Product Description

This is the story of a fantasy dig. Readers are invited to undertake in their back gardens to find out what is buried underneath it. Their initial small trench gradually gets bigger until they are compelled to destroy their garden shed. Then they come down on the remains of a Roman Villa. Their excavation extends into their neighbour's back garden, and ultimately over their back fence into the field beyond, which is the site of a proposed supermarket. What began as a piece of keyhole archaeology is by the end of the book, a massive site complete with mechanical diggers and dumper tracks. "Archaeology is Rubbish" is a manual for everyone who wants to know how the task of excavation is undertaken. It also answers some of the questions archaeologists are most often asked, such as 'What do you do if you come across human bones?', 'Suppose you find something valuable?' or 'How do you know what's in your trench when all you've got are different shades of earth?' As well as taking the reader on an archaeological journey, "Archaeology is Rubbish" tells the history of the discipline of archaeology, from the earliest looters of pyramids to the present day, and explores modern archaeological techniques. It will encourage those with an interest in digging, but equally it will amuse and engage those whose archaeological ambitions are limited to turning the pages of this book. This is a fascinating, humurous look at the ins and outs of archaeology by two of Britain's favourite archaeologists. Through Time Team, Tony Robinson has become firmly established as an entertaining authority and a trusted commentator on historical and archaeological matters. Professor Mick Aston is a well-respected archaeologist, based at the University of Bristol, who has been a pivotal and charismatic member of the Time Team gang since its inception.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #426870 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Cast as the story of an imaginary dig in a suburban garden that expands to include the site of what is to be a new "Tesbury's" supermarket, Archaeology Is Rubbish takes readers through all the processes involved in a modern excavation and gives answers to some of the questions most frequently asked of archaeologists.

The fictional exploits of Indiana Jones and the lives of 19th century adventurers like Heinrich Schliemann, the man who dug up Troy and Mycenae, may give the impression that the archaeologist's life is one of glamour and excitement in faraway places. Tony Robinson and Mick Aston themselves, dashing hither and yon in a race against time in the Time Team TV series, may add to the sense that archaeology is one moment of high drama followed by another. In fact, as they know, and their book proclaims, archaeology is largely rubbish.

The material on which archaeologists work is usually the waste discarded by generation after generation, from Stone Age tool-makers and Roman housewives to Tudor carpenters and Victorian factory workers. This rubbish has its own stories to tell and Robinson and Aston's book is an engaging account of how archaeologists unearth those stories. The authors manage to cover a lot of territory in a 200-page book--from the dating of finds and the use of geophysics to Anglo-Saxon jewellery and Roman mosaics--and they do so in a way that proves archaeology can not only be rubbish but also a lot of fun. --Nick Rennison

Good Book Guide, September 2003
It's a must for anyone hankering to dig up some fun.

About the Author
Tony Robinson is already of national renown. Through Time Team he has become firmly established as an entertaining authority and a trusted resource on historical and archaeological matters. The book will carry Tony's distinctive and enthralling mode of expression, making it both original and enlightening. Mick Aston is a well-respected archaeologist who has been a pivotal and charismatic member of the Time Team gang since its inception.

Customer Reviews

What lurks under your lawn?
If you are viewers of the Channel 4 docu-series 'Time Team' you will recognise the authors as two gentlemen usually up to their knees in mud pulling out of various holes, random pieces of pottery or bone, in this book they show us more of the same, but some detailed interesting information of the history of archaeology and an understanding as to why they are so passionate about it.

In this book, we begin with a trench being dug on a lawn that will look like ones we pass every day without a second thought to what stood there hundreds of years ago. Then out of this hole in the ground, tiny pieces of pottery emerge, that they recognise immediately as being Roman. By the time we get to the last chapter, we are rummaging around in the lives of people who lived in a Roman villa that they have unearthed, and the way it is explained and put across you begin to share their excitement of these broken pieces of history that they find.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and as a Time Team viewer I guess I had been bitten by the archaeology bug before, if you have too, this is a must read, if not, this will be a good introduction into what is under the earth we tread on daily and the lives of the people who were a part of our history.

Fired my imagination
This book first attracted me because of the obvious connection with time team as I had enjoyed the programme for many years. I was about to apply to read for a degree in archaeology and wanted to know more about the actual work done rather than the theoretical approaches covered in most textbooks. To this end the book achieved it's purpose admirably and had a useful list of organisations, websites and a reasonably good further reading list. All in all, very helpful.

great for the novice
if you know little or nothing about archaeology then this is the book for you.Very clearly explained, this book assumes the reader knows nothing about archaeology. highly recomended.