India, Oct. 2 -- Rolling desert dunes could contain fish bones from a very distant, very different geographical past. Plain-looking coconut groves dotted with grazing animals could hold layers of life tracks from when coconuts were yet to be "discovered" and named by European seafarers. The ah-so-romantic past could become oh-so-problematic - depending on who is looking into it, why, and where. Though that is not how the science of archaeology was meant to be, digging into the past, rather than sparking wonder, building awareness of shared roots or cementing unity, can be used to fuel Us-Vs-Them battles. The Dig by Sowmiya Ashok highlights these and other aspects that probing into the past brings to the surface.

While the book is written...