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Books > Humanities > Archaeology > Archaeology by period / region > Prehistoric archaeology

Antiquites Celtiques et Antediluviennes - Memoire Sur L'industrie Primitive et Les Arts a Leur Origine (French,... Antiquites Celtiques et Antediluviennes - Memoire Sur L'industrie Primitive et Les Arts a Leur Origine (French, Paperback)
Jacques Boucher De Perthes
R1,330 Discovery Miles 13 300 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Amateur geologist and archaeologist, Boucher de Perthes (1788-1868) was the first to establish the existence of man in Europe in the Pleistocene period. Although his three volume work resulted from over ten years of excavations in the gravel pits of the Somme Valley, Boucher de Perthes' assertions were doubted by contemporaries. His conclusion was based on the simultaneous discovery of flint tools and human remains. These doubts appeared justified when a human jaw uncovered during one of his excavations turned out to be a hoax. De Perthes' findings later received support from the British Royal Society, sparking an explosion of scientific research on evolution. De Perthes was elected an officer of the Legion d'Honneur, and served as President of the Societe d'Emulation d'Abbeville (Competitiveness Society) for seventeen years. Volume 2 describes his further excavations in the Somme Valley. Published in Paris in 1857, it includes 26 plates.

Antiquites Celtiques et Antediluviennes - Memoire Sur L'industrie Primitive et Les Arts a Leur Origine (French,... Antiquites Celtiques et Antediluviennes - Memoire Sur L'industrie Primitive et Les Arts a Leur Origine (French, Paperback)
Jacques Boucher De Perthes
R1,498 Discovery Miles 14 980 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Amateur geologist and archaeologist, Boucher de Perthes (1788-1868) was the first to establish the existence of man in Europe in the Pleistocene period. Although his three-volume work resulted from over ten years of excavations in the gravel pits of the Somme Valley, Boucher de Perthes' assertions were doubted by contemporaries. His conclusion was based on the simultaneous discovery of flint tools and human remains. These doubts appeared justified when a human jaw uncovered during one of his excavations turned out to be a hoax. De Perthes' findings later received support from the British Royal Society, sparking an explosion of scientific research on evolution. De Perthes was elected an officer of the Legion d'Honneur, and served as President of the Societe d'Emulation d'Abbeville (Competitiveness Society) for seventeen years. Published in Paris, 1864, volume 3 includes results from further excavations, and articles by leading French and British scientists.

Trojanische Alterthumer - Bericht UEber die Ausgrabungen in Troja (German, Paperback): Heinrich Schliemann Trojanische Alterthumer - Bericht UEber die Ausgrabungen in Troja (German, Paperback)
Heinrich Schliemann
R1,010 Discovery Miles 10 100 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Heinrich Schliemann (1822 1890) was a successful businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. In this 1874 work, written in the style of a diary, Schliemann describes his excavations at Hissarlik in Turkey, which revealed the remains of not just one but several substantial, superimposed ancient settlements, the earliest of which dates back to 4500 BCE. Schliemann himself was convinced that he had located Troy, and the spectacular golden treasure which he unearthed made his discovery famous around the world. Although his excavating techniques were crude, and later work on the site has led to the conclusion that the treasure dates from a much earlier settlement than Homeric Troy, Schliemann's achievement was extraordinary and his account makes compelling reading. This book was translated into English in 1875 as Troy and Its Remains, also reissued in this series.

Ithaka, der Peloponnes und Troja - Archaologische Forschungen (German, Paperback): Heinrich Schliemann Ithaka, der Peloponnes und Troja - Archaologische Forschungen (German, Paperback)
Heinrich Schliemann
R783 Discovery Miles 7 830 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Where is Troy? For Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) the search for its exact location became a consuming passion. In 1869, when this book was first published, the existence of a real - as opposed to mythical - Troy was still disputed. The wealthy German businessman, linguist and speculator journeyed to Greece and Asia Minor in order to undertake excavations well before archaeology developed into a modern, scientific profession. This book describes his first expedition in 1868 to Corfu, Cephalonia, the Peloponnese and Ithaca. Schliemann was convinced that the mound of Hissarlik in Turkey was the site of Troy, and the golden artifacts of his 'treasury of Priam' persuaded the public of its historicity, though his destructive methods of excavation caused extensive damage to the site. Schliemann returned to Troy several times during the course of his career and published further books (also reissued in this series) about his discoveries.

