Although seemingly bizarre and barbaric in modern times, trial by ordeal-the subjection of the accused to undergo harsh tests such as walking over hot irons or being bound and cast into water-played an integral, and often staggeringly effective, role in justice systems for centuries.

In "Trial by Fire and Water," Robert Bartlett examines the workings of trial by ordeal from the time of its first appearance in the barbarian law codes, tracing its use by Christian societies down to its last days as a test for witchcraft in modern Europe and America. Bartlett presents a critique of recent theories about the operation and the decline of the practice, and he attempts to make sense of the ordeal as a working institution and to explain its disappearance. Finally, he considers some of the general historical problems of understanding a society in which religious beliefs were so fundamental.

Robert Bartlett is Wardlaw Professor of Medieval History at the University of St. Andrews.

Aboriginal Maritime Landscapes in South Australia reveals the maritime landscape of a coastal Aboriginal mission, Burgiyana (Point Pearce), in South Australia, based on the experiences of the Narungga community. A collaborative initiative with Narungga peoples and a cross-disciplinary approach have resulted in new understandings of the maritime history of Australia. Analysis of the long-term participation of Narungga peoples in Australia's maritime past, informed by Narungga oral histories, primary archival research and archaeological fieldwork, delivers insights into the world of Aboriginal peoples in the post-contact maritime landscape. This demonstrates that multiple interpretations of Australia's maritime past exist and provokes a reconsideration of how the relationship between maritime and Indigenous archaeology is seen. This book describes the balance ground shaped through the collaboration, collision and reconciliation of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Australia. It considers community-based practices, cohesively recording such areas of importance to Aboriginal communities as beliefs, knowledges and lived experiences through a maritime lens, highlighting the presence of Narungga and Burgiyana peoples in a heretofore Western-dominated maritime literature. Through its consideration of such themes as maritime archaeology and Aboriginal history, the book is of value to scholars in a broad range of disciplines, including archaeology, anthropology, history and Indigenous studies.

Writing Remains brings together a wide range of leading archaeologists and literary scholars to explore emerging intersections in archaeological and literary studies. Drawing upon a wide range of literary texts from the nineteenth century to the present, the book offers new approaches to understanding storytelling and narrative in archaeology, and the role of archaeological knowledge in literature and literary criticism. The book's eight chapters explore a wide array of archaeological approaches and methods, including scientific archaeology, identifying intersections with literature and literary studies which are textual, conceptual, spatial, temporal and material. Examining literary authors from Thomas Hardy and Bram Stoker to Sarah Moss and Paul Beatty, scholars from across disciplines are brought into dialogue to consider fictional narrative both as a site of new archaeological knowledge and as a source and object of archaeological investigation.

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.

This book offers an archaeological study on China's ancient capitals. Using abundant illustrations of ancient capital sites, it verifies the archaeological discoveries with documentary records. The author introduces the dynamical interpretation of each ancient capital to the interpretation of the entire development history of China's ancient capitals. The book points out that for most of the almost 2000 years from the earliest Erlitou ( )to the Ye city ( ), there was an era where ancient capitals didn't have outer enclosures due to factors such as the strong national power, the military and diplomatic advantage, the complexity of the residents, and the natural conditions. Thus an era of "the huge ancient capitals without guards" lasting for over 1000 years formed. The concept that "China's ancient capitals don't have outer enclosures" presented in the book questions the traditional view that "every settlement has walled enclosures". Combining science with theory, it offers researchers of history a clear understanding of the development process of China's ancient capitals.

"A cornucopia of our weirdest and most wonderful archaeological sites and artefacts. They make you feel proud to be a citizen of these gloriously intriguing isles." Sir Tony Robinson An Ice Age cannibal’s skull cup, a hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold, a seventeenth century witch bottle… anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota unearths more than 70 of Britain's most intriguing ancient places and artefacts and explores the mysteries behind them. Britain is full of ancient wonders: not grand like the Egyptian pyramids, but small, strange places and objects that hint at a deep and enduring relationship with the mystic. Secret Britain offers an expertly guided tour of Britain’s most fascinating mysteries: archaeological sites and artefacts that take us deep into the lives of the many different peoples who have inhabited the island over the millennia. Illustrated with beautiful photographs, the wonders include buried treasure, stone circles and geoglyphs, outdoor places of worship, caves filled with medieval carvings, and enigmatic tools to divine the future. Explore famous sites such as Stonehenge and Glastonbury, but also discover: The Lindow Man bog body, showing neatly trimmed hair and manicured fingernails despite having been killed 2,000 years ago The Uffington White Horse, a horse-shaped geoglyph maintained by an unbroken chain of people for 3,000 years A roman baby’s bronze cockerel, an underworld companion for a two-year-old who died sometime between AD 100–200 St Leonard’s Ossuary, home to 1,200 skulls and a vast stack of human bones made up of around 2,000 people who died from the 1200s to the 1500s The Wenhaston Doom painting, an extraordinary medieval depiction of the Last Judgement painted on a chancel arch Explore Britain’s secret history and discover why these places still resonate today.

What was Canaanite religion like during the Middle Bronze Age, at the time of the biblical patriarchs? This volume presents a theoretical model for identifying ritual behavior in the archaeological record, providing a test case using the rich material culture and structures that have been unearthed at the biblical city of Gerar (Tel Haror, Israel).

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, growing numbers of tourists and scholars from Europe and America, fascinated by new discoveries, visited the Near East and Egypt - attracted by the riches and mysteries of the Land of the Bible. Almost all such visitors, no matter how esoteric or academic their pursuits, had to deal with the local authorities and the native workforce for their archaeological excavations. The vast majority of these visitors had to rely on interpreters, dragomans, translators and local guides. This study, based on published and unpublished travel memoirs, guidebooks, personal papers and archaeological reports of the British and American archaeologists, deals with the socio-political status and multi-faceted role of interpreters at the time. Those bi- or multi-lingual individuals frequently took on (or were forced to take on) much more than just interpreting. They often played the role of go-betweens, servants, bodyguards, pimps, diplomats, spies, messengers, managers and overseers, and had to mediate, scheme and often improvise, whether in an official or unofficial capacity. For the most part denied due credit and recognition, these interpreters are finally here given a new voice. An engrossing story emerges of how through their many and varied actions and roles, they had a crucial part to play in the introduction to Britain and America of these mysterious past cultures and civilizations.