The third edition of this classic introduction to archaeological theory and method has been fully updated to address the rapid development of theoretical debate throughout the discipline. Ian Hodder and Scott Hutson argue that archaeologists must consider a variety of perspectives in the complex and uncertain task of "translating the meaning of past texts into their own contemporary language". While remaining centered on the importance of meaning, agency and history, the authors explore the latest developments in post-structuralism, neo-evolutionary theory and phenomenology. Previous Edition Hb (1991): 0-521-40142-9 Previous Edition Pb (1991): 0-521-40957-8

Modern Conflict and the Senses investigates the sensual worlds created by modern war, focusing on the sensorial responses embodied in and provoked by the materiality of conflict and its aftermath. The volume positions the industrialized nature of twentieth-century war as a unique cultural phenomenon, in possession of a material and psychological intensity that embodies the extremes of human behaviour, from total economic mobilization to the unbearable sadness of individual loss. Adopting a coherent and integrated hybrid approach to the complexities of modern conflict, the book considers issues of memory, identity, and emotion through wartime experiences of tangible sensations and bodily requirements. This comprehensive and interdisciplinary collection draws upon archaeology, anthropology, military and cultural history, art history, cultural geography, and museum and heritage studies in order to revitalize our understandings of the role of the senses in conflict.

Stanley South has been a leading figure not only in historical archaeology but also in anthropological archaeology. His work (both past and present) has put him in the forefront of monumental changes in American archaeology in the last 40 years. His personal perseverance in field archaeology has also been an inspiration to new and burgeoning archaeologists and anthropologists. An Archaeological Evolution is a personal recounting of his life, played out among some of the most important debates and movements in archaeology starting in the 1960s up to the 21st century. This seminal volume will be of interest to archaeologists (both professional and academic), anthropologists, historians, and conservators in or studying the United States, but also wherever archaeology is taught and practiced.

The core subject matter of bioarchaeology is the lives of past peoples, interpreted anthropologically. Human remains, contextualized archaeologically and historically, form the unit of study. Integrative and frequently inter-disciplinary, bioarchaeology draws methods and theoretical perspectives from across the sciences and the humanities. Bioarchaeology: The Contextual Study of Human Remains focuses upon the contemporary practice of bioarchaeology in North American contexts, its accomplishments and challenges. Appendixes, a glossary and 150 page bibliography make the volume extremely useful for research and teaching.

Archaeology has been transformed by technology that allows one to see below the surface of the earth. This work illustrates the uses of advanced technology in archaeological investigation. It deals with hand-held instruments that probe the subsurface of the earth to unveil layering and associated sites; underwater exploration and photography of submerged sites and artifacts; and the utilization of imaging from aircraft and spacecraft to reveal the regional setting of archaeological sites and to assist in cultural resource management.

Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four, legs. From an evolutionary perspective, this is an illogical development, as it slows us down. But here we are, suggesting there must have been something tremendous to gain from bipedalism. First Steps takes our ordinary, everyday walking experience and reveals how unusual and extraordinary it truly is. The seven-million-year-long journey through the origins of upright walking shows how it was in fact a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human-from our technological skills and sociality to our thirst for exploration. DeSilva uses early human evolution to explain the instinct that propels a crawling infant to toddle onto two feet, differences between how men and women tend to walk, physical costs of upright walking, including hernias, varicose veins and backache, and the challenges of childbirth imposed by a bipedal pelvis. And he theorises that upright walking may have laid the foundation for the traits of compassion, empathy and altruism that characterise our species today and helped us become the dominant species on this planet.

