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Books > Humanities > Archaeology > Archaeology by period / region > General

With Thy Towers High - Stirling Castle: The Archaeology of a Castle and a Palace (Paperback): Gordon Ewart, Dennis Gallagher With Thy Towers High - Stirling Castle: The Archaeology of a Castle and a Palace (Paperback)
Gordon Ewart, Dennis Gallagher
R563 Discovery Miles 5 630 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Dominating the surrounding landscape from its volcanic outcrop, Stirling Castle is an enduring symbol of an epic past. The castle's history is inextricably bound with that of the Scottish nation. It has been touched by every drama and conflict, from the campaigns of the Wars of Independence, through the Jacobite threat, to conflicts of the twentieth century, when it served until the 1960s as home to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Almost every Scottish monarch has left a mark on the castle, which has over the centuries served as both castle and palace: a strategic stronghold and a secure residence for the Stewart monarchs and their children. Archaeological investigation began at Stirling Castle in 1921, when the Grand Battery was excavated to reveal the great kitchens, but it is only in the later twentieth century that concerted archaeological research, conservation and presentation has sought to provide a coherent picture of the development of the monument. This volume brings together the evidence from the archaeological excavations, surveys, historical research and investigations of the standing buildings which have taken place during the conservation of Stirling Castle.

Holocaust Archaeologies - Approaches and Future Directions (Hardcover, 2015 ed.): Caroline Sturdy Colls Holocaust Archaeologies - Approaches and Future Directions (Hardcover, 2015 ed.)
Caroline Sturdy Colls
R3,280 Discovery Miles 32 800 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Holocaust Archaeologies: Approaches and Future Directions aims to move archaeological research concerning the Holocaust forward through a discussion of the variety of the political, social, ethical and religious issues that surround investigations of this period and by considering how to address them. It considers the various reasons why archaeological investigations may take place and what issues will be brought to bear when fieldwork is suggested. It presents an interdisciplinary methodology in order to demonstrate how archaeology can (uniquely) contribute to the history of this period. Case examples are used throughout the book in order to contextualise prevalent themes and a variety of geographically and typologically diverse sites throughout Europe are discussed. This book challenges many of the widely held perceptions concerning the Holocaust, including the idea that it was solely an Eastern European phenomena centred on Auschwitz and the belief that other sites connected to it were largely destroyed or are well-known. The typologically , temporally and spatial diverse body of physical evidence pertaining to this period is presented and future possibilities for investigation of it are discussed. Finally, the volume concludes by discussing issues relating to the "re-presentation" of the Holocaust and the impact of this on commemoration, heritage management and education. This discussion is a timely one as we enter an age without survivors and questions are raised about how to educate future generations about these events in their absence.

Honour, Mana, and Agency in Polynesian-European Conflict (Hardcover): Annette Wilkes Honour, Mana, and Agency in Polynesian-European Conflict (Hardcover)
Annette Wilkes; Series edited by Pamela Stewart, Andrew Strathern
R4,212 Discovery Miles 42 120 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Focusing on the era of "first encounters" in Polynesia, this book provides a fresh look at some of the early contacts between indigenous people and the captains and crew of European ships. The case studies chosen enable comparison of New Zealand Maori-European transactions with similar Pacific ones. The book examines the conflict situations that arose and the reasons for physical violence, highlighting the roles of honour, mana, and agency. Drawing on a range of archival materials, sailor and missionary journals, as well as indigenous narratives, Wilkes applies an analytical method typically used for examining much more recent conflict. She compares different ways of "seeing" and "knowing" the world and reflects on the reasons for poor decision-making amongst all the social actors involved. The evidence presented in the book strongly suggests that preventing violence - promoting and negotiating peace - happens most effectively when mana and honour are acknowledged between parties.

