Digging through History Again: New Discoveries from Atlantis to the Holocaust

Digging through History Again: New Discoveries from Atlantis to the Holocaust follows archaeologist Richard Freund's journey through some of the most fascinating archaeological sites of human history—including the mysterious Atlantis, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, a medieval synagogue in northern Spain and the long-buried Holocaust camp Sobibor and long-neglected sites of the Holocaust. Each chapter takes readers through a different archaeological site, showing what we can learn about past religious life and religious faith through the artifacts found there, as well as what has given each site such strong "staying power" over time. It also highlights the technological developments in geoscience and archaeology of the last 25 years that allows us to uncover more with less time, expense. and labor while observing the sensitivities associated with Jewish traditions. Digging Through History Again further explores just how expansive the lost Atlantis Civilization really is, expands upon information known about the Dead Sea Scrolls and the newly discovered caves where more scrolls will be found, and uncovers new excavations of the death camp of Sobibor, the secrets of the Warsaw Ghetto and escapes from Sobibor, Ponar, and, Fort IX that will help set a standard for future archaeology of the Holocaust. Richard Freund and the research in Digging through History are featured in the National Geographic documentary Atlantis Rising, which premiered on National Geographic in 2017 and a documentary follows Oscar-winning executive producer James Cameron and Emmy-winning filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici as they investigate the myths and realities of Atlantis. The chapter on the “Archaeology of Jewish Resistance during the Holocaust” is also a part of the new television documentary “Resistance: They Fought Back” set to air in 2023. Digging through History is the only book that details Freund’s groundbreaking research on Atlantis and on Jewish resistance during the Holocaust that is featured in the films.

About the Author :
Richard A. Freund is the Bertram and Gladys Chair of Jewish Studies at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. He is a field archaeologist and historian of Judaism who together with geoscientists from around the world has developed a new method fr working on sites with particular social, political, and religious sensitivities where traditional archaeological techniques cannot easily be used. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Time, Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, and Archaeology and has been featured on the BBC, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and Fox News. Some of the projects he has worked on have been chronicled in 20 television documentaries from National Geographic, CNN, BBC, Discovery, History Channel and PBS.

Review :
"[Freund] provides a compelling account of how new interpretations of archaeological findings, even when limited in quantity, can lead historians to a novel account of their subject matter. From this perspective, the author offers readers an engaging text providing new interpretations of archaeological remains. Recommended." --Choice Reviews "With his unique didactic ability, intellectual daring and solid scholarship, Freund takes us on a magical journey through time, from the heights of mythical Atlantis to the depths of the Holocaust. One may agree or disagree with some of his interpretations, but one cannot remain indifferent to his challenge." --Adolfo D. Roitman, PhD, Lizbeth and George Krupp Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Head of the Shrine of the Book, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem "Richard Freund has demonstrated persuasively not only and immediate importance of non-invasive archeological techniques but its potential for our understanding of the past. His work is a cornerstone of the new archeology of genocide and adds significantly to our exploration of the sites of destruction. This book is a welcome companion piece to his earlier work Digging through History but stands alone as an exploration of the search for Atlantis, the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how our understanding of the past can transform the future. Naturally, I turned immediately of his discoveries of what lays beneath the ground in the killing fields and death camps of the Holocaust, sites I have read about and seen, and whose testimonies from survivors I have heard only to be impressed once again but what can be seen by these new non-invasive techniques. My response to this work is to cheer his digging through history, not only again, but again and again." --Michael Berenbaum, Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute, Los Angeles, CA