Review: The Age of Melt

As anyone who’s visited Glacier National Park knows, the Earth’s glaciers and icecaps are receding. As these swaths of frozen ground melt, revealing previously hidden artifacts, archaeologists have found themselves with unprecedented insight into the lives of our Ice Age ancestors. A collection of interviews, short stories, and environmental detective work, The Age of Melt (Timber Press, $30) by Lisa Baril pieces together the findings of ice-patch archaeologists, along with her own insights, to help demystify the past. With a better perspective of what life was like during the glacial periods, the author suggests, we can better understand the past, and perhaps better navigate our future.