The Origins of Open Field Agriculture (Hardcover): Trevor Rowley The Origins of Open Field Agriculture (Hardcover)
Trevor Rowley
R3,215 Discovery Miles 32 150 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Originally published in 1981, The Origins of Open Field Agriculture looks at the problems connected with open field agriculture - the origins of strip cultivation, the three-field system, the adaptation of 'Celtic' fields, and the development of ploughing techniques. The book looks at the challenges to traditional ideas on the origins of settlement and their associated economy, and casts new light on understandings of village development. The book suggests that conventional views of the nucleated village, in the midst of open field strips as a product of the Anglo-Saxon migration, is no longer tenable. The book brings together the work of distinguished archaeologists, historians, and historical geographers and opens up a new perspective on the early development of medieval agriculture.

Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2D - Catalogs for Metals and Related Remains from Ban Chiang, Ban Tong, Ban Phak Top,... Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2D - Catalogs for Metals and Related Remains from Ban Chiang, Ban Tong, Ban Phak Top, and Don Klang (Hardcover)
Joyce C. White, Elizabeth G. Hamilton
R2,181 Discovery Miles 21 810 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Scholars of ancient metallurgy gain insights from individual artifacts as well as from synthetic overviews because debates can turn on details of particular objects from particular contexts. Therefore, it is important for archaeometallurgical studies to provide comprehensive catalogs that specify the attributes of individual objects as well as contexts and the technical studies undertaken on those objects. This fourth volume in the series is devoted to presenting the metallurgical evidence from Ban Chiang, Ban Tong, Ban Phak Top, and Don Klang in northeast Thailand in the form of detailed catalogs organized by sites, periods, and artifact types. All metal artifacts, metallic by-products, and crucibles from the four-site study are included. A catalog of analyzed prills is also included. The catalogs summarize all the contextual, metric, and analytical data from metallographic, elemental, and microhardness analyses. Illustrations and photomicrographs provide visual evidence for the study collection. These kinds of detailed catalogs form the raw material of technical and archaeological interpretation, enabling comparisons with other collections as well as allowing scholars to form their own conclusions independently of the interpretations of the authors.

Archaeology of the Teufelsberg - Exploring Western Electronic Intelligence Gathering in Cold War Berlin (Hardcover): Wayne D.... Archaeology of the Teufelsberg - Exploring Western Electronic Intelligence Gathering in Cold War Berlin (Hardcover)
Wayne D. Cocroft, John Schofield
R1,585 Discovery Miles 15 850 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

For over 50 years, the white radomes of the Teufelsberg have been one of Berlin's most prominent landmarks. For half of this time the city lay over 100 miles behind an 'Iron Curtain' that divided East from West, and was surrounded by communist East Germany and the densest concentration of Warsaw Pact military forces in Europe. From the vantage point high on the Teufelsberg, British and American personnel constantly monitored the electronic emissions from the surrounding military forces, as well as high-level political intelligence. Today, the Teufelsberg stands as a contemporary and spectacular ruin, representing a significant relic of a lost cyber space of Cold War electronic emissions and espionage. Based on archaeological fieldwork and recently declassified documents, this book presents a new history of the Teufelsberg and other Western intelligence gathering sites in Berlin. At a time when intelligence gathering is once more under close scrutiny, when questions are being asked about the intelligence relationship between the United States and Russia, and amidst wider debate about the US's National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence programmes, sites like the Teufelsberg raise questions that appear both important and timely.

The Archaeology of Mesopotamia - Theories and Approaches (Paperback): Roger Matthews The Archaeology of Mesopotamia - Theories and Approaches (Paperback)
Roger Matthews
R1,237 Discovery Miles 12 370 Ships in 10 - 15 working days


Ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), was the original site of many of the major developments in human history, such as farming, the rise of urban literate societies and the first great empires of Akkad, Babylonia and Assyria.
The work of archaeologists is central to our understanding of Mesopotamia's past; this innovative volume evaluates the theories, methods, approaches and history of Mesopotamian archaeology from its origins in the nineteenth century up to the present day.
Dr Matthews places the discipline within its historical and social context, and explains how archaeologists conduct their research through excavation, survey and other methods. In four fundamental chapters, he uses illustrated case-studies to show how archaeologists have approached central themes such as
* the shift from hunting to farming
* complex societies
* empires and imperialism
* everyday life
This is the only critical guide to the theory and method of Mesopotamian archaeology. It will be both an ideal introductory work and useful as background reading on a wide range of courses.

