The Story of Archaeology: In 50 Great Discoveries

by Justin Pollard

An informative guide to 50 archaeological discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the ancient world. Illustrated with 150 full color photographs offering a visual record of the extraordinary range of human societies that have inhabited our planet.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Anthropology, Cultural, Science, Ancient History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Justin Pollard was born in Hertfordshire and educated at St. Albans School and Downing College, Cambridge where he was president of the Poohsticks Society.

Since then he has written nine books, a few articles for magazines like History Today, BBC History Magazine and the Idler and he is currently one of the writers of the BBC panel show QI.

He is one of the founders of Unbound - http://www.unbound.co.uk - a new crowd-funding site putting authors directly in touch with their readers.

He also runs a company called Visual Artefact which provides scripting and historical advice for feature films. His credits include Shekhar Kapur’s ‘Elizabeth’, Joe Wright’s ‘Atonement’, Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

In television drama he is the historical consultant for the BBC TV/Showtime series ‘The Tudors’ - which gets him into a lot of trouble with other historians.

He is also the co-founder of crowd-funding book website www.unbound.co.uk.

He lives in Dorset where he grows vegetables and wonders where all the sheep have gone.

Reviews

[Russell Ince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the greatest coffee table book on archaeology ever, I couldn't think of a nicer way to introduce someone to a subject. Pollard gives us 50 great archaeological stories in the order of their discovery, each brilliantly detailed with insightful annotations, maps, time-lines and stunning images.

Pollard knows his subject matter and gives the most up to date knowledge pertaining to each discovery. The discovery stories are themselves showcases for the evolving practice of archaeological excavation and study. Highly recommended as light reading to anyone interested in archaeology at any level of expertise.

[Chris Cloake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely perfect book that gives you great insights into most of the key archaeological discoveries and expeditions in history. Beautiful colour photos enhance the concise, clear and informative text. It just made me want more.

There is included an overview of methods, examining the effectiveness of them as well as the morality. Disputes over results are handled fairly.

Maybe an updated version could be considered in a few years time.

[Erwin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Pollard’s The Story of Archeology an Illustrated History of 50 Great Discoveries is a wonderful compilation of mankind’s discoveries. It included discoveries in the 19th and 20th centuries of archeology’s Golden Age. Articles were presented with timelines, and with captivating pictures.
“From ancient Egypt to Inca Peru, from Neolithic Anatolia to Little Bighorn, Montana, and from Mycenaean Greece to 20th-century Greenland, Justin Pollard brings each site vividly and affectionately to life.”
This historical story was concise, understandable, and appealing.

[Öykü Coşkun · Rating 5 out of 5]

göbeklitepe yok 🤠

[Melissa Embry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justin Pollard's "The Story of Archaeology: In 50 Great Discoveries" is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book, filled with 4-6 page summaries of his favorite discoveries (although he admits the term "discovery" is problematic for sites such as Easter Island, whose inhabitants had known about it for more than a millennium before Dutch navigator Jakob Roggeveen landed there in 1722.

However "discovery" is defined, Pollard's book is a wonderful romp. Each segment opens with a map, includes at least one gorgeous picture, and one to two brief related articles on the the site, its discoverer, or related topics, such as the sometimes disputed ownership of objects -- or bodies -- found at archaeological excavations.

The segments track the overall arc of archaeology's history and evolution, but each can also stand alone. I dipped first into the ones I knew most about, got hooked, and ended reading from cover to cover.

It's not possible to cover more than the barest outlines of any given discovery in the small space -- no blame to Pollard, who intends his work for general readers -- but "The Story of Archaeology" is a great starting point for further investigation.

In a work of this scope, a few minor typographical errors are inevitable and usually understandable. However, I was occasionally about items such as a reference to an Atlantic port in Mozambique when the attached map clearly shows that country with an Indian Ocean coastline, or a reference to an article's publication date as 1951 on one page and 1959 on the next. Overall, though, well worth the reader's time.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, layman's introduction to some of the most important historical archaeological discoveries. Neat.

[Troy Steven]

This is an excellent book that covers the beginnings to the modern discoveries of archaeology. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in the discipline.

[Carmen Tudor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great entry level collection of some of modern history's rediscoveries of ancient sites. Includes timelines for each entry as well as features on notable persons.

[Mike Keever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The book had pieces of different Archaeology finds and gave a small introductory of each.