La parure en callaïs du Néolithique européen (Hardcover): Guirec Querré, Serge Cassen, Emmanuelle Vigier La parure en callaïs du Néolithique européen (Hardcover)
Guirec Querré, Serge Cassen, Emmanuelle Vigier; Preface by Yves Coppens
R3,885 Discovery Miles 38 850 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

La callaïs désigne les pierres vertes dont sont faites les remarquables parures découvertes dans plusieurs sites néolithiques d’Europe occidentale. Terme utilisé au début de notre ère par Pline l’Ancien et repris par les premiers archéologues du début du XXème siècle lors des premières fouilles des grands tumulus de la région de Carnac (Morbihan), la callaïs regroupe plusieurs espèces minérales, surtout la variscite et la turquoise, tous deux des phosphates d’aluminium hydratés de couleur verte à bleue. Les perles et pendeloques en cette matière précieuse, associées à d’autres objets tels que haches en jade alpin, en fibrolite, perles en ambre ou en jais, provenant de sources parfois très éloignées, étaient déposés auprès des défunts, témoignant de leur haut rang au sein des premières sociétés agropastorales, ou « sacrifiées » sous forme de dépôts. La question de la nature et de l’origine de ces perles et pendeloques en callaïs a été maintes fois abordée durant le siècle dernier par les minéralogistes et les préhistoriens. Depuis les premières découvertes sur cette gemme, de nombreuses recherches ont été menées tant sur le terrain qu’en laboratoire afin d’élucider ce que certains avaient baptisé « les mystères de la callaïs ». Ce volume, préfacé par Yves Coppens, Professeur honoraire du Collège de France, regroupe les contributions des meilleurs spécialistes européens de la callaïs, variscite et turquoise, qui sont intervenus lors d’un colloque consacré à cette gemme ancienne qui s’est tenu en avril 2015 à Carnac. L’objectif de cet ouvrage est de divulguer le fruit des dernières recherches relatives à ces bijoux en balayant de multiples domaines : géologie de la variscite, gemmologie, exploitations néolithiques mais aussi romaines, caractérisation chimique, production des objets et leur diffusion, inventaire, datation, place de ces bijoux au sein de sociétés agropastorales qui occupaient une partie de l’Europe du 5ème au 3ème millénaire.

Figurine Makers of Prehistoric Cyprus - Settlement and Cemeteries at Souskiou (Hardcover): Edgar Peltenburg, Diane Bolger,... Figurine Makers of Prehistoric Cyprus - Settlement and Cemeteries at Souskiou (Hardcover)
Edgar Peltenburg, Diane Bolger, Lindy Crewe
R1,577 R1,419 Discovery Miles 14 190 Save R158 (10%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Chalcolithic period in Cyprus has been known since Porphyrios Dikaios' excavations at Erimi in the 1930s and through the appearance in the antiquities market of illicitly acquired anthropomorphic cruciform figures, often manufactured from picrolite, a soft blue-green stone. The excavations of the settlement and cemetery at Souskiou Laona reported on in this volume paint a very different picture of life on the island during the late 4th and early 3rd millennia BC. Burial practices at other known sites are generally single inhumations in intramural pit graves, only rarely equipped with artefacts. At Souskiou, multiple inhumations were interred in deep rock-cut tombs clustered in extra-mural cemeteries. Although the sites were also subjected to extensive looting, excavations have revealed complex multi-stage burial practices with arrangements of disarticulated and articulated burials accompanied by a rich variety of grave goods. Chief among these are a multitude of cruciform figurines and pendants. This unusual treatment of the dead, which has not been recorded elsewhere in Cyprus, shifts the focus from the individual to the communal, and provides evidence for significant changes involving kinship group links to common ancestors. Excavations at the Laona settlement have furnished evidence suggesting that it functioned as a specialised centre for the procurement and manufacture of picrolite during its early phase. The subsequent decline of picrolite production and the earliest known occurrence of new types of ornaments, such as faience beads and copper spiral pendants, attest to important changes involving the transformation of personal and social identities during the first centuries of the 3rd millennium BC, a topic that forms a central theme of this final report on the site.

