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Books > Humanities > Archaeology > Archaeological methodology & techniques
This volume is the result of the Cambridge Annual Student Archaeology Conference (CASA), held at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research from September 13–15, 2019. CASA developed out of the Annual Student Archaeology Conference, first held in 2013, which was formed by students at Cambridge, Oxford, Durham and York. In 2017, Cambridge became the home of the conference and the name was changed accordingly. The conference was developed to give students (from undergraduate to PhD candidates) in archaeology and related fields the chance to present their research to a broad audience. The theme for the 2019 conference was New Frontiers in Archaeology and this volume presents papers from a wide range of topics such as new geographical areas of research, using museum collections and legacy data, new ways to teach archaeology and new scientific or theoretic paradigms. From hunting and gathering in the Neolithic to the return of artefacts to Turkey, the papers contained within show a great variety in both geography and chronology. Discussions revolve around access to data, the role of excavation in today’s archaeology, the role of local communities in archaeological interpretation and how we can ask new questions of old data. This volume presents 18 papers arranged in the six sessions with the two posters in their thematic sessions.
The Archaeology of Food explains how archaeologists reconstruct what people ate, and how such reconstructions reveal ancient political struggles, religious practices, ethnic identities, gender norms, and more. Balancing deep research with accessible writing, Katheryn Twiss familiarizes readers with archaeological data, methods, and intellectual approaches as they explore topics ranging from urban commerce to military provisioning to ritual feasting. Along the way, Twiss examines a range of primary evidence, including Roman bars, Aztec statues, Philistine pig remains, Nubian cooking pots, Mississippian squash seeds, and the bones of a medieval king. Her book introduces both archaeologists and non-archaeologists to the study of prehistoric and historic foodways, and illuminates how those foodways shaped and were shaped by past cultures.
Clothing was crucial in human evolution, and having to cope with climate change was as true in prehistory as it is today. In Climate, Clothing, and Agriculture in Prehistory, Ian Gilligan offers the first complete account of the development of clothing as a response to cold exposure during the ice ages. He explores how and when clothes were invented, noting that the thermal motive alone is tenable in view of the naked condition of humans. His account shows that there is considerably more archaeological evidence for palaeolithic clothes than is generally appreciated. Moreover, Gilligan posits, clothing played a leading role in major technological innovations. He demonstrates that fibre production and the advent of woven fabrics, developed in response to global warming, were pivotal to the origins of agriculture. Drawing together evidence from many disciplines, Climate Clothing, and Agriculture in Prehistory is written in a clear and engaging style, and is illustrated with nearly 100 images.
Egyptian mummies have always aroused popular and scientific interest; however, most modern studies, although significantly increased in number and range, have been published in specialist journals. Now, this unique book, written by a long-established team of scientists, brings this exciting, cross-disciplinary area of research to a wider readership. It shows how this team's multidisciplinary, investigative methods and the unique resource of the Egyptian Mummy Tissue Bank are being used for the new major international investigations of disease evolution and ancient Egyptian pharmacy and pharmacology. It also assesses the current status of palaeopathology and ancient DNA research, and treatments available for conserving mummified remains. Descriptions of the historical development of Egyptian mummifications and medicine and detailed references to previous scientific investigations provide the context for firsthand accounts of cutting-edge research by prominent specialists in this field, demonstrating how these techniques can contribute to a new perspective on Egyptology.
It has been clear for many years that the ways in which archaeology is practised have been a direct product of a particular set of social, cultural, and historical circumstances - archaeology is always carried out in the present. More recently, however, many have begun to consider how archaeological techniques might be used to reflect more directly on the contemporary world itself: how we might undertake archaeologies of, as well as in the present. This Handbook is the first comprehensive survey of an exciting and rapidly expanding sub-field and provides an authoritative overview of the newly emerging focus on the archaeology of the present and recent past. In addition to detailed archaeological case studies, it includes essays by scholars working on the relationships of different disciplines to the archaeology of the contemporary world, including anthropology, psychology, philosophy, historical geography, science and technology studies, communications and media, ethnoarchaeology, forensic archaeology, sociology, film, performance, and contemporary art. This volume seeks to explore the boundaries of an emerging sub-discipline, to develop a tool-kit of concepts and methods which are applicable to this new field, and to suggest important future trajectories for research. It makes a significant intervention by drawing together scholars working on a broad range of themes, approaches, methods, and case studies from diverse contexts in different parts of the world, which have not previously been considered collectively.
