This book represents the first comprehensive attempt to bring to western scholarship the great advances made in Paleolithic archaeology and palaeoanthropology in the People's Republic of China. The 15 chapters are devoted to a historical overview of past and recent studies, the development of chronological frameworks, the composition and stratigraphy of vertebrate fauna, the pongid and hominid palaeontological records, and Pleistocene prehistoric archaeology. Maps, illustrations and tables illustrate the materials presented here.

Thought-provoking and engaging, Beyond the Walls provides new and relevant theoretical perspectives and specific case studies for archaeologists conducting research related to household archaeology. Essential for both students and professionals."-Mark D. Groover, author of The Archaeology of North American Farmsteads From ranching stations in Hawai'i to slave quarters in South Carolina, the essays in Beyond the Walls crosscut time and space to consider the interrelationships between households and the wider regional and global networks in which their residents were enmeshed, presenting new insights relating to identity, consumerism, and modernity."-Barbara J. Heath, coeditor of Jefferson's Poplar Forest: Unearthing a Virginia Plantation 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 and Southern plantations, Beyond the Walls offers a new avenue for archaeological study of domestic sites.

The idea of the Seven Wonders of the World is well-known, but how many of us could name all seven of them? And do they even exist? The authors seek to set the record straight with a portrayal of each wonder in the context in which it was built. The facts and background are brought together to establish the archaeology and location of each wonder. Materials from ancient sources and the results of modern excavations suggest why particular places and objects have been taken as the touchstone of human achievement.

First published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This volume compares two of the most famous cases of civilizational collapse, that of the Roman Empire and the Classic Maya world. First examining the concept of collapse, and how it has been utilized in the historical, archaeological and anthropological study of past complex societies, Storey and Storey draw on extensive archaeological evidence to consider the ultimate failure of the institutions, infrastructure and material culture of both of these complex cultures. Detailing the relevant economic, political, social and environmental factors behind these notable falls, Rome and the Classic Maya contends that a phenomenon of "slow collapse" has repeatedly occurred in the course of human history: complex civilizations are shown to eventually come to an end and give way to new cultures. Through their analysis of these two ancient case studies, the authors also present intriguing parallels to the modern world and offer potential lessons for the future.

The bestselling author of The King in the North turns his attention to the obscure era of British history known as 'the age of Arthur'. Somewhere in the shadow time between the departure of the Roman legions in the early fifth century and the arrival in Kent of Augustine's Christian mission at the end of the sixth, the kingdoms of Early Medieval Britain were formed. But by whom? And out of what? In The First Kingdom, Max Adams scrutinizes the narrative of this period handed down to us by later historians and chroniclers. Stripping away the more lurid claims made for a warrior-hero named Arthur, he synthesises the research carried out over the last forty years to tease out the strands of reality from the myth. He reveals how archaeology has delivered evidence of a diverse and dynamic response to Britain's new-found independence, of material and intellectual trade between the Atlantic islands and the rest of Europe, and of the environmental context of those centuries. A skilfully wrought and intellectually probing investigation of the most mysterious epoch in our history, The First Kingdom presents an image of post-Roman Britain whose resolution is high enough to show the emergence of distinct political structures in the sixth century - polities that survive long enough to be embedded in the medieval landscape, recorded in the lines of river, road and watershed, and memorialised in place names. PRAISE FOR MAX ADAMS: 'A triumph. The most gripping portrait of seventh-century Britain that I have read ... A Game of Thrones in the Dark Ages' Tom Holland in The Times on The King in the North 'Gripping, hugely enjoyable and deeply scholarly' History Today, Books of the Year, on The King in the North 'Brilliantly combines history and archaeological research ... A compelling read' The Lady on AElfred's Britain

This unique collection applies globalization concepts to the discipline of archaeology, using a wide range of global case studies from a group of international specialists. The volume spans from as early as 10,000 cal. BP to the modern era, analysing the relationship between material culture, complex connectivities between communities and groups, and cultural change. Each contributor considers globalization ideas explicitly to explore the socio-cultural connectivities of the past. In considering social practices shared between different historic groups, and also the expression of their respective identities, the papers in this volume illustrate the potential of globalization thinking to bridge the local and global in material culture analysis. The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization is the first such volume to take a world archaeology approach, on a multi-period basis, in order to bring together the scope of evidence for the significance of material culture in the processes of globalization. This work thus also provides a means to understand how material culture can be used to assess the impact of global engagement in our contemporary world. As such, it will appeal to archaeologists and historians as well as social science researchers interested in the origins of globalization.

