Accidental Archaeologists: True Stories of Unexpected Discoveries

by Sarah Albee

Science meets real-life mystery in this adventurous look at incredible unexpected finds that changed history. Secret treasures are buried all around us -- you just have to look for them! Accidental Archaeologists takes you on an adventure through time to relive some of the coolest surprise discoveries by totally ordinary people all over the world. The cowboy who found an ancient skeleton- A famous king buried underneath a parking lot- The team who found New York City's hidden African Burial Ground- A boy who finds the Dead Sea Scrolls while looking for his lost goat- And many more.Packed with incredible stories and expert tips for making your own exciting finds, this is an accessible, action-packed introduction to the world of archaeology.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History, Childrens, Historical, Archaeology, Ancient History

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2020

Reviews

[Chrisl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The regional library has this - cataloged
"Subject Archaeology -- History -- Juvenile literature.
Discoveries in science -- History -- Juvenile literature.
Archaeologists -- Juvenile literature."
***
Wish I had read books like this way back when ... still, it is well presented info, some of it new to me.
***
Intriguing to read mention of Archimedes relative to 'Antikythera Mechanism' - since I just started a re-read of Bradshaw's 'Sand Reckoner"
The Sand-Reckoner
***
http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/
"More than a hundred years ago an extraordinary mechanism was found by sponge divers at the bottom of the sea near the island of Antikythera. It astonished the whole international community of experts on the ancient world. Was it an astrolabe? Was it an orrery or an astronomical clock? Or something else?
For decades, scientific investigation failed to yield much light and relied more on imagination than the facts. However research over the last half century has begun to reveal its secrets. The machine dates from around the end of the 2nd century B.C. and is the most sophisticated mechanism known from the ancient world. Nothing as complex is known for the next thousand years. The Antikythera Mechanism is now understood to be dedicated to astronomical phenomena and operates as a complex mechanical "computer" which tracks the cycles of the Solar System."
***
googled quote

"Syracuse was a colony of Corinth and the home of Archimedes, and the Antikythera Mechanism Research project argued in 2008 that it might imply a connection with the school of Archimedes. However, it was demonstrated in 2017 that the calendar on the Metonic Spiral is indeed of the Corinthian type but cannot be that of Syracuse. [41] "

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This excellent middle grade nonfiction book came out in November, and if you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, I suggest you do what you can to get a copy.

It looks at a number of accidental discoveries of pieces of history in unexpected places. Some are human remains from thousands of years ago, some are treasures hiding in plain sight, while others are just the tip of the iceberg of what remains left to discover. I really appreciated the perspective that colonizing countries have pillaged and claimed items that do not belong to them. It’s also sobering to realize how much has been lost to war and violence, but exciting to think about how much still remains for us to discover.

The chapters are written in very kid-friendly language, and there are a lot of humorous additions by the author. I definitely recommend this book to those interested in archaeology, history buffs, kids who love asking questions about the past.

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Albee's writing. It was informative and engaging. I learned something about every single discovery, even the ones I already knew quite a bit about. If you're interested in archaeology, you'll enjoy reading this book

[Tena Edlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my "at school" book this spring. Because it was broken up into chapters that were all different archaeological finds, it was a great book to have at school where my reading time is short and frequently broken up. I like how the book was written, though my age group is not the intended audience. It had some humor (I'll try to forgive them for saying "pantsed" instead of "depantsed," but that's an argument for another day.), and I loved reading about each interesting find. This book showed how regular people can make big discoveries. And now I want to do some more research, especially about bog bodies!

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of fascinating stories about archaeological discoveries. As someone who teaches ancient history, I am
thrilled to add this book to my library for students to explore. The stories from various digs will compliment ancient studies in the classroom very nicely. Each chapter, filled with photos of primary sources paired with Sarah’s engaging story-telling, was just as intriguing as the next. So much research went into this collection. Very well done!

[Rachel Alberque · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about treasure hunters, cowboys, teens, cave divers, and others who became accidental archaeologists.

I learned so much! The chapters are short and chunked, which makes the information very accessible for readers. I love that Sarah Albee wrote this in a very conversational, honest voice that acknowledges misconceptions about ancient civilizations and various figures throughout history. She also doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the mistakes made out of ignorance or greed that some of these accidental archaeologists made.

Thank you to Scholastic for sharing an ARC with #BookAllies in exchange for an honest review.

[Alecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I go to the library and pick out books for my children, I always try to get some interesting non-fiction books too. This topic seemed so interesting to me so I ended up reading it as it sat on my 8th graders shelf unread.

Very well organized, and the writing style and level is well done for middle school or high school - in depth, clear but also some silly little side remarks here and there such as "Something about the imperial procession smelled fishy" (because they disguised the smell of the emperor's corpse with fish)

Some chapters were more interesting to me than others, but overall it was a very engaging nonfiction read. I enjoyed the variety of locations and time periods that the book discussed. The book also does a tremendous job of highlighting the accomplishments of non-Europeans including indigenous peoples from around the world and a chapter with quite a lot of information about the often overlooked black cowboys.

