This comprehensive, illustrated survey of the latest in battlefield archaeology reveals " intimate insight into the realities of life " during WWI ( Current Archaeology). Modern methods of archaeological, historical, and forensic research have transformed our understanding of the Great War. In Digging the Trenches, battlefield archaeologists Andrew Robertshaw and David Kenyon introduce the reader to this exciting new field and explore many of the remarkable projects that have been undertaken. Robertshaw and Kenyon show how archaeology can be used to reveal the positions of trenches, dugouts and other battlefield features, as well as what life on the Western Front was really like. They also show how individual soldiers are coming into focus as forensic investigation is so highly developed that individuals can be identified and their fates discovered. "An excellent introduction to the subject...Digging the Trenches is essential reading."—Gary Sheffield, Military Illustrated "What a splendid book this is."—Neil Faulkner, Current Archaeology

本書は、第一次世界大戦という巨大な悲劇を「土の中の真実」から紐解く、極めて知的な興奮に満ちた一冊です。著者たちは考古学という科学のメスを用い、忘却の彼方に沈んでいた戦壕や遺留品を、生々しい記憶として現代に蘇らせます。そこにあるのは、戦略図上の記号ではない、かつて確かに存在した無名の兵士たちの「生」の震えそのものです。 科学的分析が個人の物語へと昇華される瞬間こそ、本作の醍醐味と言えます。法医学が明かす一人の兵士の最期は、統計としての死者に血の通った尊厳を取り戻させます。土に埋もれた遺物が語りかける沈黙のメッセージは、読者の魂を揺さぶり、戦争という不条理を深く内省させる、極めて思索的な読書体験を約束してくれるでしょう。