A CHOICE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE The earliest rock art - in the Americas as elsewhere - is geometric or abstract. Until Early Rock Art in the American West, however, no book-length study has been devoted to the deep antiquity and amazing range of geometrics and the fascinating questions that arise from their ubiquity and variety. Why did they precede representational marks? What is known about their origins and functions? Why and how did humans begin to make marks, and what does this practice tell us about the early human mind? With some two hundred striking color images and discussions of chronology, dating, sites, and styles, this pioneering investigation of abstract geometrics on stone (as well as bone, ivory, and shell) explores its wide-ranging subject from the perspectives of ethology, evolutionary biology, cognitive archaeology, and the psychology of artmaking. The authors' unique approach instills a greater respect for a largely unknown and underappreciated form of paleoart, suggesting that before humans became Homo symbolicus or even Homo religiosus, they were mark-makers - Homo aestheticus.

This book is one of a series of more than 20 volumes resulting from the World Archaeological Congress, September 1986, attempting to bring together not only archaeologists and anthropologists from many parts of the world, as well as academics from contingent disciplines, but also non-academics from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. This text looks at human-animal interactions, especially some of the less well known aspects of the field. A number of studies in the book document some of the vast changes humankind has wrought upon the natural environment through the movement of various species of animals around the world. These chapters provide contributions to the understanding of contemporary ecological problems, especially the deforestation taking place to provide grazing for live-stock. The 31 contributions offer a shop-window of approaches, primarily from a biological perspective.

First published in 1986. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

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.

It has long been known that all forms of art - rock paintings, carvings and scribings, and also portable sculpture - are present at various locations throughout Africa. This book was the first inclusive survey and brings together in one volume accounts of African rock art which were previously scattered in scholarly monographs, journals and travellers' tales. The range of the coverage is geophysically comprehensive, from the Atlas Mountains to the Cape of Good Hope. The art styles are set into a firm chronological framework, and are displayed against a background of human, physical and cultural evolution. Considerable discussion is also devoted to the varied purposes which the paintings and carvings served in the communities which produced them, looking at the differing interpretations fully and fairly. A fascinating collection of illustrations, some in colour, truly reflects the variety of forms in which African rock art is manifested. Originally published 1984.

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.

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.

Originally published in 1956, this concise book brought together wisdom from V. Gordon Childe based upon 10 years of his lectures on the principles of archaeological classification, terminology and interpretive concepts. It examines meanings of technical terms and methodologies used in prehistoric archaeology, for those new to the area.

This book provides an account of the development of European culture and society during the Bronze Age, the time span between c. 2000 and 700 BC. It was a period of remarkable innovation, seen for instance in the development and growth of metallurgy as a major industry, the spread of trading contacts, the origins of urbanism and the beginnings of social stratification. The study is divided chronologically into two, the earlier and later Bronze Age, giving a clear picture of the nature of the radical changes which occurred in the period as a whole. The geographical area covered, from the Atlantic shores across Europe into the Soviet Union and from northern Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, is too vast to be taken as one unit, and has been broken down into five regions; each is discussed in terms of settlement form, burial practices, ritual and religious sites, material culture, economic and social background, and trading patterns. The book describes and develops common themes that link together the different areas and cultural groups, rather than taking the typographical approach often adopted by Bronze Age specialists, and uses the results of radiocarbon dating to establish an objective chronology for the period. The text is generously illustrated and fully documented with radiocarbon dating tables and extensive bibliography. Our understanding of Bronze Age Europe is still increasing, but no other book of this scope had been written before this, in 1979. It is a major study of its time of interest to anyone looking beyond popular accounts of the day.

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.

First published in 1936 and rewritten in 1953, this book embodies the results of the author's extensive researches and fieldwork. Part one considers types of barrows and dating, their building and the cult of the dead from Palaeolithic to Saxon times. A chapter is dedicated to maps and another to fieldwork in particular, while the final bit of the introductory material discussed barrow-digging from the time of the Romans to the twentieth century. Part two is the regional surveys, from Cornwall to Kent and northwards to the Scottish border.

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.

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.

No country is as rich in field antiquities as Ireland, and this work gives an account in simple language of the origin, purpose, date and distribution of all classes of monuments with the exception of ecclesiastical remains and medieval castles. It provides the general reader with all the information he is likely to need on such monuments as forts, megalithic tombs, crannogs and stone circles and is an exceptionally useful book for the student. Published in 1979, this fifth edition was thoroughly revised and updated to include more recently discovered sites and new interpretations. Includes map and chronological table.

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.

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.

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.