A European Neolithic burial. A large stone Venus. Nothing unusual about it_except that it was found on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Archaeologist Hannah Green and her shovelbum nephew find themselves in a tangled web of competing interests-avaricious land owners, hungry media, and a cult of goddess worshippers-while investigating one of the finds of the century. In untangling the mystery of the Washington Venus, Hannah and Sean have to confront questions of archaeological evidence, of ethics, of conflicting interpretation of data, and of the very nature of archaeological truths. Helping them are a cadre of disdainful graduate students who propose various theories-processualist, marxist, feminist, postmodernist-to explain the bizarre events. Teach your students archaeological theory in a fashion they'll enjoy, while they solve the mystery in Adrian Praetzellis's delightful textbook-as-novel. “If students feel that theory will be the death of them, this book is the cure. It is an amusing way to tackle theory, with many points for productive discussion.” ―Sarah Milledge Nelson “By framing the narrative around the themes of goddess-worship and archaeological hoaxes, Praetzellis touches on contemporary, as well as perennial concerns and creates an irresistible impetus for student discussion. His facility with the English language and wry sense of humor come through on every page. I'm looking forward to using this book in my classes.” ―Mary C. Beaudry, Boston University “A master historical archaeologist packages modern archaeological concepts in the deft dialogue of a murder mystery. Great as supplementary reading for an introductory course - or just plain fun! First there was the Processual; then came the Post Processual; now we have the Praetzellical!” ―Thomas Layton, San Jose State University “There is a real need for a work that can make archaeological theory not only entertaining but engaging for undergraduates, and if it needs a novel format as Praetzellis has used, so much the better for those of us who have to teach theory-phobic students.” ―Susan Kus, Rhodes College “The cleverest aspect of this clever little book is Hannah Green's on-going discourse (mostly with her nephew) about the history and theory of archaeology. Without really noticing, the reader is treated to an erudite and often very humorous explanation ofsuch topics as cultural resource management (CRM), the New or Processual Archaeology of Lewis Binford and his followers, Marxist-influenced archaeology, and other postprocessual archaeologies. I was completely captivated by the book when Praetzellis (or Hannah Green) presented a cogent and understandable description of postmodernism in archaeology. I believe that any author who can even make me think I could ever understand postmodernism is a genius of the writing profession! This is simply a book thatis fun to read and from which the reader can actually learn a lot about the academic discipline of archaeology. It could certainly be included in any college level introductory archaeology class as a welcomed humorous and often even ribald supplement tothe usually dry as dust (you'll pardon the expression) standard textbook.” ― Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center “When Archaeologist Hannah Green and her nephew Sean begin uncovering burial grounds on a Pacific Northwest island, they dig up a lot more than dirt. What surfaces is an archaeological puzzle that keeps the detective duo - and the reader/sleuth - turning parchment. Discoveries are plentiful, from goddess worshippers to archaeological theories, as Adrian Praetzellis takes us back in time to solve the mystery of Death By Theory . As a mystery writer, I'm delighted to say it reads like a mystery, not a textbook. I learned a lot, I must admit, but Praetzellis makes it fun to learn. In my next life, I want to be an archaeologist!” ―Penny Warner “The cleverest aspect of this clever little book is Hannah Green's on-going discourse (mostly with her nephew) about the history and theory of archaeology. Without really noticing, the reader is treated to an erudite and often very humorous explanation of such topics as cultural resource management (CRM), the New or Processual Archaeology of Lewis Binford and his followers, Marxist-influenced archaeology, and other postprocessual archaeologies. I was completely captivated by the book when Praetzellis (or Hannah Green) presented a cogent and understandable description of postmodernism in archaeology. I believe that any author who can even make me think I could ever understand postmodernism is a genius of the writing profession! This is simply a book that is fun to read and from which the reader can actually learn a lot about the academic discipline of archaeology. It could certainly be included in any college level introductory archaeology class as a welcomed humorous and often even ribald supplement to the usually dry as dust (you'll pardon the expression) standard textbook.” ― Miss