By Time Period Books

In the quest for learning about our ancient ancestors, placing artefacts in their original context is essential. It's not enough to locate fossil bones or stone chips as once we did. Now, where those people lived, what they ate, what environmental conditions they enjoyed, plus a multitude of other factors must be integrated to build a realistic picture of their life. Not many years ago we could only guess many of these elements. Fagan explains how today's technologies have taken us far beyond the capabilities of the shovel and brush in revealing details of our ancestors' lives.

In this series of accounts, we accompany Fagan on his visits to various archaeological sites. There, he explains what led to the original find, how it was excavated and what processes were involved in explaining the artefacts. There are many tools available to the field researcher today. Most of them are of recent origin and refinements in the future will improve accuracy. Among the most important of the new technologies is, of course, dating techniques. Fossils seem almost capricious in their location. They may be resting where they fell, or earth's many forces may have carried them about. Streams, tides, scavengers, simple burial practices may place remains in a misleading site. Radiometric dating methods, the decay of an element into another, has proven the most reliable of determining the age of a find. The method applies equally to recent skeletal artefacts or evidence from surrounding environment. Seeds, charcoal from firewood, even the long-dead husks of insects may offer clues to age and local conditions.

The various technologies have widened the spectrum of expertise drawn to archaeological sites. More than simply placing human fossils in a local context, larger patterns are derived from the evidence. Pollen samples demonstrate whether the ancient inhabitants lived in open plain, scattered woodland or congested forest. Dung beetles suggest domestic cattle, while other species may suggest thatched houses or stored grain. Each type of investigation requires a specialist, and one versed in recognising changing conditions as well as static, long-term patterns. Human uses of wood are many and varied, and the counting of tree rings becomes an important element in both dating and environmental clues.

Fagan's personal touch gives what might be a dreary account a vibrant life. We slog through damp, muddy bogs in Britain with Francis Pryor, sort through Euphrates valley plant seeds with Gordon Hillman, and reflect on Egyptian wine vintages from Pharonic times. It's not all dry, dusty or boggy antiquity Fagan relates. In Peru, there proves to be modern application for ancient wisdom. In the Andean hills, he shows how archaeology can become an applied science. Techniques for saving water, keeping root crops frost-resistant and utilising soil resources to the fullest that were used by the ancient Incas are now being applied by local farmers. The Altiplano region, long thought to be too desolate or subject to capricious weather, is now estimated to support up to 1.5 million people using these methods. The region's populace understands how conditions vary, and have established mutually supportive communities to extend the practices and provide support in stressful times. Centralised rule from the capital proved flawed, and the regional communities developed their own system. It's a fine object lesson for others. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Time Detectives is a book about archeology and modern technology. This book describes archeological surveys in North and South America, Africa, and Europe. The most interesting aspect of this book is the methods of archeological research. It is very technical in describing various methods from piecing bone fragments together to radio-carbon dating processes.

In reading this book, one learns that modern archeology is primarily conducted in a lab. The artifacts being transported from the field into various labs in the Americas and Europe. For example, David Cohen excavated a site where a group of hunters and foragers camped in a sandy clearing near Meer in Northern Belgium. He found an area near the site where there were small flint fragments. The pieces were fitted together, and the discovery that there were two persons chipping away on a bit of cobble emerged. The more amazing discovery was that one was right handed, and the other was left handed emerged as th! e chips fit back together.

Another interesting aspect covered in this book is underwater archeology. The various techniques in preserving artifacts are discussed in technical detail. The hardships the divers endure are also discussed. The care of getting preserved artifacts from the ocean floor to the surface without damage is tremendous.

Overall, this book is very challenging reading. The reader discovers that archeology as a science is useful when considering such things as air pollution, simple mechanical discoveries, and survival of the human race. The technical aspects of this book are probably over the heads of my age group (16-18), but it is still interesting reading.

Time Detectives is a book about archeology and modern technology. This book describes archeological surveys in North and South America, Africa, and Europe. The most interesting aspect of this book is the methods of archeological research. It is very technical in describing various methods from piecing bone fragments together to radio-carbon dating processes.

In reading this book, one learns that modern archeology is primarily conducted in a lab. The artifacts being transported from the field into various labs in the Americas and Europe. For example, David Cohen excavated a site where a group of hunters and foragers camped in a sandy clearing near Meer in Northern Belgium. He found an area near the site where there were small flint fragments. The pieces were fitted together, and the discovery that there were two persons chipping away on a bit of cobble emerged. The more amazing discovery was that one was right handed, and the other was left handed emerged as th! e chips fit back together.

