Buried Treasures

Gr 4—8—A French photographer briefly introduces a variety of archaeological discoveries from around the world. The primary focus is on ancient sites, some fairly well-known such as Pompeii and Easter Island, while others are a bit more obscure, including Cahuachi, the site of giant drawings in Peru and Chile, and Zeugma, a site in Turkey now underwater due to recent dam construction. A more cryptic inclusion is the glacier bear or "mythic blue bear" from Alaska, as it is neither ancient nor a buried treasure. Entries are generally four to six pages, with beautiful color photographs of artifacts, archaeologists at work, and the surrounding areas; an introduction; and lengthy photo captions. The information is fairly generic, almost cursory at times, and really more of a teaser than anything else. The layout is attractive with large, glossy pages that highlight the photographs and could attract general browsers. Short biographies on each of the archaeologists are included, but no other source material or further information is provided. Libraries looking for a coffee-table book with some interesting tidbits to tantalize their readers may find this a good choice, but report writers or serious enthusiasts will have to look elsewhere.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA