Unearthing the Past

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.