My whole adult life, I have made a study of death. Sarah Tarlow has devoted her working life to the study of death, burial practices, and the rituals of grief. She is also a widow. Shortly after her appointment as the Chair of Archaeology at the University of Leicester, her partner Mark began to suffer from a bitter, drawn-out and undiagnosed illness, leaving him unable to care for himself. Eventually, two weeks after they married, Mark waits for Sarah and their children to leave the house, and ends his own life in an extraordinary act of courage and love. Although Sarah is considered an expert in the history and archaeology of death, she will find that nothing could have prepared her for the reality of illness, care-giving and losing someone you love. A fiercely honest, intimate and unique blend of the professional and the personal, The Archaeology of Loss describes a universal experience with an unflinching and singular gaze. Told with humour, intelligence and urgency, this is an unforgettable piece of writing.

The first full-length examination of the archaeology and history of the Namib Desert. This is a story of human survival over the last one million years in the Namib Desert - one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Namib reveals the resilience and ingenuity of desert communities and provides a vivid picture of our species' response to climate change, and ancient strategies to counter ever-present risk. Dusty fragments of stone, pottery and bone tell a history of perpetual transition, of shifting and temporary states of balance. Namib digs beneath the usual evidence of archaeology to uncover a world of arcane rituals, of travelling rain-makers, of intricate social networks which maintained vital systems of negotiated access to scarce resources. Ranging from the earliest evidence of human occupation, through colonial rule and genocide, to the invasion of the desert by South African troops during the First World War, this is the first comprehensive archaeology of the Namib. Among its important contributions are the reclaiming of the indigenous perspective during the brutal colonial occupation, and establishing new material links between the imperialist project in German South West Africa during 1885-1915 and the Third Reich, and between Nazi ideology and Apartheid. Southern Africa: University of Namibia Press/Jacana

Colonized Bodies, Worlds Transformed represents a new generation of contact and colonialism studies, expanding upon a traditional focus on the health of conquered peoples toward how extraordinary biological and political transformations are incorporated into the human body, reflecting behavior, identity, and adaptation. These globally diverse case studies demonstrate that the effects of conquest reach farther than was ever thought before-to both the colonized and the colonizers. Cultural exchange occurred between both groups, transforming social identities, foodways, and social structures at points of contact and beyond. Contributors to this volume analyze skeletal remains and burial patterns from never-before-studied regions in the Americas to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, resulting in a new synthesis of historical archaeology and bioarchaeology.

Cultural heritage is a vital, multifaceted component of modern society. To better protect and promote the integrity of a culture, certain technologies have become essential tools.The Handbook of Research on Emerging Technologies for Architectural and Archaeological Heritage is an authoritative reference source for the latest scholarly research on the use of technological assistance for the preservation of architecture and archaeology in a global context. Focusing on various surveying technologies for the study, analysis, and protection of historical buildings, this book is ideally designed for professionals, researchers, upper-level students, and practitioners.

Interest in the environment has never been greater and yet most of us have little knowledge of the 4 billion years of history that formed it. This book explains the principles of geology, geography and geomorphology, and shows how a basic understanding of geological timescales, plate tectonics and landforms can help you 'read' the great outdoors. This is a highly illustrated book with a very accessible text that beautifully illuminates the landscape around us.