An interesting look into archaeology that is written in a very accessible way. You don't need any prior knowledge of the subject to read this book. If you are interested in history and/or archaeology then I would recommend checking this book out.

A very exciting book that can be read like a novel. This book is must for all those who are interested in archeology and history.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Yale University Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange of a honest review

Io sono un'appassionata collezionista di storie, vicende, fatti curiosi, incidenti; e proprio perché di archeologia so poco, un libricino come questo arriva più che gradito.
Capitoli brevi - forse troppo - illustrano lo sviluppo di una disciplina molto più complessa di quello che si aspettano i profani, a partire dal ritrovamento di Pompei nel 1700 per arrivare ai giorni nostri.
E sfilano città perdute e ritrovate, manufatti, popoli ricchi di mistero - e studiosi che erano veri e propri avventurieri.
Indiana Jones sarebbe stato orgoglioso di loro. <3

Mi sento però in dovere di aggiungere una nota: proprio perché sono una profana, non so valutare se ci siano stati errori, imprecisioni, trascuratezze.
Di solito non pratico (troppo) l'arte del dubbio, ma la pessima esperienza fatta con A little history of literature mi obbliga a mettere le manine avanti.
Quindo, per quello che posso valutare, una lettura interessante divertente e ricca di curiosità. ^^

This is a solid entry into a great series--Fagan, an accomplished archaeologist, offers a polished synthesis history of the field, from 18th century haphazard digging at Pompeii to the systematic contextualization and DNA-aided studies conducted today, with the rogues gallery of tomb robbers, aristocratic dilettantes, nationalist myth builders and indigenous rights advocates in between. It is particularly interesting to see laid out the deep connections of the military and the state churches (vicars were big diggers!) to archaeology, as these were highly educated and technically skilled people (engineering, linguistics) with postings to far off places and time on their hands.

Is there anyone on earth who isn’t fascinated with archaeology? About who are ancestors were and why they did what they did? Yes, there are the amazing HUGE finds, like Pompeii, or King Tut’s tomb, and we all love that – the passion, the agony, the wealth! But there are also plenty of other fascinating stories, some you have not heard and they all deserve to be told. learning from history, hopefully keeps us from making the same mistakes again. And then there’s just the fact that this stuff is mesmerizing. Fagan only gives readers a taste so they won’t be overwhelmed, just hungry for more