Book Review: Introduction To Archaeology

I've always had a pretty decent interest in Archaeology ever since I was little. I absolutely love going to museums and lately I've decided to start over with my 'education.' I'm starting from the beginning and working my way up through time. I'll be reading everything from history, to folktales, to classics and the thinkers. Archaeology is a good place to start since it mostly covers the part of history that came before writing really started.

What I'm Listening To:

• You're Hand In Mine by Explosions In The Sky
• Hello Beastie by Hans Zimmer 

An Introduction To Archaeology

Author: Lesley and Roy Adkins

Genre: Non-Fiction

Year: 1989

Synopsis:

(As taken from inside jacket cover of book)

"Archaeology has had an irreversible impact on how we think of the past: it alone has hugely extended our idea of how long people have been on the earth and its rigorous method has replaced speculation as a way of filling gaps in our knowledge  of previous civilizations.

Although archaeology is often seen as an academic subject, it concerns us all: it is only through archaeology that we can answer the fundamental questions about humankind: where we came from; how societies evolve; why the majority of peoples changed from hunting and gathering to settled farming; why we lost our hair; when art developed; and the fascinating details of everyday life that even civilizations who had a script never wrote down.

This book is an ideal guide to modern archaeology: it explains the techniques used by archaeologists, the detective work involved, and the surprising variety of evidence that can provide information about the past.      

Finally the importance of archaeology in today's society is discussed and guidance is given on how to find out more or become actively involved in discovering the past of humankind."

Review:

This book was great for me to get my foot in the door. It gives basic, easily comprehensible information that was very concise. I learned quite a few new things. 7 quick chapters full of information (enough to fill 3 front and back pages of notes---with skipped spaces of course). This book covers everything from who studies archaeology, to how sites get buried and destroyed and even goes into the techniques of excavation, records taken and the process of post excavation analysis. I feel so much more enriched already. I give this book a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯. I'm hoping I'll be able to study archaeology a little more in depth with a couple of other books I picked up from the library. I'm more ready to learn than ever! 

Until the next review, 

Keep your brains open so knowledge can flow in! 😀