It might be a lot for many middle schoolers to read from cover to cover, but I think there is a chapter of interest for everyone so it could be used just as a book in which a child reads just a few chapters of their choice.

[Samantha Gronberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I haven’t read over 100 pages in a day in quite some time. I’m more than happy to admit this book sucked me in for the better part of a day and I devoured every last word, while still begging for more. As a fourth grade teacher who originally majored in anthropology, this book was right up my alley. It doesn’t hurt that I bought it at this year’s Scholastic Book Fair which is honestly a heavenly slice of nostalgia for anyone whose childhood was spent between the pages of books. Albee’s book was insightful, comical and filled with astounding information. I’m now fully convinced that the Lascaux Cave discovery would make an excellent coming of age/drama film. I mean come on, French teenage refugees during World War 2 who discover a secret cave filled with ancient art thanks to the help of their dog, Robot?? How could you not want to watch that in the theaters. I’ll definitely be adding this one to my classroom library.

[Joanna Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick stories of amazing discoveries… accidental discoveries. Sometimes kids books are the best source for easy understanding and whetting the appetite for a particular subject. Archaeology is fascinating when presented like this! (Some evilution mentioned here and there.) Overall very interesting!!

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! This book is all about archaeological discoveries that have changed the way we think and how they accidently came about. It found it easy to read and full of great information. I am excited to recommend this book to students.

2021 Popsugar reading challenge #29 A book set in multiple countries

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always get excited when Sarah Albee finishes a book. I wish the book was formatted more like her Dog Days.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young Sydney’s ideal book. Also appreciate the acknowledgment of looting practices and who the rightful owners of these discoveries are.

[Helena Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED reading these accounts of accidental archaeological discoveries and particularly appreciated Albee's skill in setting the discoveries into a concise and fascinating historical context. Highly recommend.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! This book was so well-written and gave me so much fabulous history and information. I loved Albee's writing style and all of the amazing discoveries included in this one.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of accounts of archaeological finds. It covers eighteen different instances where average people stumble upon some of the world’s greatest treasures. Each story is unique and includes details about the people who are making incredible finds. Along with that, there is a mini history lesson attached to each story to give more relevant context to what is discovered. Ranging from perfectly preserved bodies to drawings on cave walls, this book makes history and archaeology enticing by hinting that anyone can make a miraculous discovery if they are lucky enough!
I thought this was a great non-fiction book. It was packed with really good information, but it was presented in a really accessible way. A lot of the book was written in a very conversational tone, so it didn’t feel like reading a textbook at all. I thought this was impressive because normally if you are going to talk about a particular artifact or historical person, it is just a list of facts. This book gave the history a narrative to follow, which made it much easier to digest. It also did not overwhelm the reader with information. It gave enough to feel like you learned something, but it didn’t make your head hurt. It also gives you a good starting point for learning more about the subjects you found more interesting.

Content Warning
Gruesome photos
Death
Violence

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Archeology is an exacting science these days but many discoveries over the years have been simple chance by people intent on other tasks. Albee writes with a breezy conversational style that will be very appealing to young readers but she has put serious research and careful documentation into the 15 fascinating stories.

Each chapter begins with the lucky accident and then backs up to provide historical context, examine the relevance of the discovery and its impact on our understanding of cultures and civilizations. An aspect I really appreciated was the continual contrast of evolving attitudes to archeological findings over the years and our changing ethical attitudes as well as the emphasis on careful methodical processes.

Albee has chosen some wonderful examples. Some are well known and some much more obscure and there is an excellent balance of sites around the globe. Albee provides outstanding back matter, including source notes, an extensive bibliography and interesting links to information about places of interest that can be visited in person or virtually. Albee makes it clear that the possibilities for future discoveries are extensive and encourages kids to keep their eyes open and provides information about what to do if they should find something.

This is terrific place for kids to start with exploring the science and chance of archeology.

[Hannah Haake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not much of a nonfiction reader, but I stumbled upon this book and decided ‘why not’. The author dives into a collection of different historical discoveries from the tomb of Chin Shin Huang Ti, the gold Buddha statue, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the city of Pompeii. Each discovery discussed in this book tells of relevant historical information, includes useful photos, and are written to help the reader understand relevance of the discovery. Additionally, the author does well pointing out inaccuracies of historical discoveries such as the bones on George McJunkin’s land were discovered by him and NOT the two white male archaeologists who arrive, finally, after George died. I had to reexamine what I thought I knew: most cowboys were not white men, Pompeii was discover MUCH earlier than I expected,early archaeologist were more like grave robbers, and Genghis Khan may have been a ruthless enemy, but was not quite the evil ruler he’s described to be. I love that the author actively calls out inaccuracies written by single minded individuals and how she points out the whitewashing of history. We need more books like this so our younger generations can see the truth of history and not just the ‘truth’ written by the winning white men!

If you have a middle schooler, high schooler, or are just curious yourself consider finding a copy of this book!

[Ericka Picinich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short non-fiction stories about random people accidentally discovering archaeological objects, peoples and things. The titles of the different stories are written in a way that catches your interest and then won't let you go. The first one I read was #10 on page 89 and I never read any of the other stories in the order written in the table of contents. Whichever title caught my interest at the time is the one I read next and this continued until I was done with the entire book. Bogged Down was my favorite because it reminded me of all the bog walks I did as a Girl Scout growing up and how nature works in mysterious ways.

