Customer Reviews

Practical Archaeologist

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Jane McIntosh's "The Practical Archaeologist" is a superb overview of archaeology for the lay reader. Although I don't have much of a scientific bent, I have always been fascinated by archaeology (probably too many Agatha Christie novels), and I treated myself to this many years ago to see if the real thing was as interesting as I imagined it to be. While nothing can completely convey the hard and tedious work that makes up the bulk of an archaeologist's days, McIntosh's book goes a long way towards clarifying the astonishing things all of us can learn from archaeology.

The book is arranged chronologically, beginning with a chapter providing a broad idea of what archaeology can mean and its function in modern times. From there McIntosh moves deftly to excavation, processing "finds," and analyzing them. She covers both above-ground excavations and those below-ground, and even gets into oceanic archaeology. We learn about how excavation and preservation techniques have improved, while many of the archaeologist's most treasured tools--hands, sieves, and fine brushes--have remained much the same for centuries.

This is a beautifully designed book. Color photographs, black-and-white photos, engravings, and sketches are skillfully combined with an easy-to-read text. This is an excellent introduction to archaeology for anyone who has even a remote interest in the subject--it's difficult to put down once you begin reading it. Highly recommended!

THE PRACTICAL ARCHAEOLGIST is a sound overview of the profession, from the tools used to dating methods to underwater techniques. Interpersed with the main text are intriguing sidebars about important finds - for me, the highlight of this book. Told in simple, easy to understand language, this book is geared for those with a casual interest in archaeology, or for high school students. Besides the simplicity (which may be a selling point for many), the main drawback of this book is the lack of discussion on recent finds, despite a copyright date of 1999.

If you are considering studying archaeology, or if you have a passing interest in it, you'll find this book both useful and enjoyable; however, if you crave an in-depth study of the field, look elsewhere. Without doubt, this is an excellent starting point for budding archaeologists.

My 14 year-old daughter and her friend attended a local archeology camp and this book was the "required text" for the sessions. They raved about the chapters and illustrations. I got a chance to read through it casually and decided it was worth buying to keep! It is a good overview of archeology around the world, covering many civilizations and is a pleasure to read. Lots of good pictures and photos.

Although it has a kind of "Time-Life" book glitz, the docmumentation of history and method in archaeology is useful, if not as systematic or complete as one might wish.

It covers a lot of good historical data and gives very useful

diagrams, pictures and explanations.

As a introductory read this book might be ideal.