Jo Nelson

On the front of this gorgeous oversized book, a sticker reads “Welcome to the Museum: Admit All,” and indeed, as you turn the pages, you will feel as if you have stepped into the magical world of an archeological museum that has somehow come right into your house.

As we enter this virtual museum, we learn that the study of archeology includes analyzing traces left behind by civilizations through a wide range of artifacts - from tools to works of art to burial goods to writing, and even to show more bits of pollen, which can provide clues about the habitat and perhaps what people ate.

This portfolio-like book is divided into six “galleries”: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, The Middle East, and Oceania. The civilizations explored - initially laid out in a time line at the front of the book, range from one million years ago to the year 2000.

The opening gallery takes us to the beginning of humanity, in Africa, which has the longest record of human inhabitants of any continent in the world. As you continue to tour the “galleries,” you will get first an overview of the culture in the exhibit that follows, and then specific descriptions of highlighted artifacts and their significance. The curators write in the introduction that they tried to choose a diverse selection of civilizations to showcase, and to select items from those civilizations providing insights into those cultures. They encourage readers to imagine what traces their own communities might leave behind: “How might your cell phone, your backpack, or your toothbrush be understood several thousand years from now?”

While the information in this book is fascinating, what is most impressive is the quality of the illustrations by Richard Wilkinson. Although it looks like the book is filled with actual photographs, these are digital images that have been drawn and colored in lifelike detail.

In the back, there is an excellent index to this book as well as an index of museums and collections around the world from which the artifacts displayed in the books have come. Unlike the first book in this series, however - Animalium, there are no links to online guides for further information.

Evaluation: Evaluation: Historium brings a fantastic museum into your living room, “open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.” It will provide endless hours of learning and delight for readers of all ages.

Note: Historium is part of a beautiful series of virtual museums. show less

A good entry in the series. The images are taken from photographs but digitally transformed so that the illustrations form a coherent whole. This is really nice work.

Massively unwieldy and therefore unreadable, at least to anyone who doesn't have a good desk, light, and eyes. No context except a completely insufficient timeline. Does nothing to bring the creators to life. Only interesting as a supplement to an introduction to archaeological history for young children.

December 2023