ipekreading's review against another edition
3.0
I think the topics were really interesting on this one. I did however struggle with how paragraphs connected with each other, or didn't. It seemed like he author wanted to convey all the ideas on each city without a main narrative. It's well researched and the insights into the the digs were fun to glean! Overall informative and interesting to read if the the topics are of interest to you!
juliaschutten's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
jessrock's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I thought this book would be exactly my jam, but it wasn’t. I appreciated the focus on everyday people rather than elites, but nothing in the book really grabbed me or excited me the way I expected it to.
samphiresyl's review against another edition
4.25
Pretty good book that combines archaeological data, history, and the authors own observations while on site- which made it a compelling read!! It was nice to revisit three sites i have already learned about and also learn more about Angkor~ though i could have used a mention about how Chunkey is still played today mhmhmhmmm
fishtopher's review against another edition
3.0
Admirable as it was to reassess the shibboleths of archaeology—importance of hierarchy, the focus on elites over commoners—there was a real lack of detail about these sites that made the read flag. It just became difficult to carry on without much to sink your teeth into. To me it was telling that the most interesting aspects of the final chapter were the debates between Diamond and Graeber and Wengrow, rather than the site itself. The author’s stated goal of uncovering the real causes for urban abandonment was only partially accomplished, and it felt many ideas introduced in earlier parts of the book were were not meaningfully followed up on in the later parts. A worthy idea for a book that didn’t quite hit the mark.