The breath of life, rescued from oblivion across vast time
An invitation to archaeology, where we dream of the past and live today!

Professor Kang In-wook, who has been at the forefront of introducing the discipline of archaeology, which feels close yet distant, tells a true story of archaeology that cannot be explained by gold, treasures, or aliens.
The new book, "How to Encounter Lost Time," is an introductory book on archaeology that even the general public can read, and the most user-friendly guidebook. It goes beyond simply introducing artifacts and sites, and avoids as much technical terminology and content as possible to make it easy for general readers who are not familiar with archaeology to understand, and is structured so that they can feel and understand what the discipline of archaeology is.


The essence of archaeology, the author says, is time travel.
Unlike history, which focuses on understanding the past through literature, archaeology actually delves into the lives of people in the past by excavating and investigating the remains and artifacts used by people in the past.
We encounter a past life that was dormant through the stone axe used by Homo erectus, the grains of rice left behind by the people of Songguk-ri, the first to cultivate rice, and the mummy of a shaman who gave oracles to nomadic warriors.
The purpose of archaeology is to reveal the hidden human figures within the artifacts by constantly asking questions and obtaining answers from the fragmented and silent artifacts, and to reveal that they adapted to the climate and environment and lived there – that is, to reveal ‘being alive.’
Archaeology is the process of constructing a story of the past when people lived just like us through the relics that remain.
That is why archaeologists cannot give up their fate of digging the earth, even though they suffer from endemic diseases and mosquitoes in poor excavation sites, and even though they wash their clothes in the river and chop firewood with an axe.

As you read the author's experiences and the stories hidden in the artifacts, you'll soon discover why archaeologists are more enthusiastic about excavating toilets than gold, and you'll become immersed in the unique charm and joy of archaeology.
The author goes beyond simply telling the stories and history behind artifacts, demonstrating how archaeology, the discipline of excavating past relics and artifacts, can help us reflect on the present and connect with our lives.
This book, which closely presents the world of archaeology from excavation to preservation, will allow readers to vividly experience the breath of living archaeology.