Contemporary Archaeology and the City foregrounds the archaeological study of post-industrial and other urban transformations through a diverse, international collection of case studies. Over the past decade contemporary archaeology has emerged as a dynamic force for dissecting and contextualizing the material complexities of present-day societies. Contemporary archaeology challenges conventional anthropological and archaeological conceptions of the past by pushing temporal boundaries closer to, if not into, the present. The volume is organized around three themes that highlight the multifaceted character of urban transitions in present-day cities - creativity, ruination, and political action. The case studies offer comparative perspectives on transformative global urban processes in local contexts through research conducted in the struggling, post-industrial cities of Detroit, Belfast, Indianapolis, Berlin, Liverpool, Belem, and post-Apartheid Cape Town, as well as the thriving urban centres of Melbourne, New York City, London, Chicago, and Istanbul. Together, the volume contributions demonstrate how the contemporary city is an urban palimpsest comprised by archaeological assemblages - of the built environment, the surface, and buried sub-surface - that are traces of the various pasts entangled with one another in the present. This volume aims to position the city as one of the most important and dynamic arenas for archaeological studies of the contemporary by presenting a range of theoretically-engaged case studies that highlight some of the major issues that the study of contemporary cities pose for archaeologists.
A volume dedicated to the memory of Helmut Schweppe. Papers presented at the 19th annual meeting on Dyes in History and Archaeology, held at the Royal Museum, National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh in October 2000.
Indigo has a powerful hold on the imagination but, until now, the actual application of the dye and possible explanations underlying the practice have rarely been considered. The dyestuff is equally fascinating to the scientist, to Adolf von Baeyer in the 19th century, or to the modern chemist using modern instrumental methods for its characterisation. Indigoid dyes, lichen dyes, even mud and other naturally occurring organic colouring matters were among the subjects for discussion at the 18th Meeting of Dyes in History and Archaeology, held in Brussels in 1999. The textiles and other artefacts coloured with the dyes are no less interesting and varied. Romanian and Polish textiles and, as the cover illustrates, Japanese ukiyo-e prints are only examples of the possible uses discussed in this book.
This volume of papers delivered to The Royal Society in February of 1992 explores the debate over the "single center" hypothesis of human origins versus "multi-regional evolution." Over the last five years there has been growing support for a recent "Out of Africa" origin of modern humans--based on fresh interpretations of the palaeoanthropological and archaeological evidence, new applications of physical dating techniques to important sites, and a greatly increased genetic data base on recent human variation and its geographical patterning. But there has also been a parallel growth of doubts about interpretations of the new evidence from some workers. This book provides a review of recent progress and allows some of these doubts to be aired and discussed. In addition to the editors, the contributors are O. Bar-Yosef, A. M. Bowcock, P. Brown, H. J. Deacon, L. L. Cavalli-Sforza, J. D. Clark, R. Grun, J.-J. Hublin, A. A. Lin, G. H. Miller, J. L. Mountain, H. P. Schwarcz, N. J. Shackleton, F. H. Smith, and M. Stoneking. Originally published in 1993. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Fishes is a practical introduction to the study of fish remains from archaeological sites, designed for archaeologists and archaezoologists working in the field and in the laboratory. It provides clear guidelines for the identification of remains and how to interpret them. The identification and analysis of fish remains unearthed in archaeological excavations are invaluable factors in the reconstruction of climate, economic strategy, diet and trade. In this manual the authors discuss the importance of fishes in past economies and in archaeological research. They describe methods of extraction, fish anatomy and classification with the aid of numerous line drawings. The book also includes a survey of fishes most likely to be represented in archaeological sites and describes the biology of fishes in order to help archaeozoologists make informed judgements about methods of exploitation, size of fish caught and meat yield. This study is unique in making a realistic assessment of both the potential and limitations of the use of fish remains in archaeological interpretation.
The technique of aerial photography, widely recognized as of immense value to field archaeologists, had been little used in Ireland, although the relatively slight disturbance of land by modern ploughing or industrial development makes Ireland a particularly suitable region for the identification of ancient features by this method. The results of the surveys carried out by the Cambridge Committee for Aerial Photography between 1963 and 1968 are nevertheless surprising. Many ancient earthworks have been revealed by differences in soil-colour or crop-growth, and the natural and man-made environments of these and other prehistoric and early Christian settlements can be fully appreciated. The pattern of settlement emerges over a wide area, as does the character of large and complex sites such as Tara, while detailed oblique views pick out smaller structures invisible on the ground.
Quantitative Paleozoology describes and illustrates how the remains of long-dead animals recovered from archaeological and paleontological excavations can be studied and analyzed. The methods range from determining how many animals of each species are represented to determining whether one collection consists of more broken and more burned bones than another. All methods are described and illustrated with data from real collections, while numerous graphs illustrate various quantitative properties.
