Mysteries in History: From Prehistory to the Present

This work is an engaging exploration of the process of historical research, following historians as they search for solutions to the greatest mysteries of all time. Most people see historians as denizens of dusty stacks of documents, producing dry prose. This book shows that historians are closer to Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones. Examples from ancient times to modern, from Neanderthals and Noah's Ark to Amelia Earhart and JFK, show how historians work out disputes and solve mysteries. Award-winning author Paul Aron takes readers on a journey through great historical mysteries through the ages. Entertaining in themselves, the stories also show that history is not merely living, but lively. The reader who comes to the book thinking history is boring will leave with a changed outlook with regard to both the subject matter and the process of writing history. Each chapter is a carefully and thoroughly researched presentation not of popularized accounts, but of valid historical scholarship. Chronologically arranged the essays show the historical process in action. For each disputed historical point, theories arise, become standard wisdom, and then are revised as additional information becomes available. This book reveals the mechanics of that process, including spirited debate, swashbuckling archeology, and the application of modern science to ancient questions.