Our Blue Planet provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of maritime and underwater archaeology. Situating the field within the broader study of history and archaeology, this book advocates that an understanding of how our ancestors interacted with rivers, lakes, and oceans is integral to comprehending the human past. Our Blue Planet covers the full breadth of maritime and underwater archaeology, including formerly terrestrial sites drowned by rising sea levels, coastal sites, and a wide variety of wreck sites ranging across the globe and spanning from antiquity to World War II. Beginning with a definition of the field and several chapters dedicated to the methods of finding, recording, and interpreting submerged sites, Our Blue Planet provides an entry point for all readers, whether or not they are familiar with maritime and underwater archaeology or archaeology in general. The book then shifts to a thematic approach with chapters exploring human interactions with the watery world, both along the coasts and by ship. These chapters discuss the relationships between culture, technology, and environment that allowed humans through time to spread across the globe. Because ships were the primary means for humans to interact with large bodies of water, they are the focus of several chapters on the development of shipbuilding technology, the lives of sailors, and the uses of ships in exploration, expansion, and warfare. The book ends with chapters on how and why the non-renewable submerged archaeological record should be managed, so that both current and future generations can learn from the achievements and failures of past societies, as well as on how anyone can become involved in maritime and underwater archaeology. Throughout, the reader benefits from the personal reflections of a number of leading figures in the field.

The first overview of sampling for archaeologists for over twenty years, this manual offers a comprehensive account of the application of statistical sampling theory that is essential to modern archaeological practice, at a range of scales, from the regional to the microscopic. It includes a discussion of the relevance of sampling theory to archaeological interpretation, and considers its fundamental place in fieldwork and post excavation study. It demonstrates the vast range of techniques that are available, only some of which are widely used by archaeologists. A section on statistical theory also reviews the latest developments in the field, and the presentation is clear and user friendly. The formal mathematics is available in an appendix, which is cross-referenced with the main text.

The Living History Anthology brings together twenty-six practical essays on the craft of establishing and running living history museums. Contributions cover all aspects of developing and running a living history site. Including contributions on strategic planning, human resource management, research programs, collection policies, and engagement with varied audiences, including indigenous groups, the book demonstrates how to approach such tasks from a living history perspective. Topics unique to the sector, such as re-enactment, historic trade crafts, and working with machinery and livestock, are also covered. Each essay is briefly introduced and contextualized by the editors, while the collection is bookended by a new foreword and afterword from Debra A. Reid, and an introduction from the editors. Representing the collective wisdom of the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) members across the decades, The Living History Anthology provides a valuable resource for all living history practitioners. It should also be of interest to students and scholars studying living history.

Understanding how we pinpoint the past is crucial to putting the present in perspective and planning for the future. Now, for the first time, journalist and geologist Chris Turney explains to the non-specialist exactly how archaeologists, paleontologists, and geologists "tell the time." Each chapter explores one famous event or object from the past, walking readers step by step through the detective work used to determine when things happened. From the Ice Age to the pyramids, from human evolution to the Shroud of Turin, Turney reveals how written records, carbon, pollen, constellations, DNA sequencing, and more all play a part in solving the mystery of the true age of objects and events. As we struggle to manage current environmental threats and conservation troubles, we ignore or misunderstand these techniques and their results at our peril.

The Living History Anthology brings together twenty-six practical essays on the craft of establishing and running living history museums. Contributions cover all aspects of developing and running a living history site. Including contributions on strategic planning, human resource management, research programs, collection policies, and engagement with varied audiences, including indigenous groups, the book demonstrates how to approach such tasks from a living history perspective. Topics unique to the sector, such as re-enactment, historic trade crafts, and working with machinery and livestock, are also covered. Each essay is briefly introduced and contextualized by the editors, while the collection is bookended by a new foreword and afterword from Debra A. Reid, and an introduction from the editors. Representing the collective wisdom of the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) members across the decades, The Living History Anthology provides a valuable resource for all living history practitioners. It should also be of interest to students and scholars studying living history.

This book delineates the contours of molecular and structural archaeology as an emergent interdisciplinary field based on structural analysis at the molecular level and examines novel methodologies to reconstruct the synthesis and long-term transformation of materials used in antiquity. The focus of this volume is on cosmetic and therapeutic materials.