A recent trend concerning archaeological research has focused on producing a real-time methodology for 3D digital models as archaeological documentation within the excavation setting. While such methodologies have now firmly been established, what remains is to examine how 3D models can be integrated more fully alongside other forms of archaeological documentation. This work explored one avenue by developing a method that combines the interpretative power of traditional archaeological drawings and the realistic visualisation capacity of 3D digital models. An experiment was initiated during archaeological excavations at Uppakra, Sweden where photographic data was captured to produce 3D digital models through Photoscan. These models were geospatially located within ESRI's 3D GIS ArcScene where shapefile editing tools were used to draw overtop of their surfaces in three-dimensions. All drawings closely followed the single context method of drawing, were allotted context numbers, and given descriptive geodatabase attributes. This methodology resulted in the further integration of 3D models alongside other forms of archaeological documentation. The drawings increased the communicative powers of archaeological interpretation by enabling the information to be disseminated in a 3D environment alongside other formats of data that would have otherwise been disconnected in 2D space. Finally, the database attributes permitted the drawings complete integration within the geodatabase, thereby making them available for query and other analytical procedures. Archaeological information is three-dimensional; therefore, archaeologists must begin to approach documentation bearing this in mind. This technique has demonstrated that 3D models are a fluidic form of documentation allowing for accurate preservation of archaeology while enabling new forms of data to be derived all within a limited amount of time. Archaeologists must begin to affect change towards embracing 3D models and their associated applications as a standard tool within the excavator's toolbox.
Now including numerous full colour figures, this updated and revised edition of Larsen's classic text provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of bioarchaeology. Reflecting the enormous advances made in the field over the past twenty years, the author examines how this discipline has matured and evolved in fundamental ways. Jargon free and richly illustrated, the text is accompanied by copious case studies and references to underscore the central role that human remains play in the interpretation of life events and conditions of past and modern cultures. From the origins and spread of infectious disease to the consequences of decisions made by humans with regard to the kinds of foods produced, and their nutritional, health and behavioral outcomes. With local, regional, and global perspectives, this up-to-date text provides a solid foundation for all those working in the field.
Flakes, and small flakes in particular, are usually seen as by-products or debris of the knapping process, rather than as desired end-products with a specific potential use. In recent years, this particular category of small tools has attracted increasing interest among researchers, especially when focusing on technological aspects in Lower Palaeolithic contexts, while the functional role of these tools is still poorly investigated. 'Understanding Lithic Recycling at the Late Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave, Israel: A functional and chemical investigation of small flakes' examines Late Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave, Israel, where a particular lithic trajectory directed towards the production of small flakes by means of recycling and exploiting old discarded flakes as cores has been recognised. The high density of this production throughout the stratigraphic sequence of the cave demonstrates that this was a conscious and planned technological choice aimed at providing small and sharp items to meet specific functional behaviours, and that this lithic behaviour persisted for some 200 kyr of human use of the cave. The exceptional conservation of use-wear signs and residues has made it possible to reconstruct the functional role of this specific production system, highlighting its specialised nature mostly related to the processing of the animal carcasses through accurate and careful actions and in a very specific way. The application of functional analysis based on the determination of wear on artefacts by means of optical light microscope, scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis (FTIR and EDX), provides a useful and effective approach for understanding the adaptive strategies of the Qesem Cave hominins while facing various situations and solving different needs.
This book is an introductory manual that explains the basic concepts of chemistry behind scientific analytical techniques and that reviews their application to archaeology. It explains key terminology, outlines the procedures to be followed in order to produce good data, and describes the function of the basic instrumentation required to carry out those procedures. The manual contains chapters on the basic chemistry and physics necessary to understand the techniques used in analytical chemistry, with more detailed chapters on Atomic Absorption, Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy, Neutron Activation Analysis, X-ray Flourescence, Electron Microscopy, Infra-red and Raman Spectroscopy, and Mass Spectrometry. Each chapter describes the operation of the instruments, some hints on the practicalities, and a review of the application of the technique to archaeology, including some case studies. With guides to further reading on the topic, it is an essential tool for practitioners, researchers and advanced students alike.
This volume of papers delivered to The Royal Society in February of 1992 explores the debate over the "single center" hypothesis of human origins versus "multi-regional evolution." Over the last five years there has been growing support for a recent "Out of Africa" origin of modern humans--based on fresh interpretations of the palaeoanthropological and archaeological evidence, new applications of physical dating techniques to important sites, and a greatly increased genetic data base on recent human variation and its geographical patterning. But there has also been a parallel growth of doubts about interpretations of the new evidence from some workers. This book provides a review of recent progress and allows some of these doubts to be aired and discussed. In addition to the editors, the contributors are O. Bar-Yosef, A. M. Bowcock, P. Brown, H. J. Deacon, L. L. Cavalli-Sforza, J. D. Clark, R. Grun, J.-J. Hublin, A. A. Lin, G. H. Miller, J. L. Mountain, H. P. Schwarcz, N. J. Shackleton, F. H. Smith, and M. Stoneking. Originally published in 1993. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905."
