Covering the complete duration of human history and spanning the entire globe, this volume provides an introduction to the science of the past. It tells the story of the archaeologists who unravel the mysteries ancient and modern. From the Napoleonic expeditions to uncover the Rosetta stone in Egypt to the forgotten Anasazi empire of the American southwest, Gaynor Aaltonen takes readers on an exciting adventure into the world of archaeology. She carefully explores the various techniques used by archaeologists and how they have changed over time to the recent embrace of the latest technologies and what this means for our understanding of the past.