This volume brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous repatriation practitioners and researchers to provide the reader with an international overview of the removal and return of Ancestral Remains. The Ancestral Remains of Indigenous peoples are today housed in museums and other collecting institutions globally. They were taken from anywhere the deceased can be found, and their removal occurred within a context of deep power imbalance within a colonial project that had a lasting effect on Indigenous peoples worldwide. Through the efforts of First Nations campaigners, many have returned home. However, a large number are still retained. In many countries, the repatriation issue has driven a profound change in the relationship between Indigenous peoples and collecting institutions. It has enabled significant steps towards resetting this relationship from one constrained by colonisation to one that seeks a more just, dignified and truthful basis for interaction. The history of repatriation is one of Indigenous perseverance and success. The authors of this book contribute major new work and explore new facets of this global movement. They reflect on nearly 40 years of repatriation, its meaning and value, impact and effect. This book is an invaluable contribution to repatriation practice and research, providing a wealth of new knowledge to readers with interests in Indigenous histories, self-determination and the relationship between collecting institutions and Indigenous peoples.

Geographis Information Systems (GIS) and related technologies have a new and powerful role to play in archaeological interpretation
Beginning with a conceptual approach to the representation of space adopted by the GIS; the book examines spatial databases; the acqusition and compilation of data; the analytical functionality of GIS and the creation and utilisation of critical foundation data layers such as the Digital Elevation Model (DEM).
The ways in which GIS can most usefully facilitaate archaeological analysis and interpretation is then explored, particularly as a tool for the management of archaeological resources. Formal analysis of archaeological material, and the use of trend surface, contouring and interpolation proceedures are considered. Predictive modeling analysis of visibility and intervisibility are explained. Finally, there is a discussion of leading-edge issues, including three-dimensional GIS, object oriented GIS, the relationship between GIS and 'Virtual Reality' technologies, and the integration of GIS with distributed systems and the internet.
The approach is light, and the detail is kept to a minimum, recognising that most readers are simply interested in using GIS effectively. The text is carefully illustrated with worked case-studies usingarchaeological data. The book provides a single reference source for archaeologists - students, professional archaeologists and academics in archaeology as well as those in anthrolpology and related disciplines.
Key Features
* accessible textbook
* heavily illustrated
* full colour section

This extensive collection of papers from archaeologists, anthropologists and museum practitioners provides a survey of the current state of repatriation in terms of policy, practice and theory.
With excellent contributors, vital case studies and a wide geographical focus, this volume examines the following topics:
* perceptions of the dead
* collecting and reburial
* specific case histories
* museums and repatriation
* implications and effects of repatriation


eBook available with sample pages: 0203165772

Reading the Body contains current research about the body -both physical remains and artistic representations - from sites all over the world ranging from the European Upper Paleolithic to the Pueblo societies of the recent past.'

The modern manifestation of mummy studies began to take shape in the 1970s and has experienced significant growth during the last several decades, largely due to biomedical interest in soft tissue pathology. Although this points to a vibrant field, there are indications that we need to take stock of where it is today and how it may develop in the future, and this volume responds to those demands. In many ways, mummy studies and skeletal bioarchaeology are "sister-disciplines," sharing data sources, methodologies, and practitioners. Given these close connections, this book considers whether paradigmatic shifts that influenced the development of the latter also impacted the former. Whilst there are many available books discussing mummy research, most recent field-wide reviews adopt a biomedical perspective to explore a particular mummy or collection of mummies. The Bioarchaeology of Mummies is a unique attempt at a synthetic, state-of-the-field critical analysis which considers the field from an explicitly anthropological perspective. This book is written for both skeletal bioarcheologists that may not be familiar with the scope of mummy research, and mummy researchers from biomedical fields that may not be as acquainted with current research trends within bioarchaeology.

This Reader in Archaeological Theory presents sixteen articles of key theoretical significance, in a format which makes this notoriously complex area easier for students to understand.
This volume:
* provides an intellectual history of different approaches to archaeology which contextualizes the complex traditions of cognitive archaeology and postprocessualism on which it focuses
* organizes theories of archaeology, the meanings of things, the prehistoric mind and cognition, gender, ideology and social theory and archaeology's relationship to today's society and politics
* includes lucid section introductions to each section which provide context, explain why the papers are so significant and summarize their key points
* emphasizes research from the 'New World', making archaeological theory especially relevant and accessible to students in North America.

