The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs: 100 Discoveries That Changed The World"

Happy Aloha Friday! I am happy to be today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for National Geographic's Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs: 100 Discoveries That Changed the World, which publishes today!

 

Publisher's Blurb:

Blending high adventure with history, this chronicle of 100 astonishing discoveries from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the fabulous “Lost City of the Monkey God” tells incredible stories of how explorers and archaeologists have uncovered the clues that illuminate our past.

Archaeology is the key that unlocks our deepest history. Ruined cities, golden treasures, cryptic inscriptions, and ornate tombs have been found across the world, and yet these artifacts of ages past often raised more questions than answers. But with the emergence of archaeology as a scientific discipline in the 19th century, everything changed.

Illustrated with dazzling photographs, this enlightening narrative tells the story of human civilization through 100 key expeditions, spanning six continents and more than three million years of history. Each account relies on firsthand reports from explorers, antiquarians, and scientists as they crack secret codes, evade looters and political suppression, fall in love, commit a litany of blunders, and uncover ancient curses.

Pivotal discoveries include:

• King Tut’s tomb of treasure
• Terracotta warriors escorting China’s first emperor into the afterlife
• The glorious Anglo-Saxon treasure of Sutton-Hoo
• Graves of the Scythians, the real Amazon warrior women
• New findings on the grim fate of the colonists of Jamestown

With a foreword from bestselling author Douglas Preston, Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs is an expertly curated and breath-taking panorama of the human journey.

Publisher: National Geographic (November 2, 2021)

Hardcover: 512 pages

My Review: 

I find archaeology fascinating, seeing and learning about ancient ruins, fossils and bones so Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs is right up my alley. Still, I am only midway through this 512 page chunkster, leaving it beside my bed to read through part of a chapter night. There are twelve chapters to be exact, starting with 3.6 mya-50,000 BC and ending with 1600-Present, and spanning the globe from Easter Island to China to Egypt and Pompeii and Herculaneum to the American Southwest, Jamestown and even the Titanic. The forward is by Douglas Preston, author, anthropologist and chronicler of history, and whose books I enjoy. The stories and facts included are interesting, the many photos and illustrations are breathtaking, and for me it is a good balance of well-known discoveries and others that I knew little about. I think there's something to captivate almost every history buff here--some finds are awe inspiring, some reflect pieces of history that are cringe-inducing, but all of it is illuminating. This book would make a great gift, but I'm holding on to my copy and savoring it! 

Just a brief glimpse inside: 

Petra: Ancient City of Stone in Jordan

Note: A review copy of Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.    

You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.