Another interesting aspect covered in this book is underwater archeology. The various techniques in preserving artifacts are discussed in technical detail. The hardships the divers endure are also discussed. The care of getting preserved artifacts from the ocean floor to the surface without damage is tremendous.

Overall, this book is very challenging reading. The reader discovers that archeology as a science is useful when considering such things as air pollution, simple mechanical discoveries, and survival of the human race. The technical aspects of this book are probably over the heads of my age group (16-18), but it is still interesting reading.

The book is composed of a series of articles about how archeology has evolved from its romantic (and mostly careless) beginnings to a more thorough and precise science. How we have shifted our interest from just dazzling treasures to seeds and excrements. Most importantly, it informs the reader about the thrill that is derived with our methods of today from insignificant pieces of pollen or rotten wood and how this pieces give us a broader picture into the past than the mere recollection of statues and hidden treasures. So if you are in for the adventure of real science, dive right in. If you expect an Indiana Jones type book, you might find it also but you'll have to look a little harder.

"A Time To Dance: Virginia's Civil War Diary, Book Three" is the third and final installment in Mary Pope Osborne's trilogy. If you're look for fresh excitement and adventures, then you may be disappointed with this story. If you're looking for a continuation of Virginia and her family's life, then you may enjoy it. What kept my attention was Virginia's blossoming love for the theatre and writing - two of my passions. There is a lack of history in this final book. The story ends with the possibility of a fourth installment, since two new members will be joining the family. I recommend.

Virgina "Ginny" Dickens continues to chronicle her diary after the Civil War. Her family now has moved from Washington DC to New York City and her father continues to try to find a job as a violinist as her brother works in the newspaper buisness. Ginny countines her daily lessons and helps to take care of her nephew while her brother's wife recovers. Ginny countines to discover new things about herself as she finds herself intersted in the mysterious world of theatre and finds a job backstage. Through all her experiences Ginny finally finds happpiness. The conclusion to Ginny's diary will be another great read for My America fans.

Eleven-year-old Virginia Dickens and her family have left Washington, D.C. shortly after the end of the Civil War to move to New York City. While her father tries to find work as a violinist and her brother writes for a newspaper, Virginia spends her days on lessons and helping care for her baby nephew as her brother's wife recovers from the baby's birth. When her brother takes her to a play, Virginia becomes interested in the world of the theater, and soon finds a job working behind the scenes. This book was a wonderful conclusion to Virginia's diary and I recommend it to all readers who enjoyed the other My America books.

Fagan provides a quick walkthrough of the development of archaeology. He starts with a description of how the ancient Romans would embark on tours of Egypt, to peer at the tombs that were already far older than Rome. And how we are now left with Roman graffiti that is two thousand years old!

But the bulk of his narrative concerns archaeology as it developed since the Industrial Revolution. How it had to shake off the albatross of religious Christian dogma. Fagan describes this field primarily through recaps of its most prominent practitioners. Which include Heinrich Schliemann, who found Troy, and Howard Carter, who unearthed the tomb and treasures of Tutankhamen. From these and other notables like Mary Leakey, we see how understanding and techniques have vastly improved our understanding of our past.

This was a good book with a lot of useful information, but, like so many similar works, it was written under the assumption that the Bible is not the Word of God, that the prophets were not really prophets, and that Jesus was nothing more than a man, a product of his times. Guignebert was the victim of his own circular reasoning: "Such and such book must have been written around the 4th century BC because it expresses ideas that evolved in Hebrew thought at that time...We know that these ideas evolved in Hebrew thought around the 4th century because such and such book, which was written at that time, illustrates the development of those ideas." If you can read through his assumptions to find the solid facts, this is a valuable book. For an unbeliever he treated his subject with an extraordinary amount of respect.

While the excerpts from the New York Times are valuable and instructive in themselves, this book is disappointing for what it does not have--any valuable input from McPherson. He adds about one paragraph at the beginning of each chapter, information summing up the war at that period, available in any encyclopedia. The Times text is totally un-annotated. There are no notes to identify individuals mentioned in the reports or the reporters who sometimes left their initials at the end of their text. Anyone interested in how the war was covered is left searching other sources for information.