Ancient DNA refers to DNA which can be recovered and analyzed from clinical, museum, archaeological and paleontological specimens. Ancient DNA ranges in age from less than 100 years to tens of millions of years. The study of ancient DNA is a young field, but it has been revolutionized by the application of polymerase chain reaction technology, and interest is growing very rapidly. Fields as diverse as evolution, anthropology, medicine, agriculture, and even law enforcement have quickly found applications in the recovery of ancient DNA. This book contains contributions from many of the "first generation" researchers who pioneered the development and application of ancient DNA methods. Their chapters present the protocols and precautions which have resulted in the remarkable results obtained in recent years. The range of subjects reflects the wide diversity of applications that are emerging in research on ancient DNA, including the study of DNA to analyze kinship, recovery of DNA from organisms trapped in amber, ancient DNA from human remains preserved in a variety of locations and conditions, DNA recovered from herbarium and museum specimens, and DNA isolated from ancient plant seeds or compression fossils. Ancient DNA will serve as a valuable source of information, ideas, and protocols for anyone interested in this extraordinary field.

Inclusion of botanical and zoological remains in archaeological analysis has dramatically increased since the advent of the New Archaeology. Yet most archaeologists have a limited knowledge of what archaeobiologists do and how their work can improve archaeological research and interpretation. In this handy volume, Kristin Sobolik outlines the major activities of archaeobiologists, the kinds of analyses they can provide to an archaeological project, and how biological specialists could and should be involved in project design and implementation. She also outlines factors that influence preservation of plant and animal remains and how project archaeologists should properly collect and analyze specimens. This brief work is an important guide for students starting in archaeobiology and for other archaeologists who use their work.

How can you ensure that you are learning everything your artifacts have to teach you? Charles Ewen explores a variety of methods and techniques used to prepare, protect, and analyze artifacts once they are in the lab. In brief, user-friendly sections, he outlines the basic principles of identification, classification, quantification, data manipulation, and analysis. Students will find that Ewen's suggestions point out fruitful areas of analysis, yet do not dictate the researcher's approach. Examples drawn from 16th century Spanish sites in the Americas introduce students to the hows and whys of archaeological lab work.

"Perspectives on the Past" shows how knowledge of the past is contingent and is largely determined by the social and intellectual milieux in which those who study it have received their training. This work examines major components of the general paradigms that structure hunter-gatherer research in the Mediterranean area. In the original essays that comprise the volume, field archaeologists discuss their own biases and the effects these biases have on how they do their research. For example, one contributor describes his shift from the traditional, "essentially historical view of prehistory" to "the evolutionary paradigm now advocated by many archaeologists" and explains the modifications of both theory and method that this change has necessitated. Other topics range from biases in "cave bound" archaeology to "normal science" and preconceptions in Italian hunter-gatherer research, and from paradigms for interpreting chipped stone to those that structure the linkages between foraging, sedentism and adaptive vigour.

This volume features exercises that allow students to use their knowledge of archaeological method and theory to deal with fictitious scenarios and data sets. The authors offer all new, inventive, and often witty problems that pose the same questions being tackled by archaeologists in the field today.

The remains that archaeologists uncover reveal ancient minds at work as much as ancient hands, and for decades many have sought a better way of understanding those minds. This understanding is at the forefront of cognitive archaeology, a discipline that believes that a greater application of psychological theory to archaeology will further our understanding of the evolution of the human mind. Bringing together a diverse range of experts including archaeologists, psychologists, anthropologists, biologists, psychiatrists, neuroscientists, historians, and philosophers, in one comprehensive volume, this accessible and illuminating book is an important resource for students and researchers exploring how the application of cognitive archaeology can significantly and meaningfully deepen their knowledge of early and ancient humans. This seminal volume opens the field of cognitive archaeology to scholars across the behavioral sciences.