From the Back Cover
Fetch your flashlight and grab a shovel; it’s time to dig up history! Unearthing the Past takes readers to the major archaeological sites of different places, times,
and civilizations in history, revealing the remarkable stories behind the fascinating expeditions, the discoveries, and the people who uncovered them. Through these amazing excavations, Unearthing the Past pieces together the incredible development of humankind throughout the ages.
Filled with more than a hundred full-color photographs and artwork—including maps, site plans, diagrams of excavations, timelines, and sidebar discussions—each chapter reveals a vast array of breathtaking finds from the great Giza Pyramids in Egypt to the volcanic mummified ruins of Pompeii, Italy. Most of the treasures and sites featured were only discovered after years of committed searching and the painstaking efforts of archaeologists, while some were chance finds.
Unearthing the Past relates the unique dramas of each excavation and the importance of each site to our understanding of history. In the chapter “In Cities and Dwelling Places,” for example, the story of Dolni Vestonice unfolds. Located in the Czech Republic, this is a prehistoric site where a kiln and pottery figures—and therefore humans’ use of fire—have been dated at over 27,000 years old. This discovery, and all of the others brought to light in Unearthing the Past, helps to unravel the complex characteristics of our human development.
and civilizations in history, revealing the remarkable stories behind the fascinating expeditions, the discoveries, and the people who uncovered them. Through these amazing excavations, Unearthing the Past pieces together the incredible development of humankind throughout the ages.
Filled with more than a hundred full-color photographs and artwork—including maps, site plans, diagrams of excavations, timelines, and sidebar discussions—each chapter reveals a vast array of breathtaking finds from the great Giza Pyramids in Egypt to the volcanic mummified ruins of Pompeii, Italy. Most of the treasures and sites featured were only discovered after years of committed searching and the painstaking efforts of archaeologists, while some were chance finds.
Unearthing the Past relates the unique dramas of each excavation and the importance of each site to our understanding of history. In the chapter “In Cities and Dwelling Places,” for example, the story of Dolni Vestonice unfolds. Located in the Czech Republic, this is a prehistoric site where a kiln and pottery figures—and therefore humans’ use of fire—have been dated at over 27,000 years old. This discovery, and all of the others brought to light in Unearthing the Past, helps to unravel the complex characteristics of our human development.
About the Author
Dr. Douglas Palmer is a science writer and academic currently teaching at Cambridge
University. His articles regularly appear in New Scientist, BBC Wildlife magazine and Science magazine. He is the author of several books, including Earth, Atlas of the Prehistoric World, Neanderthal and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life.
Dr. Paul G. Bahn studied archaeology at the University of Cambridge before holding postdoctoral fellowships at Liverpool and London, as well as a J. Paul Getty post-doctoral fellowship in the History of Art and the Humanities. A writer, editor, and translator of many books on archaeology, including The Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art and Archaeology, the Definitive Guide, he also instigated and led the search that discovered the first Ice Age cave art in Britain in 2003.
Dr. Joyce Tyldesley is Honorary Research fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics, and
Oriental Studies at Liverpool University, and a freelance writer and lecturer on Egyptian
archaeology. She has extensive excavation experience, has made regular radio broadcasts,
and has acted as consultant on several television projects. Her previous books include Daughters of Isis, Hatchesput: The Female Pharaoh, Nefertiti: Egypt’s Sun Queen, Ramesses: Egypt’s Greatest Pharaoh, Judgment of the Pharaoh, and Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt.
University. His articles regularly appear in New Scientist, BBC Wildlife magazine and Science magazine. He is the author of several books, including Earth, Atlas of the Prehistoric World, Neanderthal and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life.
Dr. Paul G. Bahn studied archaeology at the University of Cambridge before holding postdoctoral fellowships at Liverpool and London, as well as a J. Paul Getty post-doctoral fellowship in the History of Art and the Humanities. A writer, editor, and translator of many books on archaeology, including The Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art and Archaeology, the Definitive Guide, he also instigated and led the search that discovered the first Ice Age cave art in Britain in 2003.
Dr. Joyce Tyldesley is Honorary Research fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics, and
Oriental Studies at Liverpool University, and a freelance writer and lecturer on Egyptian
archaeology. She has extensive excavation experience, has made regular radio broadcasts,
and has acted as consultant on several television projects. Her previous books include Daughters of Isis, Hatchesput: The Female Pharaoh, Nefertiti: Egypt’s Sun Queen, Ramesses: Egypt’s Greatest Pharaoh, Judgment of the Pharaoh, and Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt.
