A new study of 'The Fair Stone', defining jade, its nature, virtues, deposits and carving techniques according to ancient Chinese texts. Analysis of ancient sources with a critical mind may supplement archaeological finds and modern scientific studies, but others still present scholars with quite a few riddles, such as metal jade carving implements. This study attempts to provide an analysis of the multifaceted meanings, connotations and echoes of a single word, concept and symbol. It also allows a better grasp of matters of concern for mineralogists and gemmologists: jade's origin and deposits, mining and carving technology. Two appendices include a chart of jade producing places according to the Shanhaijing (Books of mountains and seas) and a full translation of Song Yingxing' chapter on jade in the Tiangong kaiwu (Exploitation of the works of Nature). Illustrations draw on reproductions of old Chinese books from the Yuan (1279-1368) to the Republic. Maps in late commentaries to the Classics, geographical monographs on Xinjiang or drawn by the author show jade and abrasive deposits and the jade road from Khotan to Xi'an.

"Bioarchaeology and Identity in the Americas" represents an important shift in the interpretation of skeletal remains in the Americas. Until recently, bioarchaeology has focused on interpreting and analyzing populations. The contributors here look to examine how individuals fit into those larger populations. The overall aim is to demonstrate how bioarchaeologists can uniquely contribute to our understanding of the formation, representation, and repercussions of identity. The contributors combine historical and archaeological data with population genetic analyses, biogeochemical analyses of human tooth enamel and bones, mortuary patterns, and body modifications. With case studies drawn from North, Central, and South American mortuary remains from AD 500 to the Colonial period, they examine a wide range of factors that make up identity, including ethnicity, age, gender, and social, political, and religious constructions. By adding a valuable biological element to the study of culture--a topic traditionally associated with social theorists, ethnographers, and historical archaeologies--this volume highlights the importance of skeletal evidence in helping us better understand our past.

Contents: Preface (Chris Scarre); 1) Stony Ground: outcrops, rocks and quarries in the creation of megalithic monuments (Chris Scarre); 3) The Megalithic Building Site (Torben Dehn); 4) Hunebedden and Huenengraber: the construction of megalithic tombs west of the River Elbe (Jan Albert Bakker); 5) The Gallery Graves of Hesse and Westphalia, Germany: extracting and working the stones ( Kerstin Schierhold); 6) Beyond Stonehenge: seeking the start of the bluestone trail (Timothy Darvill); 7) Architectonique et esthetique des alignements de menhirs du sud de la Vendee (France) (Gerard Beneteau-Douillard); 8) Technologie des megalithes dans lOuest de la France: la carriere du Rocher Mouton a Besne (Loire-Atlantique, France) (Emmanuel Mens); 9) Exploitation de la pierre et mise en uvre des materiaux sur le site neolithique du Souch en Plouhinec (Finistere, France) (Michel Le Goffic); 10) Transforming Stone: ethnoarchaeological perspectives on megalith form in Eastern Indonesia (Ron L. Adams).

"Quantitative analysis in archaeology introduces the application of quantitative methods in archaeology. It outlines conceptual and statistical principles, illustrates their application, and provides problem sets for practice. Discusses both methodological frameworks and quantitative methods of archaeological analysis. Presents statistical material in a clear and straightforward manner ideal for students and professionals in the field. Includes illustrative problem sets and practice exercises in each chapter that reinforce practical application of quantitative analysis"--Provided by publisher.

Most students who pursue a career in archaeology will find employment in cultural resource management (CRM), rather than in academia or traditional fieldwork. It is CRM, the protection and preservation of archaeological and other resources, that offers the jobs and provides the funding. Few textbooks, however, are dedicated to teaching students the techniques and practices of this field. Cultural Resources Archaeology, now brought completely up date in this second edition and replete with new case studies from the western U.S., fills in the gap. Drawing on their decades of teaching and field experience, the authors walk students through the intricacies of CRM. They clearly describe the processes of designing a project, conducting assessment, testing, doing essential mitigation work (Phases I, II, and III), and preparing reports. The book's emphasis on real-world problems and issues, use of extensive examples from around the country, and practical advice on everything from law to logistics make it an ideal teaching tool for archaeology students who dream of becoming practicing archaeologists.