Visualizing the Sacred - Cosmic Visions, Regionalism, and the Art of the Mississippian World (Paperback, New): George E... Visualizing the Sacred - Cosmic Visions, Regionalism, and the Art of the Mississippian World (Paperback, New)
George E Lankford, F. Kent Reilly, James F. Garber
R984 R912 Discovery Miles 9 120 Save R72 (7%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The prehistoric native peoples of the Mississippi River Valley and other areas of the Eastern Woodlands of the United States shared a complex set of symbols and motifs that constituted one of the greatest artistic traditions of the pre-Columbian Americas. Traditionally known as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, these artifacts of copper, shell, stone, clay, and wood were the subject of the groundbreaking 2007 book Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms: Interpretations of Mississippian Iconography, which presented a major reconstruction of the rituals, cosmology, ideology, and political structures of the Mississippian peoples. Visualizing the Sacred advances the study of Mississippian iconography by delving into the regional variations within what is now known as the Mississippian Iconographic Interaction Sphere (MIIS). Bringing archaeological, ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and iconographic perspectives to the analysis of Mississippian art, contributors from several disciplines discuss variations in symbols and motifs among major sites and regions across a wide span of time and also consider what visual symbols reveal about elite status in diverse political environments. These findings represent the first formal identification of style regions within the Mississippian Iconographic Interaction Sphere and call for a new understanding of the MIIS as a network of localized, yet interrelated religious systems that experienced both continuity and change over time.

Through the Lens of Anthropology - An Introduction to Human Evolution and Culture (Paperback, 3rd Revised edition): Robert... Through the Lens of Anthropology - An Introduction to Human Evolution and Culture (Paperback, 3rd Revised edition)
Robert Muckle, Laura Tubelle de González, Stacey L Camp
R1,727 Discovery Miles 17 270 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Through the Lens of Anthropology is a concise introduction to anthropology that uses the twin themes of food and sustainability to connect evolution, biology, archaeology, history, language, and culture. The third edition remains a highly readable text that encourages students to think about current events and issues through an anthropological lens. Beautifully illustrated with over 100 full-color images and maps, along with detailed figures and boxes, this is an anthropology book with a fresh perspective and a lively narrative that is filled with popular topics. The new edition has been updated to reflect the most recent developments in anthropology and the contributions of marginalized scholars, while the use of gender-neutral language makes for a more inclusive text. New content offers anthropological insight into contemporary issues such as COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and #MeToo. Through the Lens of Anthropology continues to be an essential text for those interested in learning more about the relevance and value of anthropology. The third edition is supplemented by a full suite of updated instructor and student resources. For more information visit www.lensofanthropology.com.

Mining and Quarrying in Neolithic Europe - A Social Perspective (Paperback): Anne Teather, Peter Topping, Jon Baczkowski Mining and Quarrying in Neolithic Europe - A Social Perspective (Paperback)
Anne Teather, Peter Topping, Jon Baczkowski
R1,159 R1,046 Discovery Miles 10 460 Save R113 (10%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The social processes involved in acquiring flint and stone in the Neolithic began to be considered over thirty years ago, promoting a more dynamic view of past extraction processes. Whether by quarrying, mining or surface retrieval, the geographic source locations of raw materials and their resultant archaeological sites have been approached from different methodological and theoretical perspectives. In recent years this has included the exploration of previously undiscovered sites, refined radiocarbon dating, comparative ethnographic analysis and novel analytical approaches to stone tool manufacture and provenancing. The aim of this volume in the Neolithic Studies Group Papers is to explore these new findings on extraction sites and their products. How did the acquisition of raw materials fit into other aspects of Neolithic life and social networks? How did these activities merge in creating material items that underpinned cosmology, status and identity? What are the geographic similarities, constraints and variables between the various raw materials, and how does the practise of stone extraction in the UK relate to wider extractive traditions in northwestern Europe? Eight papers address these questions and act as a useful overview of the current state of research on the topic.

