Was Assyria merely a more brutal, more uncivilized and less interesting offshoot of the culture created by Sumerians and Babylonians in Southern Mesopotamia at the dawn of history? Do the Assyrian reliefs that fill our museums give a complete picture of the phenomenon that was Assyria? Was the contribution of this people to world culture merely an incredibly effective military organization? The answers to these questions are sought here in this detailed book from 1963, referring to personal documents of the time, in the letters Assyrians wrote to one another rather than in the annals of the rulers.

Eastern Europe, in this book, embraces the area formally referred to as the 'Marchlands of Europe', sometimes as Eastern Central Europe, and which included, when this book was originally published in 1971, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Poland. This book presented for the first time the archaeological material related to the prehistory of Central and West Europe, describing the evidence for the earlier prehistory - settlement patterns, means of subsistence and material culture - in the various natural environments of this area. It looks at the Baltic coast, the north and east European plains, the Carpathian mountain ring, the Danube basin and the Adriatic and Black Sea coasts. The evidence for late Mesolithic hunting-fishing groups is examined, their techniques and their reaction to the introduction and spread of agriculturalists, as well as the development and activities of both food-gatherers and food-producers until the early use and manufacture of metal objects. 3000 years of prehistory are covered in a way which is designed to be intelligible and useful to all those who are interested in prehistory and in eastern Europe.

The museums of the world are full of statues and other artefacts of the Greeks and the Romans. All are given a date. But how are these dates arrived at. What is the evidence? This study provides the student with an introduction and explanation of the ways scholars date the archaeological remains of classical antiquity. Specific examples from architecture, sculpture, and painting are presented, and the differnt methods of dating them are explained. These are supplemented with many original photographs and drawings. Old, and not so old problems in chronology are thus investigated and new theories reviewed from a fresh perspective.

First published in 1993. This is a new edition of Akhaenaten's boundary stelae, which now includes information about most of the boundary markers, the tablets were accompanied by statues of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and two of their daughters, all of which stood on low platforms that were raised above the level of the floor. In addition was the awareness that the statues at the site of Stela A were elevated to a greater degree than were the corresponding statues at other sites (insofar as this could be judged from published photographs). The evidence in the publication indicated, moreover, that Stela A, along with Stela B (some two miles south) were the latest of the boundary monuments to be inscribed, since both concluded with a colophon, dated to the end of Akhenaten's eighth regnal year, added to the standard text of the Later Proclamation found on these and other stelae of this series.

For the Celts, a rural people whose survival depended solely upon their environment, natural phenomena, the elements, and animals, especially, merited their extreme respect. The Celts made both wild and domesticated species the focus of elaborate rituals as well as the basis of profound religious beliefs. "Animals in Celtic Life and Myth" examines the intimate relationship between humans and animals, in a society in which animals were special and central to all aspects of life.
Miranda Green draws on evidence from a variety of early Celtic documents, as well as archaeology and iconography, revealing that the Celts believed many animals to be sacred, either possessing divine status in their own right or acting as mediators between gods and humans. She covers the crucial role of animals in the Celtic economy; in hunting and welfare; in Celtic art and literature; in religion and ritual. The attitude of the Celts toward animals closely connected the Celtic with the everyday: warfare was bound up with religion; the killing of animals was a ritual act; in stories, heroes talk to animals in their own language and gods change at will from human to animal form. The book covers the important period between 8 B.C. and 1 A.D., during which much of Europe, ranging from Ireland to Czechoslovakia, was turning to Christianity.
"Animals in Celtic Life and Myth" is invaluable to students of archaeology, anthropology and history, as well as to the general reader with an interest in animals.

Medieval archaeology is a relatively young discipline. It relies heavily on and contributes to the neighbouring disciplines of history and geography as well as certain of the natural sciences. The kinds of sources investigated in the context of medieval archaeology also cast light on many aspects of life in later centuries. The main sources used are: graveyards, churches and churchyards; castles and fortifications; rural and urban settlements; technical production sites and routes of communication. Closely allied to these are the numerous finds of small objects of everyday life, from cutlery and tools to animal remains and grain. This book is a comprehensive discussion of what can be established from the use of such materials about the culture and daily life of medieval Germany. Each subject is augmented with the use of many illustrations. Besides methodological questions, the author considers what can be learnt about the history of settlement and architecture, of technology, of economic and social matters, of churches and missions, and of population, diet and vegetation.

This volume is based on lectures given when the British Summer School of Archaeology was held at Bangor in August 1959. It is a summary account of current knowledge then about ancient Wales written for archaeologists, historians and others, covering the Old Stone Age, Neolithic Wales, the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Roman Wales and Wales in the fifth to seventh centuries A.D.

