A myth is exploded in this book: “real archaeology is about as far removed from the world of Indiana Jones as one can get.” Aw, shucks. But take heart, an archaeologist is truly a detective and the contributing scientists prove it by sharing the stories behind classic archaeological finds. The finds are divided by geography: Africa, Europe, Asia and the New World, and Oceania. There’s something for everyone—the first hominids, Egyptian mummies, Ötzi the Iceman, heck, there’s even a picture of Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Why? Well, what better way to illustrate a Roman solider and the amazing archive of Vindolanda in Northern Britain?
     The life of a soldier is never easy, and by reading ancient Vindolandan letters, researchers discovered that half the Roman soldiers posted there were not fit for combat. They were sick and wounded. Very cool information! Closer to home, readers can linger over the pages devoted to L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. A Viking settlement about 1,000 years old, L’Anse aux Meadows proved that Christopher Columbus was really just lucky—500 years later.
     The Archaeology Detectives also contains suitably gruesome pictures of skeletal remains—mummies, skeletons, and sand bodies, (right on!)—and tries to give the reader a sense of what life was like in each time period represented by the find. A handy glossary and brief biographies of famous “detectives” makes this book a great reference source for archaeology fans.

(Originally published in the Sept/Oct 2001 issue of YES Mag.)