This volume presents a range of petrographic case studies as applied to archaeological problems, primarily in the field of pottery analysis, i.e. ceramic petrography. Petrographic analysis involves using polarising optical microscopy to examine microstructures and the compositions of rock and mineral inclusions in thin section, and has become a widely used technique within archaeological science. The results of these analyses are commonly embedded in regionally specific reports and research papers. In this volume, however, the analytical method takes centre stage and the common theme is its application in different archaeological contexts.

Tools of the Trade: Methods, Techniques and Innovative Approaches in Archaeology presents a collection of academic papers from the 2005 Chacmool archaeological conference, which includes a wide range of contributions from international archaeologists, senior professors, and students alike. Each chapter focuses on the discussion and application of unique and innovative 'tools' for archaeological analysis and interpretation, including micro- and macro-botanical analysis, experimental study, off-site survey, lithic use-wear, ceramic petrography, DNA analysis, chaA (R)ne opA (c)ratoire, space syntax, and Geographic Information Systems. As a collective volume, Tools of the Trade: Methods, Techniques and Innovative Approaches in Archaeology also covers an impressive diversity of geographic regions and time periods, such as Precolumbian Mesoamerica, Plio-Pleistocene Africa, prehistoric and historic North America, and ancient Polynesia. Finally, this volume provides a somewhat introspective look at the origins of tool use, technological development, and the means by which we have become the only species to ask the questions: What does it mean to be us and how can we find out? With contributions by: Kristen Anderson Tobin C. Bottman Ryan T. Brady Susan Cachel Leslie G. Cecil Ruth Conroy Dalton Eugene M.Gryba Leslie Main Johnson Ciler Kirsan Purple Kumai E.G. Langemann Amber E. MacKenzie Go Matsumoto Maria Victoria Monsalve Jose Roberto Pellini Meaghan M. Peuramaki-Brown Jason W. Roe Michael J. Shott Nicholas Waber Joshua J. Wells Jayne Wilkins Pamela R. Willoughby D.Y. Yang Tobin C. Bottman Ryan T. Brady Susan Cachel Leslie G. Cecil Ruth Conroy Dalton Eugene M. Gryba Leslie Main Johnson Ciler Kirsan Purple Kumai E. Gwyn Langemann Amber E. MacKenzie Go Matsumoto Maria Victoria Monsalve Jose Roberto Pellini Meaghan M. Peuramaki-Brown Jason Roe Michael J. Shott Nicholas Waber Joshua J. Wells Pamela R. Willoughby Dongya Y. Yang

Magnetometry for Archaeologists covers the most widely used method for archaeological surveying. Authors Arnold Aspinall, Chris Gaffney, and Armin Schmidt recount the history of magnetometers from their inception through today's state-of-the-art detectors, explain the physics behind the different types of sensors, and describe the most fruitful ways in which the technology can be employed. They also consider the theoretical and practical uses of magnetometry from for many archaeological periods and regions. The reader learns exactly what magnetometry measures, and how knowledge gained from it influences the ways in which surveys are undertaken. The authors also discuss the potential for and the problems associated with the use, display, and interpretation of buried remains. View the book's Acknowledgments.

Lithic refitting has been around for well over a century now. While the mechanics of conjoining artifacts have remained unchanged, despite some recent attempts to automate at least part of the process, the questions that have been addressed with refitting data changed dramatically over time and probably will continue to do so in the future. This volume reflects both well-established uses of refitting as well as some novel approaches.

Archaeology as a Tool of Civic Engagement is an indispensable resource for archaeologists and the communities in which they work. The authors are intensely committed to developing effective models for participating in the civic renewal movement - through active engagement in community life, in development offor interpretive and educational programming, and for in participation in debates and decisions about preservation and community planning. Using case studies from different regions within the United States, Guatemala, Vietnam, Canada, and Eastern Europe, Little and Shackel challenge archaeologists to create an ethical public archaeology that is concerned not just with the management of cultural resources, but with social justice and civic responsibility. Their new book will be a valuable guide for archaeologists, community planners, historians, and museum professionals.

