinating World of Archeology, by Eva Knox Evans


Four out of five stars

 It is likely that the concept of what archeologists do in the minds of many people has been shaped by the Indiana Jones series of movies. The reality is much duller than that adventure series indicates. Archeologists generally conduct very slow and painstaking digs, often removing the dirt millimeters at a time. Once the dirt is removed, it is carefully filtered to remove the tiniest of artifacts.

 While this book is dated, it is still a sound primer on the science of studying ancient and often extinct civilizations. Many modern people are unaware of how little is known about even the major civilizations of a few thousand years ago. It was not until the early years of the nineteenth century that cuneiform writing was successfully translated. One of the greatest archeological finds of all time is the Rosetta Stone, the artifact that allowed for ancient languages to be translated, because one of the languages used on the stone was understood by modern scholars.

 It is likely that there will be young readers that will have an interest in making archeology their career path after they read this book. There is certainly enough information to pique an interest.