Something intriguing I learned was that even though the body and organs of the bog people are nearly perfectly preserved, the bones are actually totally dissolved because of the sphagnum that the bog contains and that it even sometimes tints the hair of a human to be reddish. I learned a lot of new information that became interesting to me because of this book that I otherwise wouldn't have cared about if found out about it some other way.

[Maria Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fascinating book written in an engaging, conversational tone. It examines a number of history changing, accidental discoveries from around the world are examined and explained within their historical and social contexts, without sugar coating numerous ethical considerations. From well-known discoveries, like Vesuvius, Italy, to lesser known discoveries, like a Greek mechanical device (the first computer?). The chapters feature "the discovery," a discussion and images of the item and people involved, an additional fact in a sidebar, and then a "back to the present" section. The included glossary, discussion of dating artifacts, author's note, and places to visit round out a remarkable survey of some fascinating discoveries.

[Ben Gartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids (13 and 10) and I thoroughly enjoyed this non-fiction book. I'm highly interested in the nooks and crannies of history and this book definitely satisfied that curiosity. Each chapter is written in a narrative way that is very exciting, suspenseful, and encourages discussion. The call-outs fostered further research and conversation with my children. Perhaps the best part of this book is that it raised all sorts of new questions for us!

I'd definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in the history you won't find in textbooks, the stories behind the stories, and the mysteries still left to solve. And for anyone with budding archaeologists or historians who want to feel a real sense that "It could happen to me!"

[Hannah Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of a variety of fun and captivating archaeological discoveries that are sure to fascinate readers. From the Terracotta Warriors to the Bog Bodies, Albee presents a unique history of these finds and how they continue to impact today. You'll be surprised by just how simple these discoveries can be, and readers just might find a desire to go dig up their own background.

I enjoyed this book more than I though I would. Albee as a fun and engaging writing style that made this feel more like a story than a textbook. The book is full of images that add to the story, and I found that I wanted to keep researching even after I was done reading. I felt like a learned a lot by reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed myself, in the process.

Content Warning: gore (mild)

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed how easy this was to read while still providing a decent depth of facts. I was immediately intrigued by the first chapter and continued to be fascinated throughout. It is quite clear from the bibliography, further reading, etc. that some serious research was done for this book. Though I think a few facts seemed silly or a bit unnecessary (bathroom stuff) and there seems to have been some liberty taken to make the story seem more interesting (wondering where all the info about Genghis Khans mother and childhood came from, seem like some very specific details?) I still would recommend this for anyone interested in science, history, and archaeology.

[Linda Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The facts were interesting enough to share with whoever was next to me, and the book was fun to read.
But…I am so tired of writers trying to push an agenda in books for kids. All the “bad” explorers and archeologists were specifically described as “white”, as in “white treasure hunters and early archeologists”. Why specify skin color?
And two pages were dedicated to Sappho, (including “we hope [they’ll find] more lines from Sappho”), but only one-word mentions of Aristotle, Sophocles, and other Greek literary masters.
Other than that pet peeve, I did pick up some interesting trivia, so rated it with three stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC courtesy of Scholastic & Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

This is very well-researched and engaging. The, at times, grossness of this book will only serve to entice its target audience. I look forward to seeing the photos in the final copy-in this digital review they are two cloudy to weigh in on.

For Libraries If you have budding archaeologists or history buffs, they are going to love this one.

[Scott Lupo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is shelved in the adult science section of my library so I did not realize this is written for juveniles. I suppose the cover art and the giant Scholastic label on the front cover should have clued me in, but no! Actually, it is fine. I enjoyed reading this book and even got some new information from it. Well written, short chapters, defines words as you go, and generally is a great book for middle school to high school readers.

[Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to the kids over the course of several weeks. This was a pretty fun book, touching on different historical moments we’ve studied but also many we had not before. It was more of a history book than I expected, with less archeological information than we would have preferred. Most chapters have just a quick intro about how ______ was first discovered (accidentally) and then a history of that person/object, etc. Not bad for what it was, but not exactly what I expected from the title.

[Cynthia Argentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book! Fun to read for kids--and adults! Albee's cheerful wit shines light on amazing archaeological finds that have shaped our view of the past. As always, her research will astound. It's hard to pick a favorite chapter (each one is about a different discovery), but I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Rosetta stone and the Lascaux cave paintings.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes many stories of how different archaeological finds, were found. All of these were found accidentally and often by someone doing very ordinary tasks. I found it very interesting and fun to discover some new things. (Even though I didn’t agree with all the dating of the various fossils and finds.)

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far one of my favorite nonfiction books for middle school. I'm hunting at the library for other things that she's written. It was informative, fun, and inspirational! It has footnotes for unfamiliar terms, an introduction with many archeological terms that may be unfamiliar to younger students, and she connects things to the present.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m an adult and I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot — just enough is written about each find to be satisfying. The language doesn’t seem dumbed down. I hope she writes more books in this vein.