Based on lectures given at the Conference of the British Summer School of Archaeology at Edinburgh in 1954, this book, published in 1962, surveys the general field of pre-historic Scotland, five archaeologists each contributing chapters discussing the main aspects and problems that have presented themselves in specialised research areas. From the first peopling of the area by human communities with hunting and food-gathering economies, to field antiquities and the introduction of copper and bronze metallurgy and on to the first settlement by Celtic speakers and the links to the first historically documented Scotland. Contributors: R.J.C. Atkinson, G.E. Daniel, T.G.E. Powell and C.A.R. Radford.

In the period A.D. 400-1100, perhaps more than in any other, it is necessary to bring together the results of historical, archaeological and place-name studies. Each provides information that is either badly preserved or not preserved at all in the other two, but it is not always realised how great are the difficulties involves in co-ordination and integration. This book, originally published in 1962, draws attention to the problems and provides a basis for discussion.

This book covers the whole range of West African archaeology to the arrival of the Portugese on the Guinea coast. Parts of this territory are very ill-explored, and emphasis is accordingly laid on the better-known regions: Ghana, Nigeria, the middle Niger valley and Western Senegal. After introducing the geographical background and chronology, subsequent chapters deal with the Palaeolithic, Neolithic and early iron ages, ending with a brief account of the protohistoric period. Published in 1967. Includes map and topographical index.

In the preceding 25 years to this book's publication in 1985 there was an extensive and unprecedented burst of archaeological activity in evidence from below-ground deposits, above-ground structures, and artefacts. During the boom of the late 1960s and 1970s, which led to go much central town redevelopment, it was buried remains which yielded the most dramatic information. In the recession of the 1980s it was realised that upstanding remains had a lot to offer as well and they were being subject to ever more sophisticated study techniques. This book examines those recent developments in archaeology and assesses their bearing on the study of medieval English and Welsh history. Taking a series of important themes such as government, religion and the countryside, the book offers a chronological approach from the coming of the Vikings, 850 AD, to the Reformation in 1530. This approach focuses on the impact of man on the urban and rural landscape. An important text for students of ancient history.

First published in 2002. The power of magical names, spells, and talismans was of utmost importance to the ancient Egyptians and their religion. Here, in another classic by the foremost Egyptian scholar of the Victorian era, E. A. Wallis Budge describes and explains the magical practices in Egypt, many of which predate the belief in gods and goddesses. Illustrated with twenty line drawings, this volume is one more key needed to unlock the secrets of this great ancient civilization.

There has long been controversy about the nature and pace of the transformation from Roman Britain to Saxon England. Some scholars argue that there were few instances of major conflict and that the transition took place relatively peacefully over a long period of time. Others argue that the Romano-Britains and the early Anglo-Saxon invaders lived side by side for a century or more with little contact. This book, based largely on archaeological evidence, presents an interpretive history of the transition period and demonstrates how Roman Britain evolved into Anglo-Saxon England over the fourth and fifth centuries. The emphasis is on the archaeological evidence because this is the physical and material legacy of man's activities and, unlike the scanty written sources, is not a reflection of political events. The author argues that much of the past uncertainty about this crucial period stems from the sharply conflicting interpretations of the chronicles.

Originally published in 1956, this collection features chapters by well-known archaeologists on various archaeological sites explored in the previous decade, as examples of the techniques being used and finds being made. Mostly from the lowland zone of Britain, the chapters nonetheless offer a spread of location and site types; while the periods being investigated range from prehistoric to Romano-British to later fields. This detailed work exemplifies the steady progress of study in archaeology and a final chapter on air reconnaissance deals with one of the most revolutionary additions to archaeology in the post-war period. Contributors include: J.G.D. Clark, R. Rainbird Clarke, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, I.A. Richmond, G.W. Meates, W.F. Grimes, C.W. Phillips, J.R.C. Hamilton, Brian Hope-Taylor, J.G. Hurst, J.K.S. St. Joseph.

The climax of the Stone Age in Britain, the Neolithic period (4700-2000BC), was a period of startling achievement. The British Isles are rich in Neolithic sites, which give us evidence of a complex and surprisingly developed archaic society. The author surveys 1100 secular and ceremonial sites in Britain, selecting some for detailed explanation; from these a sense of the diversity and dynamism of the living Neolithic communities emerges. He presents a comprehensive, profusely illustrated and up-to-date view of the Neolithic, organised by county. Archaeologists and prehistorians will find this book of interest and it should prove indispensable to students of archaeology as a source of information about the British Neolithic.

First published in 1940, this is a classic work by one of the most well-regarded archaeological scholars. European archaeology had made remarkable progress in the early twentieth century and this volume offers a clear impression of the understanding of European prehistory as a whole. Broken into six topics with additional prologue and epilogue, the text traces out the early foundations of human culture in Europe, covering the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Ages, as well as offering specific focuses on trade routes, and migration and conflict.

