"Part history, part suspense, part adventure and travel, Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History by Patrick Hunt is a concise, well-written, and engrossing read. The archeological discoveries that it covers include the ruins of Pompeii and Troy, the Rosetta Stone, the Olduvai Gorge, Machu Picchu, the Tomb of 10,000 Warriors, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Thera, possible location of the lost city of Atlantis. The wonders found at these sites all changed the way we understand history, and most of the sites themselves are still being excavated and studied. But that's only part of the story -- the greatest suspense of these archeological treasures was the intrigue and adventure surrounding their re-discovery after being hidden for centuries. With tales worthy of Indiana Jones and James Bond, this book is great fun for armchair archeologists." - Manhattan Public Library

"Samuel Johnson once said that books contain all we can know about history, a thesis the author disputes. "...any decent archaeologist would choose to disagree," Hunt writes, "because the actual artifacts coming out of the ground may tell us far more than texts." Thereupon, he plunges into an exposition of ten monumental discoveries -- some accidental, some deliberate -- that have historically acted like searchlights illuminating the historical record of particular eras." -- Steve Goddard's History Wire

From the OpenCulture blog interview with Patrick Hunt:
"Here are a few facts to know about the adventurous Patrick Hunt. He’s a Stanford archaeologist who has spent more than a decade trying to unravel the mystery of how Hannibal, the great ancient military leader, crossed the Alps in 218 BCE with 25,000 men and 37 elephants. ... He has broken more than 20 bones while doing fieldwork, fought off kidnappers, and twice survived sunstroke-induced blindness. And now he has just published an exciting new book called Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History..... I asked Patrick what makes these discoveries — ranging from the Rosetta Stone to the Dead Sea Scrolls to Machu Picchu — so important. Below he gives us a brief glimpse into what makes each discovery historically significant and fascinating...." Read on>>

"An outgrowth of decades of travel and research by Hunt and a popular class he teaches, ...These discoveries are examined "in the context of the evolving discipline of archaeology since the eighteenth century." Hunt writes colorfully and enthusiastically about each discovery and the importance of material finds, not texts alone, in reconstructing history. He gives full credit to archaeologists—great names such as Ninevah's Layard, King Tut's Carter, the Leakeys of Olduvai Gorge, and even Troy's much-maligned Heinrich Schliemann—for their unique accomplishments. ...for readers and beginning students in archaeology and ancient history, this book will serve as an enjoyable, wide-ranging introduction to the importance of archaeology in writing—or rewriting—history." —Joan W. Gartland, Library Journal Review