Archaeology

It also seems to me that the magazine has more Eurocentric (and Judeo-Christian centric) over the years. Which tends to give some of the articles a bit of a slant when discussing cultures that aren't important to that particular viewpoint. Since my own interest has shifted from Middle-Eastern and North African to Asian this can get irksome. Another thing that frustrates me is a lack of a bibliography at times when one would be very helpful.

Still, this is a well-made magazine that covers a wide field of subjects. It is probably unfair to insist that they cover everything equally well, especially when they have become more dependent on independent writers. The photography is always good, and the writing and editing are consistent and literate. If you can bring yourself to deal with titles like 'Everyone Loves a Bloodbath' and 'Moche Mug Shots' there still is a lot of good reading on these pages. Just remember to keep a grain of salt handy.


I can dig it!   June 11, 2003
FrKurt Messick (Bloomington, IN USA)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful

Hmmmm. Well, with a title on my review like that, I'd better make this a good one!

'Archaeology' magazine is one of those rare magazines where I keep all of the back issues. Glorious photography, informative maps, charts and diagrams, in depth articles which span the entire globe (and the entire history and prehistory of the globe) -- this magazine covers it all. Each issue represents a broad range of research locations, styles, and discoveries. They regularly highlight personalities (one of my favourites being a few years ago, an article on 'Mayan maverick' Ian Graham and his crusade to record and save Mayan ruins). Many issues have special sections which go into great detail about a particular archaeological issue, approaching the issue from the standpoint of different perspectives, methodologies and strategies.

'Archaeology' has been around for more than fifty years (its first publication was in the spring of 1948 as a quarterly, beginning the tradition even in that issue of covering stories all over the globe, and serving the general public. It is now a bimonthly, and still holds true to its mission. They have regular contests (such as the photography contest) which yield wonderful and occasionally surprising results.

Among my favourite features is the 'Forum' section, in which you are as likely to get a poem as an essay or factual article. This is the section I always turn to first, as it has short-and-sweet little bits that whet the appetite for the rest of the issue.

Being an avid book buyer, however, the most invaluable part of the magazine is the book review section, which helps me separate the wheat from the chaff in current publications. I often make purchasing decisions based upon the reviews that this magazine presents, and am always gratified when it reviews a book I've already purchased. Even a poorly-reviewed book, if it is worthy of inclusion here, has to be of note in some way!

My favourite recent article would have to be the examination of Celtic remains found in bogs throughout Europe, particularly England and Holland. The extent of the Celts throughout Europe is much wider than popularly realised; this article examines small amounts of evidence and ties it together with other known pieces to reconstruct a history of the persons involved in the remains found. Likewise, the articles on Nineveh Marbles a few years ago, which shows not only the scientific but the social and commercial sides of archaeology, is a fascinating tale of how these rare pieces ended up in an English country manor.

I have had occasion to buy a second copy of the magazine so that I might remove a picture or two for display at my office or on a wall at home -- the photography is so good, and my desire to keep an issue intact, that I find competing impulses.

Read this and discover something new with every issue. The past is fascinating, and often archaeological discoveries find a way of having an impact on today's world. Be ahead of the game. Subscribe today.


Timeless   November 7, 2001
William C. Smith (Swannanoa, NC USA)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

Are you a fan of Ancient History? The Greeks and Romans? Did you like the movies, "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns"? Do you like the Indiana Jones movies? Do you like the televison show CSI? If you answered yes to any of these questions you may be a fan of Archaeology. This magazine presents a trove of information about digs not only in Egypt and the middle east but digs going on in France, and England, and here in the USA. Learn all about mummies, the Anasazi, ancient biblical cultures, ancient man and more. I am a huge fan of historical fantasy and this magazine is my ballast of knowledge into the past. Now when I read my fantasy novels they come to life through the pages of Archaeology magazine. I read mine cover to cover and while being packed with information in each issue I often feel like I do when closing the last page of a really great novel; wishing there were more. And unlike that really great novel that comes to an end, Archaeology Magazine shows up again a few weeks later with more adventures in my mailbox. Always a really great read.


Pompous and Self Important...Get Into the REAL World!!!   December 1, 2001
Carla J. Schultz (Albuquerque, NM)
14 out of 43 found this review helpful

The editors of 'Archaeology' magazine truly live in the world of the past. Wait, let me start with what is good.

The articles are generally good in terms of scholarship and general content, though they are a bit too pretentious and (yes) pompous for me. This magazine is not a scholarly journal but geared for more of a popular audience, yet the snobbery practically oozes from the pages. Oh dear, I am on the good stuff. I digress. The paper quality and the photography is very nice though the layout could be a little more eye-pleasing. However, the appearance and initial appeal of the magazine is at first nice overall.

However, back to my original statement about pomponcity and "living in the past." The editors of "Archaeology" magazine absolutely positively live their narrowminded lives with their heads in the, well, sand is what I can say here, under the notion that archaeological sites can be preserved in pristine circumstances and that under NO condition whatsoever should any antiquities ever be allowed to be sold, ever never NEVER EVER!! And, private collectors and current holders of less than pedigreed collections of antiquities should be prosecuted for having stolen goods. This is such a great loss to science in that many people have had thousands of real and invaluable Antiquities in their families for centuries and would GLADLY allow scientists to study them, opening the door for amazing "new" discoveries EXCEPT that under the current laws, their "treasures" would be confiscated and these patrons would be fined and perhaps even taken to court. Why bother!!

Isn't the point of it all to have the ability to study the Antiquities? And to have the public perhaps have the ability to view these collections? And to have these Antiquities be properly conserved? Certainly the vast numbers of items simply wasting away in the Smithsonian collections are example enough that "public" ownership of Antiquities is not the best method for proper handling of these items. Certainly a private display of some fine Pre-Columbian artifacts would yield just as great of scholarship as the horrid debacle happening to the Chinchorro mummies in Peru?

I subscribe to 'Archaeology,' and will continue to do so, only for the alternative scholarship. A better choice for my point of view is 'Archaeology Odyssey'.