The Emperor in the Byzantine World - Papers from the Forty-Seventh Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies (Hardcover): Shaun... The Emperor in the Byzantine World - Papers from the Forty-Seventh Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies (Hardcover)
Shaun Tougher
R4,206 Discovery Miles 42 060 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The subject of the emperor in the Byzantine world may seem likely to be a well-studied topic but there is no book devoted to the emperor in general covering the span of the Byzantine empire. Of course there are studies on individual emperors, dynasties and aspects of the imperial office/role, but there remains no equivalent to Fergus Millar's The Emperor in the Roman World (from which the proposed volume takes inspiration for its title and scope). The oddity of a lack of a general study of the Byzantine emperor is compounded by the fact that a series of books devoted to Byzantine empresses was published in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Thus it is appropriate to turn the spotlight on the emperor. Themes covered by the contributions include: questions of dynasty and imperial families; the imperial court and the emperor's men; imperial duties and the emperor as ruler; imperial literature (the emperor as subject and author); and the material emperor, including imperial images and spaces. The volume fills a need in the field and the market, and also brings new and cutting-edge approaches to the study of the Byzantine emperor. Although the volume cannot hope to be a comprehensive treatment of the emperor in the Byzantine world it aims to cover a broad chronological and thematic span and to play a vital part in setting the agenda for future work. The subject of the Byzantine emperor has also an obvious relevance for historians working on rulership in other cultures and periods.

Viking Camps - Case Studies and Comparisons (Hardcover): Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, IRENE GARCÍA LOSQUIÑO Viking Camps - Case Studies and Comparisons (Hardcover)
Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, IRENE GARCÍA LOSQUIÑO
R4,229 Discovery Miles 42 290 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book Compiles the current state of research on encampments across the Viking world and their impact on their surroundings. provides an all-encompassing analysis of their characteristics – functions, form, inner workings, and interaction with the landscape and the local population. It initiates a wider discussion on the features and functions that define them, making it possible to identify and understand new sites, also broadening the geographical scope. Sites in Ireland, England, Sweden, Frankia and Iberia are presented and explored, allowing the reader to understand the camp phenomenon from a comparative, more inclusive perspective. introduces new interdisciplinary approaches to define and identify Viking encampment sites, combining archaeology, historical documents, metal detecting, landscape analysis and toponymic research. builds the methodological foundations for future research on Viking camps, the armies inhabiting them, and their interaction with the surrounding world. contributes to a better understanding of the functioning of Viking expeditionary groups, both on campaign and during the early stages of settlement and will be of use to researchers in Viking archaeology, history and Viking Studies.

The Archaeological History of Hermitages and Eremitic Communities in Medieval Britain and Beyond - In Search of Solitude... The Archaeological History of Hermitages and Eremitic Communities in Medieval Britain and Beyond - In Search of Solitude (Hardcover)
Simon Roffey
R3,779 Discovery Miles 37 790 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Despite the existence of many hermitages and eremitic communities recorded throughout the medieval period, they have, somewhat surprisingly, received little archaeological attention. Consequently, this book offers an archaeological history of hermitages and eremitic communities, with reference to key examples and case-studies. It has a particular emphasis on the British medieval period, but it also contextualises this within a wider comparative framework. Many hermitages and eremitic communities are recorded throughout the medieval period, yet to date there has been no comprehensive archaeological study. This richly illustrated book will consequently discuss a range of hermitages and introduce the reader to their architectural forms, spaces, location and environments as well as the religious practices associated with them. It will focus primarily on the British material but will nonetheless consider this within a wider comparative framework. Overall, it will offer an archaeological history of hermitages and presents a unique window into a lost world of medieval spirituality and religious life. Key related themes will include the earliest archaeological evidence for hermits (eremitic life) in India, China and East Asia, pre- and early Christian desert hermitages, cave hermitages, eremitic communities, saints and missionary hermits, life and diet, medieval mysticism and the contemplative tradition, secular and ornamental hermitages and hermits in post-medieval and contemporary society. This book offers an illustrated archaeological history of hermitages and eremitic communities, with reference to key examples and case-studies. It will therefore appeal to both academics, students and a more general readership interested in archaeology, history, comparative religion, architecture, religion and belief, spirituality, medieval Britain, modern contemplative practice and contemporary heritage issues.

