Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Recreating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations
Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Recreating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations
Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Recreating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations
Description
Description
From "one of America's smartest and most charming writers" (NPR), an archaeological romp through the entire history of humankind--and through all five senses--from tropical Polynesian islands to forbidding arctic ice floes, and everywhere in between. Whether it's the mighty pyramids of Egypt or the majestic temples of Mexico, we have a good idea of what the past looked like. But what about our other senses: The tang of Roman fish sauce and the springy crust of Egyptian sourdough? The boom of medieval cannons and the clash of Viking swords? The frenzied plays of an Aztec ballgame...and the chilling reality that the losers might also lose their lives? History often neglects the tastes, textures, sounds, and smells that were an intimate part of our ancestors' lives, but a new generation of researchers is resurrecting those hidden details, pioneering an exciting new discipline called experimental archaeology. These are scientists gone rogue: They make human mummies. They investigate the unsolved murders of ancient bog bodies. They carve primitive spears and go hunting, then knap their own obsidian blades to skin the game. They build perilous boats and plunge out onto the open sea--all in the name of experiencing history as it was, with all its dangers, disappointments, and unexpected delights. Beloved author Sam Kean joins these experimental archaeologists on their adventures across the globe, from the Andes to the South Seas. He fires medieval catapults, tries his hand at ancient surgery and tattooing, builds Roman-style roads--and, in novelistic interludes, spins gripping tales about the lives of our ancestors with vivid imagination and his signature meticulous research. Lively, offbeat, and filled with stunning revelations about our past, Dinner with King Tut sheds light on days long gone and the intrepid experts resurrecting them today, with startling, lifelike detail and more than a few laughs along the way.
About the Author
About the Author
Sam Kean is the New York Times bestselling author of The Bastard Brigade, Caesar's Last Breath (the Guardian's Science Book of the Year), The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, The Violinist's Thumb, and The Disappearing Spoon. He is also a two-time finalist for the PEN / E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. His work has appeared in The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications, and he has been featured on NPR's Radiolab, All Things Considered, Science Friday, and Fresh Air. His podcast, The Disappearing Spoon, debuted at #1 on the iTunes science charts. Kean lives in Washington, DC.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"No writer ranks higher than Sam Kean on the 'You Will Learn Something New and Weird on Every Page'-o-meter."--Ken Jennings, host of Jeopardy!
"A visceral, exhilarating, and sweeping tour de force that will tantalize all five of your senses, and some you never knew you had.This is an essential--and sensual--read for anyone who would relish a hands-on experience with the past."--Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Facemaker and The Butchering Art
"[V]ery hard to put down. A fast-paced, vividly written tale that brings lost civilizations into sharp focus."--Kirkus (starred review)
"[A] charming romp through the world of experimental archaeology...This idiosyncratic and impressively researched account takes readers to the fringes of knowledge production, revealing along the way that there is as much art as there is science to the study of history. It's a delight."--Publishers Weekly
"Popular science writer Kean, who most recently delved into the exploits of sinister scientists in The Icepick Surgeon (2021), turns his sharp eye to experimental archaeology in this blend of lively factual chronicles that revive the past and fictional interludes depicting how our ancestors hunted, battled, and lived....Kean makes a powerful case for how vital the experimental archaeologists' work is in giving us a better understanding of the past."--Booklist
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Little Brown and Company
Pub date:
2025-07-08
Length:
464 pages
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