Digging into Yesterday recreates all the drama and ceremony of life among the ancient peoples. It takes us to the Valley of the Kings, where majestic rituals accompanied the burials of Egyptian royalty. It explores the exotic rites of long-ago Chichen-Itza in Yucatan, and it brings to life the romantic legends of Crete and Greece—of King Minos and the famous Labyrinth, of beautiful Helen, and of the siege of Troy.

Here is the exciting world of archaeology, through which whole civilizations, buried for thousands of years, have been rediscovered and brought to light. Here is the suspense and challenge which accompanies every "dig." Here, too, is sharp, vivid commentary on how tools and ornaments found among old ruins often act as clues, leading us farther into the past.

In Digging into Yesterday, Estelle Friedman presents a rich picture of archaeologists and what they have discovered. In addition to striking illustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher, each chapter is accompanied by a decorative and useful map.

From the dust jacket