Archaeological discoveries of teeth provide remarkable information on humans, animals and the health, hygiene and diet of ancient communities. In this fully revised and updated 2005 edition of his seminal text, Simon Hillson draws together a mass of material from archaeology, anthropology and related disciplines to provide a comprehensive manual on the study of teeth. The range of mammals examined has been extended to include descriptions and line drawings for 325 mammal genera from Europe, North Africa, western, central and northeastern Asia, and North America. The book also introduces dental anatomy and the microscopic structure of dental tissues, explores how the age or season of death is estimated and looks at variations in tooth size and shape. With its detailed descriptions of the techniques and equipment used and its provision of tables and charts, this book is essential reading for students of archaeology, zoology and dental science.
Written expressly for amateur archaeologists and archaeological volunteers to help them discover how they can become part of this increasingly popular field. Covers subjects ranging from excavation techniques, tools, site locations, archaeological methods, archaeology and the law to conducting your own dig. Besides providing extensive data on gaining experience as volunteers of professionally organized digs, it offers an extensive resource section that includes archaeology organizations, field schools and sites, archaeological musems and a bibliography of reading matter which deals with archaeology. A large variety of line-drawings and photographs also assist the would-be archaeologist.
This volume holds a datelist of 476 radiocarbon determinations carried out between 2002 and 2004 in support of research funded by English Heritage through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. It contains supporting information about the samples and the sites producing them, a comprehensive bibliography, and two indexes for reference and analysis. An introduction provides information about the scientific dating undertaken, and methods used for the analyses reported. Details of technical reports available for programmes of luminescence dating and amino-acid racemization funded under this scheme are also provided. The datelist has been collated from information provided by the submitters of samples and the dating laboratories, in order to provide easy access to raw scientific and contextual data which may be used in further research. Many of the sites and projects from which dates have been obtained are published, or are in the process of publication. Full references are given to these reports for those requiring further detail.
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
Fieldwork in archaeology has been transformed over the past three decades. Drawing on a wealth of experience in excavating some of the most complex, deeply-stratified sites in Britain, Steve Roskams describes the changes that have taken place in the theory and practice of excavation. He provides a clear account of pre-excavation reconnaissance and site evaluation, the preparations for full excavation, the process of excavation, and the recording of photographic, spatial, stratigraphic, and physical evidence. This manual will be welcomed by the professional excavator, academic researchers, students, and the interested amateur.
Interdisciplinary Research into Iron Metallurgy along the Drava River in Croatia - The TransFER Project presents the results of the scientific project 'Production of Iron Along the Drava River During Antiquity and Middle Ages: Creation and Transfer of Knowledge, Technology and Commodities - TransFER project (IP - 2016 - 06 - 5047)' funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. The research presented explores the evidence for and nature of iron production in the lowland area of the central Drava River basin in Croatia during late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, from the turn of the 4th to the early 9th centuries. The wide-ranging methodology of the project features non-destructive archaeological site identification (surface survey and geophysics), archaeological excavation of sites with attested bloomery iron production and processing along with their associated dwelling and settlement structures, as well as experimental archaeology. The record of bloomery iron production and processing is explored via an interdisciplinary approach which examines the technology used as well as the natural resources (bog iron ores, wood and plant remains) exploited in the production process. The results of the research testify to the importance and longevity of iron production in the area of the Drava river valley.
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.
Dating Urban Classical Deposits: Approaches and problems in using finds to date strata considers the issues surrounding the dating of archaeological strata on the basis of the assemblages recovered from them. This process is one of the most common processes in archaeology, yet it is still poorly structured theoretically, methodologically and operatively. No manuals specifically tackle the issue as a whole and consideration of useful theoretical and methodological tools is fragmentary. This book has been developed to try to correct this failing; it is based on the idea that for dating a given layer through the materials recovered from it, the embedding process of the materials must be modelled. The book reviews the present state of archaeological practice and follows this with a theoretical discussion of the key concepts involved in the issue of dating deposits; the main methodological tools which can be employed (quantitative, qualitative and comparative) are then discussed in detail. The text presents a problem-oriented taxonomy of deposits, with depositional models for assessing how different assemblages can be analysed for dating; each type of deposit is accompanied by case studies where the methodological tools used are explained. Finally, a structured working method is proposed. The topic of dating deposits crosses the chronological and spatial borders of many archaeologies, but the book focusses on Classical cities (particularly Roman), as they present specific traits (continuous occupation, high rates of residuality, high impact architecture, waste management etc.) making them unique fields for study. |
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