Domestic Architecture and Power - The Historical Archaeology of Colonial Ecuador (Hardcover, 2002 ed.): Prudence M. Rice Domestic Architecture and Power - The Historical Archaeology of Colonial Ecuador (Hardcover, 2002 ed.)
Prudence M. Rice; Ross W. Jamieson
R2,797 Discovery Miles 27 970 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Historical archaeology, one of the fastest growing of archaeology's sub fields in North America, has developed more slowly in Central and p- ticularly South America. Happily, this circumstance is ending as a gr- ing number of recent projects are successfully integrating textual and material culture data in studies of the events and processes of the last 500 years. This interval and this region-often called Ibero-America-have been studied for a century or more by historians with traditional perspectives and emphases focusing on colonial elites and large-scale politico-economic events. Such inclinations fit well into world-system and other core-peri- ery models that have had a major impact on historical thought since the 1970s. Over the past 20 years or so, however, world-system models have come under fire from historians, anthropologists, and others, in part because the emphasis on global trends and the growth of capitalism - nies the importance of understanding variability in local histories and circumstances. Historians have increasingly turned their attention to lo cal, rural, and domestic contexts, thereby illuminating the great diversity of responses to colonial domination that were played out in the vast arena of the Americas. It is not coincidental that this is the intellectual climate in which historical archaeology is establishing itself in Central and South America.

Beowulf and the North before the Vikings (Paperback, New edition): Tom Shippey Beowulf and the North before the Vikings (Paperback, New edition)
Tom Shippey
R597 Discovery Miles 5 970 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Beyond the Walls - New Perspectives on the Archaeology of Historical Households (Hardcover): Kevin R Fogle, James A Nyman, Mary... Beyond the Walls - New Perspectives on the Archaeology of Historical Households (Hardcover)
Kevin R Fogle, James A Nyman, Mary C. Beaudry
R1,866 Discovery Miles 18 660 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

While household archaeologists view the home as a social unit, few move their investigations ""beyond the walls"" when contextualizing a household in its community. Even exterior aspects of a dwelling-its plant life, yard spaces, and trash heaps-uncover issues of domination and resistance, gender relations, and the effects of colonialism. This innovative volume examines historical homes and their wider landscapes to more fully address social issues of the past. The contributors, leading archaeologists using various interpretive frameworks, analyze households across time periods and diverse cultures in North America. Including case studies of James Madison's Montpelier, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Chinese immigrants in a Nevada mining town, Hawaiian ranching communities, and Southern plantations, Beyond the Walls offers a new avenue for archaeological study of domestic sites.

Bears - Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Perspectives in Native Eastern North America (Hardcover): Heather A Lapham, Gregory... Bears - Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Perspectives in Native Eastern North America (Hardcover)
Heather A Lapham, Gregory A. Waselkov
R2,399 Discovery Miles 23 990 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Although scholars have long recognized the mythic status of bears in Indigenous North American societies of the past, this is the first volume to synthesize the vast amount of archaeological and historical research on the topic. Bears charts the special relationship between the American black bear and humans in eastern Native American cultures across thousands of years. These essays draw on zooarchaeological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence from nearly 300 archaeological sites from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico. Contributors explore the ways bears have been treated as something akin to another kind of human-in the words of anthropologist Irving Hallowell, "other than human persons"-in Algonquian, Cherokee, Iroquois, Meskwaki, Creek, and many other Native cultures. Case studies focus on bear imagery in Native art and artifacts; the religious and economic significance of bears and bear products such as meat, fat, oil, and pelts; bears in Native worldviews, kinship systems, and cosmologies; and the use of bears as commodities in transatlantic trade. The case studies in Bears demonstrate that bears were not only a source of food, but were also religious, economic, and political icons within Indigenous cultures. This volume convincingly portrays the black bear as one of the most socially significant species in Native eastern North America. A volume in the Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series

