01.25.15 — Lives in Ruins — the Acrostic


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Sunday, January 25, 2015

ACROSTIC, Puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon
Edited by Will Shortz

This Sunday’s fine acrostic draws a quotation from Lives in Ruins: Archeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble by Marilyn Johnson.


This compulsively readable book is robust in scope and mission. It passionately wants you to know and feel the lives and work of archaeologists. it takes you from the peat bogs of Ireland to the Pine Barrens of NJ to Machu Picchu in Peru. It is all 100% fascinating and written so addictively that you cannot stop. Johnson has gone all in for the people who unearth our collective history and she has the writing skill to make it all fun and profound.

One of the things I like the most about this book is that Johnson explores the impact of authors like Jean Auel, juxtaposing the popular writer with expert but lesser known field archaeologists. I also felt intimately schooled on a profession that pays poorly, has terrible working conditions yet is fiercely competitive. It feels like a ministry but also like a triathlon. ~ amazon.com 


The quotation:  ARCHAEOLOGISTS WORK WITH HUMBLE STUFF… .  THEY ARE EXPERT IN THE WAY THINGS FALL APART AND ACUTE OBSERVERS OF CONTEXT; THE PLACEMENT AND SURROUNDINGS OF AN OBJECT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUNK AND INTELLECTUAL GOLD.

The author’s name and the title of the work:  MARILYN JOHNSON, ‘LIVES IN RUINS”

The defined words:

A. Feature of a sinuous river, MEANDER
B. From side to side; crosswise, ATHWART
C. Changes for the better, n theory, REFORMS
D. Study very carefully, INSPECT
E. Shape of a crescent moon, LUNETTE
F. Late December (hyph.), YEAR-END
G. Stone ax or adz, e.g., NEOLITH
H. “Happy Days” closing credits background prop, JUKEBOX
L. Best in a duel or at the box office, OUTDRAW
J. Subdued at a rodeo, maybe, HOGTIED
K. Just coming into being, NASCENT
L. Amorphous shape, as a camouflage marking, SPLOTCH
M. Weird, eccentric; unaccented part of a musical measure, OFFBEAT
N. Common cause of decay, NEGLECT
O. Another name for tetanus, LOCKJAW
P. Crane of literature, ICHABOD
Q. Position with a sweeping view, VANTAGE
R. Bar from membership, EXCLUDE
S. Looking out for No. 1, SELFISH
T. Name of the mummy n “The Mummy”, IMHOTEP
U. Boutique-lined street in Boston’s Back Bay, NEWBURY
V. Gentleman thief of British films, RAFFLES
W. Bring to light; dig up, UNEARTH
X. Alter form, in grammar, INFLECT
Y. Rocky peak sticking out of a glacier, NUNATAK
Z. “Madame X” painter, SARGENT


The full paragraph of the quotation:  The archaeologists in this book work with humble stuff, from stone tools and broken pots to dirt.  They are expert n the way things fall apart and acute observers of context; the placement and surroundings of an object can make the difference between junk and intellectual gold.  To the archaeologist, treasure is something that was buried that has been brought to light, a pebble of information around which the narrative of history now needs to bend.  I think of the archaeologist I saw on a loop of video, a young woman up to her hips in a muddy tunnel that would soon be a subway station in New York City, her eyes sparkling under a construction hat:  “We found a coin with a date on it!” ~ Google Goodreads 
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