Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology by Eric H. Cline (review)

Archaeologists continually call upon one another to write engaging stories about archaeology for the public. Eric Cline has answered that call admirably with this delightful book. Cline shares his passion for archaeology as a process of discovery and hopes "that it will become obvious why archaeology matters and why we should care about preserving the past for future generations" (xix). He believes that our mutual human experience connects us together. He also wants people to be better able to judge dubious claims about archaeological materials, such as attributing human accomplishments to aliens.

There are nineteen chapters organized in six parts, as well as preface, prologue and epilogue. There are also four "Digging Deeper" interludes to address questions people often ask archaeologists: "How do you know where to dig?"; "How do you know how to dig?"; "How Old is this and why is it preserved?"; and "Do you get to keep what you find?" The author introduces early archaeology and archaeologists through numerous famous sites including King Tut's Tomb, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Troy, as well as sites of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Mesoamerica. In Part Two, we move through time quickly, from early humans over 3 million years ago to the emergence of farming during the Neolithic Revolution in southwest Asia's Fertile Crescent approximately 12,000 to 4,500 years ago. A lively trip through the Bronze Age Aegean introduces the early Greeks; then to Santorini, which appears likely to be the kernel of truth at the heart of the Atlantis myth (if the myth has any roots in reality); and the extraordinary Uluburun shipwreck that sank off the coast of southwest Turkey about 1300 bce. Part Four explores Classical Archaeology, including the Greek sites of Olympia, Delphi, and Athens, and the expansive site of Rome. Part Five explores discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, sites associated with the Judeo-Christian Bible, and more in Israel and Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.

The great majority of the book is focused on a select section of what Westerners call the Old World (very little from Africa, Asia, or Europe). However, Part Six is devoted to the New World of the Americas, specifically Peru, Mexico, and a single chapter to hint at the depth and breadth of archaeology in the rest of North America, ranging from Chaco Canyon to the Hunley submarine wreck from the American Civil War. An epilogue invites readers to consider the contingent nature of archaeological conclusions and the numerous likely misconceptions that archaeologists of the future might have when studying our own modern society.

The title is just mysterious enough to spark curiosity. As an archaeologist, I would have preferred that the subtitle be A Story of Archaeology, instead of "The" story, as there are many more stories of archaeology. Hopefully readers will extrapolate and understand that there are great discoveries in the laboratory as well as the field, meaningful stories, and opportunities to engage with archaeology all over the world, including in their own communities. The author focuses on what we might think of as traditionally spectacular discoveries—harkening to the ruins and gold of popular imagination—rather than spending much time exploring possible meanings of those discoveries or the painstaking laboratory work, analysis and re-analysis that allows us to learn new things from archaeological materials. The exciting description of discovery in the field as the essence of archaeology could hold a danger of reinforcing the idea that archaeology is little more than digging—a perception that can make it difficult to recognize the bright line separating professional archaeology from looting and grave robbing.

There is some discussion of controversies, disagreements, and even hoaxes. The alert reader should learn that archaeological conclusions change as research addresses new questions with improved methods. Acknowledging archaeologists' mistakes is welcome and necessary to appreciating the growth of the field. Cline describes disagreements and scholarly rivalries at Masada in Israel, allowing...