Mesa Verde (Excavating the Past)

Mary Quigley is a Heinemann Raintree author.

Grade 4-6–In these handsomely designed volumes, color photographs of sites and artifacts are supplemented by detailed drawings of re-created structures and scenes from the past. Numerous sidebars provide additional information. Cartoon archaeologists in ever-changing garb at the bottom of alternate pages highlight Did You Know? tidbits. Mesa Verde explains how these ancient people reached North and South America using the land bridge and settled down to farm in the Four Corners area. Quigley uses the term Ancestral Puebloans rather than the sometimes derogatory Anasazi and explains why. She describes the daily lives of the people and includes current theories about why they may have abandoned this site. Activities and discoveries by the Wetherill brothers and other archaeologists as well as cultural information from modern-day people bring knowledge about the ancients up to date. This excellent title updates Caroline Arnolds The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde (Clarion, 1992). Ancient China covers the regions history from the first single kingdom dynasty, Xia (2205 B.C.E. to 1700 B.C.E), to the conquering of China by Mongols in C.E.1279. Shuter includes a history of archaeology conducted by Westerners and by the Chinese government. Artifacts and a few well-preserved burial sites reveal lifestyles of the powerful and wealthy. Short chapters describe living conditions of the poor and of skilled workers as well. Others are devoted to the Silk Road trade routes and to the many Chinese inventions. Virginia Schomps The Ancient Chinese (Watts, 2004) provides biographical information on more prominent ancient Chinese as well as many more bibliographical references.–Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY
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