The World Encyclopedia of Archaeology: The World's Most Significant Sites and Cultural Treasures

by Aedeen Cremin (Editor)

It can be browsed or studied, and it would engage the informal student as well as the serious reader. Strongly recommended for public libraries needing just one basic resource.
--Booklist As an introduction to the archaeological discoveries of the last few centuries, there is little here to be faulted, particularly at this price. Recommended for high school, public, and college libraries.
--Library Journal The World Encyclopedia of Archaeology is a sweeping exploration of archaeology that spans the globe from the beginning of recorded history and earlier. Here is a comprehensive view of the past as seen through the remnants of civilizations as they emerge and expand. The book begins by defining modern and ancient archaeology and gives the history of archaeology through the centuries. The different types of archaeology are explored, along with the techniques used for each and the problems, concerns and issues archaeologists face today. The main section of the book details each region of the world, with the authoritative text revealing the fascinating history of important archaeological sites. This global perspective includes more than 700 illustrations. The atlas section with detailed maps provides placements throughout history. Accurate, in-depth and up to date, The World Encyclopedia of Archaeology is compelling reading. It serves as an outstanding reference for professionals, researchers, history buffs and general readers. The World Encyclopedia of Archaeology

Genres: Archaeology, History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Reference

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2007

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd review because I don't know a lot of people who read encyclopedias, but, then, apparently I do. And, really, while this is clearly a reference work, it is a good encyclopedia to read, given that it has a pretty narrow focus (ish, it is world archaeology, after all). That is, it's pretty comprehensive within a fairly narrow disciplinary focus.

The format is pretty straightforward. The guts of the encyclopedia are the entries on various of the most important archaeological sites in the world, along with short articles on various archaeological foci important to some of these sites. They are grouped geographically by region and represent a pretty thorough sampling of the most important sites and topics in archaeology from the paleolithic to the modern era. They are, of course, thumb-nail sketches, but they are written to address the main issues and questions which the reader can follow up on.

For anyone interested in archaeology, this is a very good book and well worth reading to get some familiarity with the archaeologies of various cultures and regions, as well as given the big picture look that we sometimes miss.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely the sort of book that will lead to "Why didn't you include ?", as it does try to cover a huge swath of time around the globe. I felt it focused quite a lot, perhaps too much, on prehistorical mankind, but that also provided a narrative/organizational framework for the book.

I thought the content covering Asia (including China, Central Asia, and India) was really sparse relative to the available material, and likewise with Scandinavia and Africa. And I'm willing to bet that experts/amateurs would say the same about their area(s) of focus. Truth is, any book like this that would be truly thorough would be so big as to be almost impossible to lift and read comfortably.

I think it is a solid book for what it is (a brief fly-by overview of many sites around the world). My biggest complaint is the organization of the bibliography. I would have organized it in a way that better corresponds to how the content was arranged, so you could easily build a reading list for further study based upon passages you found most interesting.

[Andressa Da Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3 star book at best

[Anne Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in archaeology

[Karlie Nyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great collection of places worldwide that have great archaeological significance. Each place is just a snapshot of what has been discovered, but it's a great place to start looking.