Palenque: (Unearthing Ancient Worlds)

Mysterious ancient ruins, hidden deep in the jungle of southern Mexico… In May 1840, explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood road their mules along a steep, muddy jungle path. They were hoping to find the ruins of an ancient, deserted site in Mexico they knew only from visitors’ accounts. Through the trees, they spied the remains of a crumbling stone palace. Palenque! In the weeks they spent there, the men discovered intricately designed buildings and mysterious glyphs, or symbols. Who built this city? What did the glyphs mean? The questions remained largely unanswered until the 1950s, when Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier began his work at Palenque. By this time, he knew the ruins were those of the ancient Maya, who lived across Mexico and Central America more than one thousand years ago. After exhaustive work, Ruz and his crew made an amazing discovery—a tomb buried deep inside a pyramid. Through intensive study of Mayan glyphs, they learned the tomb was that of the great Mayan king Pakal, who died in 683 A.D. Since then, archaeologists have discovered much more about Mayan pyramids, writing, and architecture. Read this intriguing volume to learn about Palenque and about the mysteries that still remain.

About the Author :
Deborah Kops has written more than twenty books for children and young adults. She lives with her husband and son in Greater Boston, and enjoys visiting old historic cities along the Atlantic coast, such as Salem, Massachusetts, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Review :
"These clearly written titles are illustrated with large photographs and period artwork, and the pages are broken up with text boxes featuring quotes and interesting anecdotes. Through them, readers learn about the tedium, excitement, and danger of archaeological digs. The emphasis is on the excavations rather than the cultures themselves. Palenque begins with John Stephens's and Frederick Catherwood's visit to this Mayan site in 1840; their subsequent book introduced it to the world. The remaining chapters describe the excavations by Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, a Mexican archaeologist, in the mid-20th century, including his thrilling discovery of the burial site of a Mayan ruler beneath the Temple of the Inscriptions. Kops notes the tremendous difficulty of the excavations and explains the tension that developed between Mexican and American archaeologists around decoding Mayan hieroglyphics. Pompeii centers on the work led by Colonel Rocque Joachim de Alcubierre and Karl Jakob Weber in the 1700s and notes their many significant discoveries, including mosaics, statues, and frescoes. Sonneborn describes the bickering that took place among those in charge and the criticism raised by experts about the haphazard approach to excavation. Back matter includes maps of the sites, pronunciation guides, and 'who's who' sections, which help readers keep the names and locations straight. Shelley Tanaka's The Buried City of Pompeii (Hyperion, 1997; o.p.) is for a similar audience but concentrates more on the ancient volcanic eruption than the modern excavations; James M. Deem's Bodies from the Ash (Houghton, 2005) focuses on what scientists learned from skeletons discovered at Pompeii." --School Library Journal "Primary quotes, full-color photos, and reproductions of period artwork provide a you-are-there look at archaeological explorations of the past. Palenque describes the 19th-century visit of two American explorers to the Mayan site and Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier's amazing mid-20th-century discovery of a tomb, while Pompeii focuses on 18th-century excavation efforts of the ancient city." --School Library Journal - Curriculum Connections "Each volume begins with a snapshot look at life in the title city, then moves on to detail the first excavations at its site. Important figures involved in the historical digs are then introduced, and readers follow along as the archaeologists make their groundbreaking discoveries. Numerous sidebars, maps, and illustrations provide additional information about the sites and excavation details. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Unearthing Ancient Worlds titles: 'Palenque and Pompeii.'" --Horn Book Guide