Thirteen papers form the proceedings of the First International Conference on Soils and Archaeology held in Szazhalombatta, Hungary, in 2001. The specialised and mostly technical papers comprise methodological and theoretical discussions of the contribution soil analysis can make to archaeology as well as worldwide case studies. These include prehistoric and medieval sites in western Siberia, Sardinia, South Africa, Bavaria, Hungary and the Caucasus. Other subjects include C14 dating, soft tissue decomposition, the deterioration of archaeological materials in soil and the impact of human populations on soil formation.