These twenty-seven papers result from a conference held in Rome in 2002, organised by the American Academy in Rome and the Ecole Francaise de Rome. The conference brought together prehistorians, classical archaeologists and medievalists with the aim of discussing the archaeological methodology behind the analysis of industry and commerce in ancient Italy. Arranged thematically, the papers discuss: textile production, the supply of foodstuffs, commercial systems, the production and exchange of pottery, the production of glass and metal, the organisation of the building industry and historiographic studies. The temporal scope of the volume is large, covering the 2nd millennium BC to the medieval period. The case studies are well-illustrated and all begin with an English abstract. One paper in English, six in French, the rest in Italian. The introduction is in English.

Dr. Hannah Green-heroine of Praetzellis's textbook-as-novel Death by Theory-has really gotten herself into trouble this time. The spunky archaeologist has been asked to manage the contract archaeology project at a historic site in New Zealand when the regular archaeological staff of University of Invercargill abruptly dies off. On the scene, Hannah discovers she needs to teach her team about research design, survey methods, archival research, professional ethics, curation, and especially field safety, if they are to complete the contract before young Mr. Wallace levels the site in favor of a golf course. With a cast of characters that includes Missy-Jojo-the-Dog-Faced-Girl as lab supervisor, erotic romance writer and field volunteer Elena Solara, the ghost of socialite Bunny Wallace, and shovelbum Rusty Spittle, Praetzellis' brief textbook-as-novel introduces students to the hows and whys of field methodology in an entertaining but informative way. Ideal for your introductory archaeology classes and probably the only textbook you'll enjoy reading yourself.

This study addresses some of the gaps in our knowledge concerning early human occupation in the Vercours mountains to the south-west of Grenoble in southern France. Based on archaeological evidence, Barnard-Guelle's interpretation of the sites and lithic assemblages from the area promotes a clearer understanding of different types of settlements and camps, and human activities, notably the exploitation of local resources.

The entrance of Native Americans into the world of cultural resource management is forcing a change in the traditional paradigms that have guided archaeologists, anthropologists, and other CRM professionals. This book examines these developments from tribal perspectives and articulates native views on the identification of cultural resource, how they should be handled and by whom, and what their meaning is in contemporary life. Stapp and Burney also demonstrate the connections between cultural resource and other issues such as native sovereignty, economic development, human rights, and cultural integrity.

A collection of eleven papers from a series of pottery workshops held between 1995 and 2000 at the Institute for Archaeology and Ethnology at Copenhagen University. Subjects include the Trojan cycle depicted on Tyrrhenian amphorae, Attic pottery imports to Locri Epizephyrii, Genucilia ceramics from Mid-Republican Italy, terracotta house models from Basilicata, Archaic Karian pottery, the distribution of local plain wares in the 6th-5th century BC, Cypriot transport amphorae, Cypriot sigillata, a fake phiale from the J F Willumsen Museum, pottery from the Archaic settlement at Vroulia, Rhodes.

Burials are places where archaeologists reasonably expect gendered ideologies and practices to play out in the archaeological record. Yet only modest progress has been made in teasing out gender from these mortuary contexts. In this volume, methods for doing so are presented, cases of successful gender theorizing from mortuary data presented, and comparisons made between European and Americanist traditions in this kind of work. Cases are broad in temporal and geographic scope from Inuit burials in Alaska and Oneota mortuary rituals to Viking Scandinavia, Neolithic China and Iron Age Britain. Methods for identifying and analyzing gender are suggested for cultures at various levels of social complexity with or without documentary or ethnoarchaeological evidence to assist in the analysis. A volume of great interest for those attempting to develop an archaeology of gender. Visit Bettina Arnold's web page

Detailed and wide-ranging study of experimental studies in lithic technology, with lots of practical illustrations.

This provocative introduction examines the most important new school of archaeological thought and practice to have emerged over the last two decades and provides students with an assessment of the impact and importance of recent theoretical debates. Written by a leading figure in the field of theoretically-informed archaeology, the book provides an interpretation of the archaeological process, reassessing the origins and aims of archaeology, and setting forth an innovative agenda for the future.

In particular the author argues for a plural and diverse perspective and for a new "reflexive" methodology: one that opens archaeology up to critique and interaction between different communities. This approach has implications not only for the interpretation of evidence, but for the kind of evidence that is sought in excavating, and the manner of its recovering and recording. It has implications too for the role of archaeology and heritage within new global environments and in the context of new information technologies.