The Chinese Neolithic - Trajectories to Early States (Hardcover): Li Liu The Chinese Neolithic - Trajectories to Early States (Hardcover)
Li Liu
R2,925 Discovery Miles 29 250 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book studies the formation of complex societies in prehistoric China during the Neolithic and early state periods, c. 7000-1500 BC. Archaeological materials are interpreted through anthropological perspectives, using systematic analytic methods in settlement and burial patterns. Both agency and process are considered in the development of chiefdoms and in the emergence of early states in the Yellow River region. Interrelationships between factors such as mortuary practice, craft specialization, ritual activities, warfare, exchange of elite goods, climatic fluctuations, and environmental changes are emphasized. This study offers a critical evaluation of current archaeological data from Chinese sources, and argues that, although some general tendencies are noted, social changes were affected by multiple factors in no pre-determined sequence. In this most comprehensive study to date, Li Liu attempts to reconstruct developmental trajectories toward early states in Chinese civilization and discusses theoretical implications of Chinese archaeology for the understanding of social evolution.

The Archaeology of Race in the Northeast (Paperback): Christopher N. Matthews, Allison Manfra McGovern The Archaeology of Race in the Northeast (Paperback)
Christopher N. Matthews, Allison Manfra McGovern
R2,119 Discovery Miles 21 190 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Historical and archaeological records show that racism and white supremacy defined the social fabric of the northeastern states as much as they did the Deep South. This collection of essays looks at both new sites and well-known areas to explore race, resistance, and supremacy in the region. With essays covering farm communities and cities from the early seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century, the contributors examine the marginalization of minorities and use the materialculture to illustrate the significance of race in understanding daily life. Drawing on historical resources and critical race theory, they highlight the context of race at these sites, noting the different experiences of various groups, such as African American and Native American communities. This cutting-edge research turns with new focus to the dynamics of race and racism in early American life and demonstrates the coming of age of racialization studies.

Archaeology in Antarctica (Hardcover): Andr es Zarankin, Michael Pearson, Melisa A. Salerno Archaeology in Antarctica (Hardcover)
Andr es Zarankin, Michael Pearson, Melisa A. Salerno
R3,783 Discovery Miles 37 830 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The book details for the first time all past archaeological work in Antarctica, relating to both its use for conservation and research purposes, drawing on published, unpublished and oral information. This work has addressed historic and current scientific bases, explorers' huts, whaling stations and sealing shelters. The ongoing and long-term research on the sealing shelters and sites in the South Shetland Islands features prominently. The archaeology enables new perspectives on the impact of global modernity and empire in the Antarctic, and challenges established dominant discourses on the 'heroic' nature of human interaction with the continent. The work on sealing sites gives voice to the experiences of the sealer as a subaltern group previously largely overlooked by historical sources. This book will appeal to students and researchers in archaeology, history, and heritage as well as readers interested in the human and historical aspects of Antarctica's past and present.

Indo-European Fire Rituals - Cattle and Cultivation, Cremation and Cosmogony (Hardcover): Anders Kaliff, Terje Oestigaard Indo-European Fire Rituals - Cattle and Cultivation, Cremation and Cosmogony (Hardcover)
Anders Kaliff, Terje Oestigaard
R3,791 Discovery Miles 37 910 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book Explores Indo-European fire rituals and sacrifices throughout history and fire in its fundamental role in rites and religious practices. Analyzes fire rituals as the unifying structure in time and space in Indo-European cultures from the Bronze Age onwards. Asks the question how and why was fire the ultimate power in culture and cosmology? Has a broad interdisciplinary audience including archaeology, ethnography, folklore, religious and Indo-European studies.