Journal of Greek Archaeology Volume 3 2018 (Paperback): John Bintliff Journal of Greek Archaeology Volume 3 2018 (Paperback)
John Bintliff
R2,426 Discovery Miles 24 260 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

True to its initial aims, the latest volume of the Journal of Greek Archaeology runs the whole chronological range of Greek Archaeology, while including every kind of material culture. Papers include an overview of a major project investigating Palaeolithic environments, human settlement and other activities in the Ionian Islands. Neolithic industries in large stone artefacts link two papers on the human palaeobiology of populations in the Mycenaean and then Iron Age eras. Two papers on Greeks abroad enlighten us on the nature of Greek presence and impact on indigenous society (and vice versa) in Archaic and Classical Egypt and Southern France. In a totally contrasted fashion, a long article on the fate of Southern Greek cities under Rome offers a very negative but definitively researched analysis on their radical decline. Architecture makes two appearances for the periods that follow, firstly for the towns of Crete under Venetian then Ottoman rule, secondly in the form of Landscape Architecture - the physical infrastructure of rural land use in the unusual landscape of the Mani. Finally, to show that Greek Archaeology knows no boundaries when it comes to material culture, there is a piece on a 21st century fashion designer who has used ancient art to enrich his designs. Alongside these papers, there are articles challenging the accepted view of the Late Bronze 'Sea Peoples', shedding welcome light on the neglected later prehistory and protohistory of Epiros, on Greek terracotta figurines and their links to sacrificial offerings, and finally providing a long-term study of the walls of Athens over almost two-and-a-half millennia. The full complement of reviews for almost every period of the Greek Past are also full of fascinating insights and updates.

Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic Glyphs and Stamp Seals  in the British Museum (Paperback): Simon Denham Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic Glyphs and Stamp Seals in the British Museum (Paperback)
Simon Denham
R1,215 R1,093 Discovery Miles 10 930 Save R122 (10%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Stamp seals were used in a similar way to modern signet rings: a negative object used to impress a design into another material, often clay. They are common from around 7000 BC and have remained in use in parts of the world continuously until the present day. This volume focuses on the British Museum's collection of Middle Eastern Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic (~7000-5000 BC) seals used in modern-day Syria, south-east Turkey and northern Iraq. In addition to a catalogue that includes all provenanced examples of these seals in the Museum's collection, the volume presents a new interpretation of these objects by discussing the role of stamp seals in prehistoric society and considers how they were used and why they were made. Whereas previous studies have assessed stamp seals as purely administrative objects, this new publication argues that they should be interpreted in their own, Neolithic, context. The result is a completely fresh approach to Middle Eastern prehistoric studies that complements growing archaeological interest in this period.

Mediterranean Archaeologies of Insularity in the Age of Globalization (Paperback): Anna Kouremenos, Jody Michael Gordon Mediterranean Archaeologies of Insularity in the Age of Globalization (Paperback)
Anna Kouremenos, Jody Michael Gordon
R1,060 Discovery Miles 10 600 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Recently, complex interpretations of socio-cultural change in the ancient Mediterranean world have emerged that challenge earlier models. Influenced by today's hyper-connected age, scholars no longer perceive the Mediterranean as a static place where "Greco-Roman" culture was dominant, but rather see it as adynamic and connected sea where fragmentation and uncertainty, along with mobility and networking, were the norm. Hence, a current theoretical approach to studying ancient culture has been that of globalization. Certain eras of Mediterranean history (e.g., the Roman empire) known for their increased connectivity have thus been analyzed from a globalized perspective that examines rhizomal networking, cultural diversity, and multiple processes of social change. Archaeology has proven a useful discipline for investigating ancient "globalization" because of its recent focus on how identity is expressed through material culture negotiated between both local and global influences when levels of connectivity are altered. One form of identity that has been inadequately explored in relation to globalization theory is insularity. Insularity, or the socially recognized differences expressed by people living on islands, is a form of self-identification created within a particular space and time. Insularity, as a unique social identity affected by "global" forces, should be viewed as an important research paradigm for archaeologies concerned with re-examining cultural change. The purpose of this volume is to explore how comparative archaeologies of insularity can contribute to discourse on ancient Mediterranean "globalization." The volume's theme stems from a colloquium session that was chaired by the volume's co-editors at the Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in January 2017. Given the current state of the field for globalization studies in Mediterranean archaeology, this volume aims to bring together for the first time archaeologists working ondifferent islands and a range of material culture types to examine diachronically how Mediterranean insularities changed during eras when connectivity increased, such as the Late Bronze Age, the era of Greek and Phoenician colonization, the Classical period, and during the High and Late Roman imperial eras. Each chapter aims to situate a specific island or island group within the context of the globalizing forces and networks that conditioned a particular period, and utilizes archaeological material toreveal how islanders shaped their insular identities, or notions of insularity, at the nexus of local and global influences.

The Emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa and Beyond - Contributions in Honor of Jean Chavaillon (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018):... The Emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa and Beyond - Contributions in Honor of Jean Chavaillon (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
Rosalia Gallotti, Margherita Mussi
R3,191 Discovery Miles 31 910 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This edited volume presents current archaeological research and data from the major early Acheulean sites in East Africa, and addresses three main areas of focus; 1) the tempo and mode of technological changes that led to the emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa; 2) new approaches to lithic collections, including lithic technology analyses; and 3) the debated coexistence of the Developed Oldowan and the early Acheulean. The chapters are the proceedings from the workshop titled "The Emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa", held at University of Rome "La Sapienza" on September 12-13, 2013. The aim of the workshop was to bring together researchers currently working in this field in East Africa, in order to define the characteristics and the evolution of the early Acheulean. The volume was expanded with some chapters on the preceding Oldowan, on the African fauna and on paleovegetation, on the Acheulean in Asia and, eventually, on the Acheulean in Europe. The book is addressed to the scientific community, and will be of interest to researchers, graduate students, archaeologists, paleontologists, and paleoanthropologists. This volume is dedicated to the memory of Jean Chavaillon (March 25, 1925 - December 21, 2013), the leading archaeologist and Quaternary geologist who researched with unfailing enthusiasm the earliest human cultures and directed from 1965 to 1995 the French Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture.

After the Ice - A Global Human History, 20,000 - 5000 BC (Paperback, New ed): Steven Mithen After the Ice - A Global Human History, 20,000 - 5000 BC (Paperback, New ed)
Steven Mithen
R566 R472 Discovery Miles 4 720 Save R94 (17%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Twenty thousand years ago Earth was in the midst of an ice age. Then global warming arrived, leading to massive floods, the spread of forests and the retreat of the deserts. By 5,000 BC a radically different human world had appeared. In place of hunters and gatherers there were farmers; in place of transient campsites there were towns. The foundations of our modern world had been laid and nothing that came after - the industrial revolution, the atomic age, the internet - have ever matched the significance of those events. After the Ice tells the story of climate change's impact during this momentous period - one that also saw the colonisation of the Americas and mass extictions of animals throughout the world. Drawing on the latest cutting-edge research in archaeology, cognitive science, paleontology, geology and the evolutionary sciences, Steven Mithen creates an evocative, original and remarkably complete picture of minds, cultures, lives and landscapes through 15,000 years of history.

Insights into Social Inequality - A Quantitative Study of Neolithic to Early Medieval Societies in Southwest Germany... Insights into Social Inequality - A Quantitative Study of Neolithic to Early Medieval Societies in Southwest Germany (Paperback)
Ralph Grossmann
R1,562 Discovery Miles 15 620 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Social inequality is a subject of contemporary concerns. Life capabilities and the access to resources vary significantly in rich and poor countries, between elites and others. Furthermore, inequalities based on bio-anthropological and non-bio-anthropological causes are almost universal. Accordingly, inequality was also inherent in past societies and archaeologists have continually examined and interpreted social inequalities in sources such as burial grounds. This book continues such analyses with a new multi-proxy approach. It reveals social inequalities in selected past burial grounds from Southwestern Germany. The burial grounds date to the Early Neolithic (Schwetzingen), the Late Neolithic (Lauda-Königshofen), the Early Bronze Age (Singen), the Early Iron Age (Magdalenenbergle), and the Early Medieval period (Horb-Altheim). The challenge was to identify hierarchical and heterarchical differences and inequalities within the burial grounds based on a multitude of different proxies. The examination encompasses variations in the distribution of grave goods, burial pit sizes, bio-anthropological and isotope data. Furthermore, spatial analyses of burial grounds and, in particular, on the distances between the graves play an essential role in this examination. The results reveal social inequalities among and within genders and age cohorts that are differently pronounced in the respective cemeteries. Furthermore, the results of multi-proxy analyses lead to the interpretation that the sites differ concerning the respective degrees of inequality and power strategy modes. In detail, it can be observed that the Early Iron Age and the Early Bronze Age sites demonstrate a relatively high degree of inequality as compared to the other sites. More specifically, the investigation of sites from the Early Iron Age and the Late Neolithic rather reveal a network-based power strategy, whereas sites from the Early Neolithic, the Early Bronze Age and the Early Medieval period tend to show a corporate-based power strategy.