This survey of work carried out over a number of years synthesises the progress of archaeology, showing at a glance the changes within less than quarter of a century on the interpretation of and reflection on knowledge in the area. Entertainingly, written, this is a lasting introductory account of important finds in English and Welsh archaeology, by two of the key researchers of the time. Heavily illustrated, this book showcases many artefacts as well as maps and plans, offering a wealth of information.

This book presents a picture of pre-Roman Italy as complete and as faithful as modern discovery could make it, when it was originally published in 1937. The evidence of archaeology is combined with the testimony of historical tradition and non-Latin dialects in a balanced account of elements no less diverse than those of modern Europe. This description of Italy in the middle of the last millennium B.C. illuminates the success of Rome in achieving a united Italy, where others had failed - an achievement which paved the way for the course over of events over centuries. Originally published 1937.

Based on a major research programme, and originally published in 1985, this book looked to provide an economic foundation for reinterpreting the Neolithic-Bronze Age sequence of South-east Spain in terms of emergent social complexity. The cultural evolution of the area had already been considered in terms of influence from the eastern Mediterranean but this book uses site catchment analysis to give an economic baseline for all thirty-five of the better-known prehistoric settlements of the region. Site catchment analysis assumes that people minimised transport costs in production and that ancient and modern resource spaces correspond systematically. This research therefore studied modern land use and combined it with evidence from historical, archaeological and geomorphological investigation. The book shows the increasing social complexity evident in the archaeological record emerging as a result of progressive intensification of agricultural technique. Offering a complete coherent evolutionary model for the archaeological sequence of the region's prehistory, this book is a worthy in-depth study for prehistorians, geographers and anyone interested in the history of the western Mediterranean.

This classic book, extensively revised in 1979, includes the most important archaeological discoveries of that time made regarding both the pre-biblical and biblical history of Palestine. The earliest archaeological finds in Palestine reveal man's presence as early as 9000 B.C., about 6000 years before early biblical history is established. This early phase of human activity was first defined by remarkable discoveries in the Mount Carmel caves and later elucidated by the author's own excavations at Jericho. This book traces the development of man from hunter and food-gatherer to the earliest agricultural settlements that grew into towns and city states which were eventually incorporated into the Israelite Kingdom. It also discusses the post-Exilic period down to the early fourth century B.C. This book added considerable knowledge about early phases of Palestinian history, particularly due to the inclusion of Carbon-14 determinations and special study of animal and plant remains from Jericho. This is a detailed guide to twentieth-century archaeology in the Holy Land that remains fascinating, wonderfully illustrated, and a great aid in understanding life in Palestine as revealed by archaeological evidence.

At last a paperback edition of this standard work on marine archaeology. Sean McGrail's study received exceptional critical acclaim when it was first published in hardback in 1987 and it is now revised and published in paperback for the first time. Professor McGrail provides an authoritative survey of water transport across Northern Europe from the Late Palaeolithic to the later Middle Ages, using evidence of excavations, but also documentary sources, iconographic and ethnographic evidence. In the process he answers such key questions as How were these boats built? What sort of environment were they used in? What speeds could they achieve? and how were they navigated?

Vernacular Architecture in the Pre-Columbian Americas reveals the dynamism of the ancient past, where social relations and long-term history were created posthole by posthole, brick by brick. This collection shifts attention away from the elite and monumental architectural traditions of the region to instead investigate the creativity, subtlety and variability of common architecture and the people who built and dwelled in them. At the heart of this study of vernacular architecture is an emphasis on ordinary people and their built environments, and how these everyday spaces were pivotal in the making and meaning of social and cultural dynamics. Providing a deeper and more nuanced temporal perspective of common buildings in the Americas, the editors have deftly framed a study that highlights sociocultural diversity while at the same time facilitating broader comparative conversations around the theme of vernacular architecture. With diverse case studies covering a broad range of periods and regions, Vernacular Architecture in the Pre-Columbian Americas is an important addition to the growing body of scholarship on the indigenous architecture of the Americas and is a key contribution to our archaeological understandings of past built environments.

In Rosalie David's hands, the Egyptian builders of the pyramids are revealed as simple people, leading ordinary lives while they are engaged on building the great tomb for a Pharoah. This is an engrossing detective story, bringing to the general reader a fascinating picture of a special community that lived in Egypt and built one of the pyramids, some four thousand years ago.

One of a series of more than 20 volumes resulting from the World Archaeological Congress, September 1986, which brought together archaeologists and anthropologists from many parts of the world, academics from contingent disciplines, and non-academics from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. This book considers prehistoric and more recent manifestations of human hunting behaviour, with a general emphasis on communal hunting. It demonstrates that the combination of archaeological, ethnographic and ethnohistorical approaches provides a researched basis for consideration of the topic on worldwide, regional, and local scales. It includes theoretical and methodological issues, within a context of enquiry, original data presentation, and discussion. It is of interest to archaeologists, anthropologists and ethnohistorians.