Title: Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Paul Bahn
Dates read: 12/10/26 – 19/10/26
Rating 4.5/5

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Number of pages: 118
Fiction or non-fiction: nonfiction
Subject or genre: classical studies, history, science

Book blurb:

This entertaining Very Short Introduction reflects the enduring popularity of archaeology – a subject which appeals as a pastime, career, and academic discipline, encompasses the whole globe, and surveys 2.5 million years. From deserts to jungles, from deep caves to mountain tops, from pebble tools to satellite photographs, from excavation to abstract theory, archaeology interacts with nearly every other discipline in its attempts to reconstruct the past.

In this new edition, Paul Bahn brings the text up to date, including information about new discoveries and interpretations in the field, and highlighting the impact of developments such as the potential use of DNA and stable isotopes in teeth, as well the effect technology and science are having on archaeological exploration.

How I discovered or acquired this book: It was a recommended further reading for a unit of study on the archaeology of Hadrian’s Wall, as part of my Classical Studies degree

THIS. This is exactly what I want from a Very Short Introduction

I’ve been reading quite a few books from Oxford’s Very Short Introductions series recently, and while I’ve generally found them useful, some have been rather dense for books supposedly intended to introduce a subject. Paul Bahn’s Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction, on the other hand, absolutely nails what I think these books should be doing.

It’s informative without being overwhelming, accessible without being simplistic, and – perhaps most importantly – it’s genuinely entertaining.

What I particularly loved was Bahn’s writing style. There’s a wonderful sense of humour running through the book, and he manages to make archaeology feel like something exciting and approachable rather than an intimidating academic discipline. He clearly knows his subject inside out, but he doesn’t seem to feel the need to demonstrate that by making everything unnecessarily complicated.

Instead, he explains things clearly and straightforwardly, introducing the methods, questions and challenges of archaeology in a way that makes sense even if you don’t have much prior knowledge. There’s enough detail to give you a proper understanding of what archaeologists actually do, but not so much technical information that you find yourself drowning in terminology.

I also really appreciated the broader picture of archaeology that emerges. It’s easy to think of archaeology primarily in terms of excavations, ancient ruins and spectacular discoveries, but there’s so much more involved in understanding the past. The interpretation of evidence, the different techniques available, the limitations of what we can know and the questions archaeologists are trying to answer are all just as important as the things they dig up.

And Bahn makes all of that interesting.

One of my favourite things about a good introductory book is finishing it with more questions than I started with, not because the author has failed to explain something, but because they’ve made me curious about things I hadn’t even considered before. That’s exactly what happened here.

I finished wanting to learn more about archaeology, explore some of the subjects Bahn touches on in greater depth, and – perhaps the biggest compliment I can give him – read more books by Paul Bahn himself.

For me, that’s the mark of a really successful introduction. I don’t expect to come away from a Very Short Introduction knowing everything about a subject. I want to understand the basics, feel like I’ve learned something worthwhile, and be excited about where I might go next.

This delivered all of that, with the added bonus of making me laugh along the way.

Easily one of my favourite Very Short Introductions so far, and exactly the kind of accessible, engaging nonfiction I love reading.