Hinterlands and Inlands - The Archaeology of West Cambridge and Roman Cambridge Revisited (Hardcover): Christopher Evans, Gavin... Hinterlands and Inlands - The Archaeology of West Cambridge and Roman Cambridge Revisited (Hardcover)
Christopher Evans, Gavin Lucas
R1,373 Discovery Miles 13 730 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Thinking Hinterlands - Spanning 25 years of fieldwork across a 3 sq. km swathe on the west side of Cambridge, this and its companion volume present the results of 15 sites, including seven cemeteries. The main focus is on the area's prehistoric 'inland' colonization (particularly its Middle Bronze Age horizon) and the dynamics of its Roman hinterland settlements. The latter involves a variety of farmsteads, a major roadside centre and a villa-estate complex, and the excavation programme represents one of the most comprehensive studies of the Roman countryside anywhere within the lands of its former empire. Appropriately, this book also includes a review of Roman Cambridge, appraising its status as a town.

Bodies of Maize, Eaters of Grain: Comparing material worlds, metaphor and the agency of art in the Preclassic Maya and... Bodies of Maize, Eaters of Grain: Comparing material worlds, metaphor and the agency of art in the Preclassic Maya and Mycenaean early civilisations (Paperback)
Marcus Jan Bajema
R1,272 Discovery Miles 12 720 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Bodies of Maize, Eaters of Grain provides a comparative study of the earliest urban civilisations of the Maya lowlands and the Greek mainland. It builds upon earlier comparative studies by Gordon Childe, Robert Adams and Bruce Trigger, extending their work into new directions. Specifically, the focus lies on the art styles of the Late Preclassic lowland Maya and Mycenaean Greece. The approach used here seeks to combine more traditional iconographic approaches with more recent models on metaphor and the social agency of things. Comparing Maya and Mycenaean art styles through the three aspects of metaphor, semiotics and praxis, their differences and similarities are made clear. The book shows art to have played a more active role in the development of the earliest urban civilisations, rather than passively reflecting economic and political trends. In that way, the social role of art provides a key to understanding the relations between the different factors in the development of the two societies, as they played out at different temporal and geographical scales. To understand this, the notion of distinct Maya and Mycenaean 'material worlds', involving both materials and ideas, is proposed, with consequences for models about the earliest urban civilisations in general.

Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel, Part I (Paperback): Ofer Bar-Yosef, Liliane Meignen Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel, Part I (Paperback)
Ofer Bar-Yosef, Liliane Meignen
R1,264 R1,137 Discovery Miles 11 370 Save R127 (10%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Levantine corridor sits at the continental crossroads of Africa and Eurasia, making it a focal point for scientific inquiry into the emergence of modern humans and their relations with Neanderthals. The recent excavations at Kebara Cave in Israel, undertaken by an international, interdisciplinary team of researchers, has provided data crucial for understanding the cognitive and behavioral differences between archaic and modern humans.

In this first of two volumes, the authors discuss site formation processes, subsistence strategies, land-use patterns, and intrasite organization. Hearths and faunal remains reveal a dynamic and changing settlement system during the late Mousterian period, when Kebara Cave served as a major encampment. The research at Kebara Cave allows archaeologists to document the variability observed in settlement, subsistence, and technological strategies of the Late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic periods in the Levant.

Bodies of Clay - On Prehistoric Humanised Pottery (Paperback): Heiner Schwarzberg, Valeska Becker Bodies of Clay - On Prehistoric Humanised Pottery (Paperback)
Heiner Schwarzberg, Valeska Becker
R1,161 R1,048 Discovery Miles 10 480 Save R113 (10%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Since the earliest use of pottery, vessels have been associated with both the general shape and specific parts of the human body. The production of human-shaped pottery might be understood as one element of the spectrum of figural art in prehistoric communities. The idea of studying anthropomorphic pottery and the return of human beings into a body made of clay, which forms the core theme of this collection of 12 papers, stems from work on anthropomorphic features of Neolithic communities between the Near East and Europe. Contributors are engaged in questions about the analysis of human features and characteristics on vessels, their occurrence, function and disposal. Beginning with the European Neolithic and moving on through the Bronze and Iron Ages, papers focus on diachronic archaeological patterns and contexts as well as on the theoretical background of this particular type of container in order to shed light on similarities and differences through the ages and to understand possibilities and limits of interpretation.