Rethinking Cultural Resource Management in Southeast Asia - Preservation, Development, and Neglect (Hardcover, New): John N.... Rethinking Cultural Resource Management in Southeast Asia - Preservation, Development, and Neglect (Hardcover, New)
John N. Miksic, Geok Yian Goh, Sue O'Connor
R1,958 Discovery Miles 19 580 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Presenting both the need for - and difficulty of - introducing effective cultural resource management (CRM) in the region, 'Rethinking Cultural Resource Management' in Southeast Asia explores the challenges facing efforts to protect Southeast Asia's indigenous cultures and archaeological sites from the ravages of tourism and economic development. Recognising the inapplicability of Euro-American solutions to this part of the world, the essays of this volume investigate their own set of region-specific CRM strategies, and acknowledge both the necessity and possibility of mediating between the conflicting interests of short-term profitability and long-term sustainability.

The Iberian Peninsula between 300 and 850 - An Archaeological Perspective (Hardcover, 0): Martinez Jimenez, Isaac Sastre De... The Iberian Peninsula between 300 and 850 - An Archaeological Perspective (Hardcover, 0)
Martinez Jimenez, Isaac Sastre De Diego, Carlos Tejerizo
R4,510 Discovery Miles 45 100 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The vast transformation of the Roman world at the end of antiquity has been a subject of broad scholarly interest for decades, but until now no book has focused specifically on the Iberian Peninsula in the period as seen through an archaeological lens. Given the sparse documentary evidence available, archaeology holds the key to a richer understanding of the developments of the period, and this book addresses a number of issues that arise from analysis of the available material culture, including questions of the process of Christianisation and Islamisation, continuity and abandonment of Roman urban patterns and forms, the end of villas and the growth of villages, and the adaptation of the population and the elites to the changing political circumstances.

Metamorphic Imagery in Ancient Chinese Art and Religion (Hardcover): John S. Major, Elizabeth Childs-Johnson Metamorphic Imagery in Ancient Chinese Art and Religion (Hardcover)
John S. Major, Elizabeth Childs-Johnson
R3,947 Discovery Miles 39 470 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Metamorphic Imagery in Ancient Chinese Art and Religion demonstrates that the concept of metamorphism was central to ancient Chinese religious belief and practices from at least the late Neolithic period through the Warring States Period of the Zhou dynasty. Central to the authors' argument is the ubiquitous motif in early Chinese figurative art, the metamorphic power mask. While the motif underwent stylistic variation over time, its formal properties remained stable, underscoring the image's ongoing religious centrality. It symbolized the metamorphosis, through the phenomenon of death, of royal personages from living humans to deceased ancestors who required worship and sacrificial offerings. Treated with deference and respect, the royal ancestors lent support to their living descendants, ratifying, and upholding their rule; neglected, they became dangerous, even malevolent. Employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates archaeologically recovered objects with literary evidence from oracle bone and bronze inscriptions to canonical texts, all situated in the appropriate historical context, the study presents detailed analyses of form and style, and of change over time, observing the importance of relationality and the dynamic between imagery, materials and affects. This book is a significant publication in the field of early China studies, presenting an integrated conception of ancient art and religion that surpasses any other work now available.

Indo-Iranian Languages and Peoples (Hardcover): Nicholas Sims-Williams Indo-Iranian Languages and Peoples (Hardcover)
Nicholas Sims-Williams
R2,666 Discovery Miles 26 660 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The exciting recent developments in our understanding of the history of the Indo-Iranian languages and their speakers are surveyed and assessed by a group of internationally renowned linguists and archaeologists. In the last few years the materials available for the study of the older Indo-Iranian languages have increased dramatically: there have been sensational discoveries of texts in the ancient languages of north-west India and northern Afghanistan. Previously known data has been exploited in new ways using innovative techniques for compiling, manipulating and disseminating electronic text and digital images. And archaeological finds in India, Pakistan and Central Asia have given rise to new hypotheses concerning the history and pre-history of the Indo-Iranian peoples.

