9780130329066

This comprehensive narrative uses an international perspective throughout while outlining the basic principles, methods, and theoretical approaches of modern archaeology. It gives readers a basic grounding on the subject, the career opportunities it offers, and a look at some of the spectacular--and not so well known--discoveries that illuminate our past. The book emphasizes remote sensing techniques for archaeological survey, addresses the study of gender and ethnic diversity from the archaeological record, and assesses the importance of archaeology in the modern world. For anyone interested in a background of--and possibly a future in--archeology.

What Happened in Prehistory?
Background to Archaeology
Introducing Archaeology
A Short History of Archaeology: Sixth Century B.C. through A.D. 2000
The Beginnings of Scientific Archaeology: Sixth Century B.C. to the 1950s
Science, Ecology, and the Many-Voiced Past: From the 1950s to Today
Basic Processes and Principles
Matrix and Preservation
Doing Archaeological Research
Culture, Data, and Context
How Old Is It?
Recovering Archaeological Data
Finding and Assessing Archaeological Sites
Archaeological Excavation
Analyzing the Past: Artifacts and Technology
Classifying Artifacts
Technologies of the Ancients
Environments, Lifeways, People, and the Intangible
Ancient Environments
Subsistence and Diet
Analogy, Middle-Range Theory, and the Living Past
Settlement Archaeology
Interactions: People of the Past
Archaeology of the Intangible
Cultural Resource Management
Managing the Past and Public Archaeology
Careers and Resources
Becoming an Archaeologist
Glossary
Bibliography
Photo Credits
Index
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TO THE READER Many people think of archaeology as a romantic subject, a glamorous pastime spent with pyramids, mysterious inscriptions, and buried treasure. This stereotype originated in the nineteenth century, when both archaeologists and the ancient civilizations they uncovered became legendary. Today, more than 150 years of archaeological investigations have turned archaeology into a meticulous discipline. But the excitement is still there, in the many diverse and highly detailed reconstructions of life in the past that come from scientific inquiry. Archaeologists have reconstructed the lifeways of the earliest humans, documented some of the earliest art in the world, outlined the processes of plant domestication, and even examined the garbage produced in modern urban America. In this book we describe how archaeologists make and study such finds to illuminate the human past. In the Beginningintroduces the history and methods of archaeology and its significance today. We discuss archaeological concepts and procedures and show how archaeologists describe cultures as part of time and space to interpret the prehistoric past. One objective in this book is to provide a comprehensive summary of the field for people who have little or no experience with it. A second objective is to alert you to a major crisis facing archaeology in our time. All archaeological sites are finite records of the past; once destroyed, they can never be replaced. But treasure hunting by individuals and a huge increase in the construction of buildings, roads, dams, and the like have destroyed thousands of archaeological sites all over the world. Without access to intact sites, we cannot possibly complete a picture of the human past. The crisis of site destruction is, in its way, as important as the ecological crisis we face.In the Beginningis meant to alert you to the need for living responsibly with your cultural heritage. Archaeology has become a sophisticated "high-tech" discipline in recent years, and there are many more professional archaeologists working in the field than even a decade ago. The result has been not only a knowledge explosion but also the development of ever more sophisticated and fine-grained methods for studying the past. We cannot examine even a small fraction of these elaborate, often expensive, and invariably fascinating methods within the compass of this book. Nor do we delve deeply into the powerful statistical methods and computerized approaches that are commonplace in archaeology today. This book focuses on the basic principles of our discipline, on the fundamental tenets that are equally important whether one uses a trowel, a laser recording system, or a complicated computer graphics program in pursuit of the past. The chapters close with summaries highlighting the major themes and concepts. Whenever practicable, drawings and photographs illustrate the subjects the text describes. We use specialized terminology as little as possible and define every new term when it first appears. In addition, a Glossary at the back of the book provides definitions of the words used in the book as well as of some words you may encounter in other reading. We hope that you will pursue the topics that interest you in more advanced and specialized archaeology courses or in the many excellent books and articles listed in the Bibliography at the back of the book and in the Guide to Further Reading at the end of each chapter. We have written this book from predominantly English-language sources for two main reasons. First, our reading in the vast archaeological literature has been necessarily selective and mostly in English. Second, for most of you, English is your native tongue. Although linguistic abilities and time have thus biased this volume toward the achievements and writings of English-speaking archaeologists, archaeology is indeed a global activity, conducted with great energy and intel

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In the Beginning : An Introduction to Archaeology

In the Beginning : An Introduction to Archaeology

0130329061

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