Horcott Quarry, Fairford and Arkell’s Land, Kempsford - Prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon Settlement and Burial in the Upper... Horcott Quarry, Fairford and Arkell’s Land, Kempsford - Prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon Settlement and Burial in the Upper Thames Valley in Gloucestershire (Hardcover)
Chris Hayden, Rob Early, Edward Biddulph, Paul Booth, Anne Dodd, …
R929 R875 Discovery Miles 8 750 Save R54 (6%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Excavations in advance of gravel quarrying in the Upper Thames Valley at Horcott Quarry, Fairford, and nearby Arkell’s Land, Kempsford, revealed contrasting pictures. At Horcott, on the second terrace, there was periodic activity from the early Mesolithic onwards. A major earlier Iron Age settlement contained roundhouses and at least 135 four-post structures, suggesting an exceptional focus on grain storage. An early–middle Roman farmstead incorporated a small stone-founded building, while from c AD 250–350 a large cemetery lay in an adjacent enclosure. Two further groups of burials were contemporary with a substantial Anglo-Saxon settlement including a timber hall and 33 sunken-featured buildings. By contrast, at Arkell’s Land, on the first gravel terrace, activity on a significant scale only began in the later 1st century AD. It comprised enclosures, field systems and trackways, with the most intensive settlement, as at Horcott, in the middle Roman period. The site was probably linked to an adjacent estate centre at Claydon Pike. There was no post-Roman occupation.

Celestial Geometry - Understanding the Astronomical Meanings of Ancient Sites (Paperback, New edition): Ken Taylor Celestial Geometry - Understanding the Astronomical Meanings of Ancient Sites (Paperback, New edition)
Ken Taylor
R668 R557 Discovery Miles 5 570 Save R111 (17%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Many ancient, even prehistoric, monuments and temples around the world show an amazingly sophisticated understanding of the heavens. They reflect this sacred knowledge in celestial alignments - to the eternal cycles of the sun, moon, stars and planets. The ceremonies performed at sites such as Stonehenge in England or Teotihuacan in Mexico are now lost to us. But the time-worn stones and structures remain, and archaeoastronomers (experts in ancient astronomy) have studied how their sightlines relate to astronomical phenomena such as midwinter or midsummer sunrise or the rising of the Pleiades star cluster. Within, Ken Taylor dives into the fantastical: The principles of astronomy - the seasons, the solstices and equinoxes, the rising and setting of stars, the "lunar standstills" Solar alignments - the language of light and shadow, and the life-giving shows of the sun Lunar alignments - the drama of the eclipse and the mysterious energies of the night Alignments to stars and planets - reaching out to the immensity of the cosmos In exploring such connections, in words, superb photographs and clear explanatory artworks, Celestial Geometry opens a whole universe of mystery and wonder, and a window on the inner life of ancient civilizations.

Handbook of Paleolithic Typology - Lower and Middle Paleolithic of Europe (Paperback): Andre Debenath, Harold L. Dibble Handbook of Paleolithic Typology - Lower and Middle Paleolithic of Europe (Paperback)
Andre Debenath, Harold L. Dibble
R1,574 R1,470 Discovery Miles 14 700 Save R104 (7%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This book presents the major tool types of European Lower and Middle Paleolithic. Building on the typelist of the late Francois Bordes, with many forms that have been recognized since, it presents working definitions of the types with illustrations and discussions of the variability inherent to lithic typologies. The authors combine classic typological views with current notions of lithic typological variation.This handbook represents not only an important reference source for gaining a practical understanding of how Lower and Middle Paleolithic typology is applied but of the nature of lithic variability in other kinds of assemblages as well.