Buddhism and Gandhara - An Archaeology of Museum Collections (Hardcover): Himanshu Prabha Ray Buddhism and Gandhara - An Archaeology of Museum Collections (Hardcover)
Himanshu Prabha Ray
R4,635 Discovery Miles 46 350 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Gandhara is a name central to Buddhist heritage and iconography. It is the ancient name of a region in present-day Pakistan, bounded on the west by the Hindu Kush mountain range and to the north by the foothills of the Himalayas. 'Gandhara' is also the term given to this region's sculptural and architectural features between the first and sixth centuries CE. This book re-examines the archaeological material excavated in the region in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and traces the link between archaeological work, histories of museum collections and related interpretations by art historians. The essays in the volume underscore the diverse cultural traditions of Gandhara - from a variety of sources and perspectives on language, ethnicity and material culture (including classical accounts, Chinese writings, coins and Sanskrit epics) - as well as interrogate the grand narrative of Hellenism of which Gandhara has been a part. The book explores the making of collections of what came to be described as Gandhara art and reviews the Buddhist artistic tradition through notions of mobility and dynamic networks of transmission. Wide ranging and rigorous, this volume will appeal to scholars and researchers of early South Asian history, archaeology, religion (especially Buddhist studies), art history and museums.

Art, Archaeology & Science - An Interdisciplinary Approach to Chinese Archaeological and Artistic Materials (Hardcover): Meili... Art, Archaeology & Science - An Interdisciplinary Approach to Chinese Archaeological and Artistic Materials (Hardcover)
Meili Yang
R3,501 Discovery Miles 35 010 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Science has played a crucial role in the initial stages of westerners' collecting and studying ancient Chinese artworks and archaeological materials. The relevant scientific data were quickly generated using progressively sophisticated examination techniques. But the task of integrating scientific data with archaeological and art historical resources, and developing a workable interdisciplinary study method, has lagged behind scientific endeavor. Part One of this book explores the modes and functions of the scientific resources available and their integration into interdisciplinary study methods and models; pre-war researchers particularly emphasized that their studies of Chinese artistic/archaeological materials were scientific. Improvements in precision and advanced specialization of examining instruments and techniques resulted in substantively more detailed scientific data, particularly in the post-war period. This brought with it new research dimensions and increased knowledge of targeted samples, and also greater challenges to the integration of interdisciplinary study. In Part Two, Meili Yang establishes a feasible method of interdisciplinary study in terms of five case studies related to Chinese Song ceramics. Relevant data are provided and professionally explained, resulting in critical new information related to contemporary ceramic technologies. This technology information leads us to the recognition of the uniqueness of each single artwork and the artisan's individual intention and critically, recognition of the close association with contemporary society and culture at the time of manufacture. Utilizing this new method of interdisciplinary study, modern science, ancient technology, and art and society are seen to have explicit connections. The author not only broadens scholars' and readers' perspectives regarding ancient ceramic craft, but provides a rigorous methodology applicable to interdisciplinary studies across other disciplines.

Mortuary Ritual and Society in Bronze Age Cyprus (Hardcover, New): Priscilla Keswani Mortuary Ritual and Society in Bronze Age Cyprus (Hardcover, New)
Priscilla Keswani
R2,832 Discovery Miles 28 320 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Mortuary Ritual and Society in Bronze Age Cyprus is a ground-breaking investigation of burial practices and social transformations in the era when Cypriot agricultural communities moved from village to urban life and became major players in the eastern Mediterranean copper trade. Confronting the many interpretive challenges posed by tombs used for multiple interments, the author develops an innovative theoretical and methodological approach that enables her to define and elucidate the shifting spatial relationships between tombs and habitation areas, the elaboration of rituals involving secondary treatment and collective burial, and changing patterns of mortuary expenditure and symbolism throughout the Bronze Age. Keswani proposes that during the Early-Middle Bronze periods, the growing elaboration of mortuary festivities and their crucial importance in negotiating status hierarchies contributed to the intensification of Cypriot copper production and the expansion of interregional exchange relations. This helped set the stage for the rise of urban polities early in the Late Bronze Age, when the presence of hereditary elites first becomes apparent in the Cypriot archaeological record. Subsequent changes in mortuary practice suggest that the importance of collective burial rites and traditional modes of ritual display diminished over the course of the Late Bronze Age, as urban institutions multiplied and the bases of social prestige were transformed.

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