What do A Thief Of Time by Tony Hillerman, The Source by James Michener, The
Dig by John Preston, and The
Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb by Agatha Christie have in common? Well, they’re all novels about archaeology
and October is the annual month to celebrate that field. This year’s International Archaeology Day,
one of those “floating” holidays that is held around the same time each year,
will be Oct. 19.
While there are hundreds of factual,
nonfiction books about archaeology, there also are a surprising number of
novels written about the genre, including about 80 “general” titles like the
ones listed above and nearly 50 that are listed as “thrillers.” Many of those combine three great genres –
history, mystery and thriller.
Those who rank the importance and
impact of such books place The Seventh
Scroll, a 1995 novel by Wilbur Smith, as the number one archaeological
“thriller” of all time. It got a score
of 993 (out of 1000) from a panel of voters from around the world. 
Smith is a South African writer who once
studied archaeology before writing a series of adventure/thriller novels about
a husband-and-wife archaeological team exploring Egyptian tombs (where they
find the seventh scroll).
Smith is a South African writer who once
studied archaeology before writing a series of adventure/thriller novels about
a husband-and-wife archaeological team exploring Egyptian tombs (where they
find the seventh scroll).
There’s an old adage that writers
should “Write What They Know Best,” whether it be archaeology, education,
sports or history. All are fertile
ground for fiction, especially when you are “in the know.”
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