Twice-crossed River - Prehistoric and Palaeoenvironmental Investigations at Barleycroft Farm/Over, Cambridgeshire (Hardcover):... Twice-crossed River - Prehistoric and Palaeoenvironmental Investigations at Barleycroft Farm/Over, Cambridgeshire (Hardcover)
Christopher Evans, Jonathan Tabor, Mark Vander Linden
R1,376 R1,254 Discovery Miles 12 540 Save R122 (9%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This is the first volume charting the CAU's on-going Barleycroft Farm/Over investigations, which now encompasses almost twenty years of fieldwork across both banks of the River Great Ouse at its junction with the Fen. Amongst the project's main directives is the status of a major river in prehistory - when a communication corridor and when a divide? Accordingly, a key component throughout has been the documentation of the lower Ouse's complex palaeoenvironmental history, and a delta-like wet landscape dotted with mid-stream islands has been mapped. This book is specifically concerned with the length of The Over Narrows, whose naming alludes to an extraordinary series of mid-channel 'river race' ridges. With their excavation generating vast artefact sets and unique palaeo-economic data, these ridges saw intense settlement sequences, ranging from Mesolithic camps, Grooved Ware, Beaker and Collared Urn pit clusters (plus field plots) to Middle Bronze fieldsystems and their attendant settlements, a massive Late Bronze Age midden complex and, finally, an Iron Age shrine. The latter involved extensive human bone or body-part deposition and bird sacrifice. Four upstanding turf barrows and two accompanying waterlogged pond barrows feature among the main excavations reported here. With more than 40 cremations (including in situ pyres), the resultant detailing of Early Bronze Age mortuary practices and the insights into the period's monument construction are ground-breaking. This is an important book, for the scale of The Narrows' excavations and palaeoenvironmental studies, its comprehensive dating programmes and, particularly, the innovative methodologies and analyses undertaken. Indeed, a commitment to experiment has lain at the project's core.

Social Dimensions of Food in the Prehistoric Balkans (Hardcover): Maria Ivanova, Bogdan Athanassov, Vanya Petrova, Desislava... Social Dimensions of Food in the Prehistoric Balkans (Hardcover)
Maria Ivanova, Bogdan Athanassov, Vanya Petrova, Desislava Takorova, Philipp W. Stockhammer
R1,493 R1,335 Discovery Miles 13 350 Save R158 (11%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Ever since the definition of the Neolithic Revolution by Vere Gordon Childe, archaeologists have been aware of the crucial importance of food for the understanding of prehistoric developments. Numerous studies have classified and described cooking ware, hearths and ovens, have studied food residues and more recently also stable isotopes in skeletal material. However, we have not yet succeeded in integrating traditional, functional perspectives on nutrition and semiotic approaches (e.g. dietary practices as an identity marker) with current research in the fields of Food Studies and Material Culture Studies. This volume brings together leading specialists in archaeobotany, economic zooarchaeology and palaeoanthropology to discuss practices of food production and consumption in their social dimensions from the Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age in the Balkans, a region with intermediary position between and the Aegean Sea on one side and Central Europe and the Eurasian steppe regions on the other side. The prehistoric inhabitants of the Balkans were repeatedly confronted with foreign knowledge and practices of food production and consumption which they integrated and thereby transformed into their life. In a series of transdisciplinary studies, the contributors shed new light on the various social dimensions of food in a synchronous as well as diachronic perspective. Contributors present a series of case studies focused on themes of social interaction, communal food preparation and consumption, the role of feasting, and the importance and management of salt production.

Cartimandua's Capital? - The late Iron Age Royal Site at Stanwick, North Yorkshire, Fieldwork and Analysis 1981-2011... Cartimandua's Capital? - The late Iron Age Royal Site at Stanwick, North Yorkshire, Fieldwork and Analysis 1981-2011 (Hardcover)
Colin Haselgrove
R1,353 R1,231 Discovery Miles 12 310 Save R122 (9%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Famous for the excavations carried out by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1951-52, the late Iron Age earthwork complex at Stanwick, North Yorks, is the largest prehistoric site in northern England. The site was probably the seat of the Brigantian queen Cartimandua, and both the structures and the finds from the site reflect this status. A recent re-evaluation of the radiocarbon dates has led to a new chronology which has rewritten our understanding of late Iron Age Britain. This volume reports not only on the excavations of the 1980s, but also synthesises other work in the environs of the site.

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