Digging deep How science unearths puzzles from the past

Laura Scandiffio

Book - 2019

"Archaeological finds add to our understanding of the world. This book showcases six discoveries made that changed the way we view history through recent advances in science. Discoveries include new clues about life in the Stone Age gleaned from Ötzi the Ice Man, the extent of the lost city of Angkor through the use of drones, and King Richard III's villainous reputation deduced from the discovery of his long-lost tomb, Digging Deep is full of fascinating examples of how modern science has disrupted the status quo."--

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Subjects
Genres
Instructional and educational works
Illustrated works
Published
Toronto ; Berkeley : Annick Press [2019]
Language
English
Main Author
Laura Scandiffio (author)
Physical Description
116 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 106-110) and index.
ISBN
9781773212395
9781773212388
  • Detectives of the past
  • Ötzi the iceman : time traveller from the stone age
  • Deadly knowledge : discovery of the oldest poison
  • Under the jungle : lost cities of Cambodia
  • Lost ships of the Arctic : the hunt for HMS Erebus and Terror
  • Hidden majesty : the lost grave of Richard III
  • Chauvet Cave : where art began.
Review by Booklist Review

How did the grave of England's King Richard III end up under a parking lot? Scandiffio explores this lost burial and five other historical mysteries, including the murder of Ötzi, a Stone Age iceman; the oldest poisons used by humans; Cambodia's lost city of Angkor; the search for HMS Erebus and Terror, shipwrecked in the Arctic in the 1800s; and the discovery of art in France's Chauvet Cave (created approximately 20,000 years earlier than the art discovered in Lascaux). Interpreting history, however, sometimes involves science. In chapters devoted to each mystery, the author provides historical background information and how teams of scientists tackled the problem and solved it. Accompanied by maps, reproductions, and photos of scientists in the field, chapters also include sidebars that expand on scientific techniques (e.g., using drones and satellites to map archaeological sites) and time lines with relevant events annotated. A concluding summary asks readers to consider what we thought we knew about the mystery and how science has changed our perspective of history. An excellent cross-curricular resource with high-interest connections.--Angela Leeper Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-9-Archaeology, a fascinating subject, is made more so in this slim, well-written volume that examines how advances in technology-including radiocarbon dating, DNA testing, forensics, and underwater exploration-have helped us learn more about impressive artifacts and reshaped theories about how our forebears lived. Six engaging chapters delve into archaeological discoveries from around the world and throughout time, from prehistory to several centuries ago. Scandiffio offers eye-opening information about Otzi the Iceman, the most ancient poison ever used, the "lost cities of Cambodia," two 19th-century ships buried under Arctic ice, the lost grave of Richard III, and the world's oldest-known cave paintings. Each chapter opens with a map highlighting the location of the find; provides colorful modern and contemporary photos, illustrations, numerous informative sidebars, and explanations of scientific terms; and includes a time line that places the discovery and its time period in clear historical context. Each chapter ends with an illuminating sidebar, "What we thought we knew.and what we know now," that discusses how science not only enhances archaeological knowledge and updates previously accepted notions but also clarifies that we have more in common with our ancestors, even very ancient ones, than we may have realized. VERDICT Recommended for school and large public-library collections; best for mature, strong readers. Useful in history and science units and across the general social studies curriculum.-Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Exploring six different archaeological explorations, Scandiffio sheds new light on intriguing puzzles from the past.A variety of explorations is used to highlight the use of remarkable new techniques for revealing the secrets of the past: tzi the Iceman; the use of poison in hunting by African hunters and gatherers; the lost city of Angkor in Cambodia; the search for Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin's lost ships, HMS Erebus and Terror; the unearthing of the grave of Richard III; and the discovery of Stone Age paintings in the French cave of Chauvet. Each new technique is carefully explained, from lidar (light detection and ranging), which reveals in remarkable detail the vast city of Angkor even though little remains of its mostly wooden construction, to the combined use of mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography to detect traces of plant-based poisons on Egyptian arrowheads. Each chapter begins with a brief, fictional narrative that describes the origin of the object of archaeological interest. Annoyingly, these tales are generally undated, although a few pages later, each chapter includes a timeline that does offer a date for the original event. Helpful text boxes, numerous illustrations, and maps for each chapter extend the narrative, and very good backmatter contributes to the all-around solid presentation.Straightforward, fascinating, broad-ranging, and timely; this effort will fully engage budding archaeologists. (maps, bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.