Accidental Archaeologists

September 15, 2020
Sometimes ordinary people stumble onto something big. Usually, Albee says, archaeology--the study of human history through artifacts--involves slow, methodical, exacting research. Here she recounts 17 instances of major, history-changing discoveries that happened entirely by accident, from the 1709 discovery of Italy's Herculaneum by workers digging a well to Johannesburg cavers coming across a trove of early hominoid remains in 2013. Many of them--the Lascaux cave paintings, the Dead Sea Scrolls, China's terra-cotta warriors--will be familiar to adult readers. Others--a first-century B.C.E. mechanical model of the Greek universe, considered the world's first computer, found in 1900 by Aegean sponge fishermen--are less well known. Albee describes each discovery, backs up to place it into historical context, and then moves forward to explain why each matters, writing throughout in clear, engaging, present-tense language. She points out the social inequities and ethical considerations that are part of the broader context of many discoveries: for example, how Black cowboy George McJunkin's 1908 discovery of extinct giant bison fossils, something that upended our understanding of human history in North America, was ignored for years because of his race and class; and why plundered and formerly colonized Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone back. She closes with speculation regarding the burial place of Genghis Khan, a fine reminder that more hidden discoveries await. An engaging mixture of history and science. (glossary, author's note, selected bibliography, source notes, further reading, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 8-14)

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October 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 Archaeology often brings one of two things to mind: Indiana Jones or a dusty dig site crawling with meticulous scientists. But many important discoveries have been made by amateurs, often accidentally! This title covers a number of inadvertent breakthroughs made by a diverse group of figures, including a Bedouin goat herder, a freed slave turned cowboy, and an Italian sideshow performer, and while some discoveries are well known (the Rosetta Stone), others are less so (ancient papyrus scrolls stuffed into mummified crocodiles). Accounts span continents and centuries and are impressively comprehensive, giving historical context to both the moment of the astonishing finds and the history behind the artifacts. Albee's writing is sometimes simplistic, but it breaks stories down into digestible information for young readers, and the commentary is often terrifically funny. Additionally, Albee goes beyond merely extolling exciting archaeological discoveries, confronting the ethical problems inherent to removing artifacts from original countries and cultures. A whirlwind historical tour that may have kids frantically digging holes in backyards when it's done.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)