"All archaeologists whose work deals even in part with the terminal Pleistocene-- early Holocene should read this book thoroughly; there simply is no better treatment of the geoarch-aeological record of that period. Interested amateurs also will enjoy it." -- Choice "This book will be of use for years to come as the key source for the early geoarchaeology of the region." -- Jack L. Hofman, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Kansas

The Southern High Plains of northwestern Texas and eastern New Mexico are rich in Paleoindian archaeological sites, including such well-known ones as Clovis, Lubbock Lake, Plainview, and Midland. These sites have been extensively researched over decades, not only by archaeologists but also by geoscientists, whose studies of soils and stratigraphy have yielded important information about cultural chronology and paleoenvironments across the region.

In this book, Vance T. Holliday synthesizes the data from these earlier studies with his own recent research to offer the most current and comprehensive overview of the geoarchaeology of the Southern High Plains during the earliest human occupation. He delves into twenty sites in depth, integrating new and old data on site geomorphology, stratigraphy, soils, geochronology, and paleoenvironments. He also compares the Southern High Plains sites with other sites across the Great Plains, for a broader chronological and paleoenvironmental perspective.

With over ninety photographs, maps, cross sections, diagrams, and artifact drawings, this book will be essential reading for geoarchaeologists, archaeologists, and Quaternary geoscientists, as well as avocational archaeologists who takepart in Paleoindian site study throughout the American West.

Archaeology uses material data to study the past, but material remains are unable to speak for themselves. They need to be interpreted. All archaeology depends upon the logical framework used to understand data: the theory which underlies interpretation. Yet archaeological theory often seems inaccessible or even irrelevant, wrapped up in jargon and filled with obscure allusions. Written especially for those with no previous knowledge of theory, this book aims to introduce the subject in a way which is both readable and which shows its relevance, and without a specific theoretical stance. The range of theoretical views on some of the themes and problems most often encountered in archaeology is outlined, introducing a wide variety of concepts and approaches equally relevant to the professional or amateur archaeologist, student, or non-specialist reader of archaeological work.

This book presents the results and discussion of archaeofaunal studies which took place in the northern San Matias Gulf (Rio Negro Province) during the last six years, focussing on terrestrial mammals and birds. The general objective of this research is to determine what was the mode of operation of terrestrial vertebrates (small and big), and the importance that they had in the survival of human populations that occupied the coastline during the late Holocene (last 3000 years).

Why are you digging it up? How did it get buried? How did you know it was there? In this simple guide to the basic elements of archaeology, Professor Branigan tackles the questions most commonly asked by visitors to archaeological sites. Drawing on examples from both the Old World and the New and from prehistoric to recent times, he shows the fascination of archaeology as a study in itself and the exciting part it plays in our general view of the past. 'The best explanation of archaeology for the layman that I have ever read. The writing is clear and concise, the illustrations are excellently selected to support the examples, and the style is so interesting that it will keep the reader fascinated to the end.' American Antiquity

In order to make the contents of the British Academy's Proceedings more accessible to readers, the following changes have been made: The large annual volumes have been replaced by an irregular series of slimmer volumes, published about three times a year, with most of the volumes containing papers devoted to one particular subject. Disciplines to be represented in future thematic volumes include archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, and law. The range of subjects will also be extended to areas of the humanities and social sciences inadequately covered at present. Memoirs of the lives and scholarly achievements of deceased Fellows of the Academy will continue to be published in the series. It is hoped that the change from large, multi-disciplinary annual volumes of Proceedings to a series of slimmer, more easily classified (and less expensive) volumes will benefit subscribers to the series. The volumes will continue to be numbered in the same sequence as the former annual Proceedings. The proceedings of this prestigious meeting highlight new developments in archaeological science over the last ten years. There is a strong emphasis on the applications of organic chemistry and biochemistry to archaeological remains, as well as reviews of more traditional subjects, such as the scientific study of ceramics.

This is the second volume of Catherine Perles's study of the chipped/flaked stone tools found at Franchthi Cave, the first of its kind in Greek archaeology, if not in the whole of southeastern European prehistory. In French."