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Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory
Selections for Students from Volumes 1-4
- 1st Edition - May 19, 2014
- Editor: Michael B. Schiffer
- Language: English
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 9 0 9 - 9
Advances in Archeological Method and Theory: Selections for Students from Volumes 1 through 4 provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of archeological method and… Read more
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Request a sales quoteAdvances in Archeological Method and Theory: Selections for Students from Volumes 1 through 4 provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of archeological method and theory. This book covers a variety of topics, including cult archeology, cultural evolution, models of hunter–gatherer adaptation, and archeobotany. Organized into 13 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the general cultural significance of cult archeology, from their political and economic aspect to their symbolic meanings. This text then examines the applicability of evolutionary theory to archeology. Other chapters consider the fundamental principles of adaptation as applied to human behavior and review the state of application of adaptation approaches in archeology. This book discusses as well the research on hunter–gatherer adaptation. The final chapter describes the kinds of studies of modern material culture that archeologists are doing and their reasons for doing them. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists and anthropologists.
Contributors
Preface
1 Cult Archaeology and Unscientific Method and Theory
Cult Archaeology
Interpretation of the Phenomenon of Cult Archaeology
The Need to Deal with Cult Archaeology
Conclusions
References
2 Evolutionary Theory and Archaeology
Evolution
Cultural Evolution
Modern Evolutionary Biology
Evolution and Archaeology
Some Conclusions
The Future of Evolutionary Theory in Archaeology
Conclusions
References
3 The Archaeological Study of Adaptation: Theoretical and Methodological Issues
Introduction
Adaptation, Evolution, and Ecology
Cultural Adaptation
Components of Adaptation
Archaeological Approaches to Adaptation
Prospects
References
4 Explanatory/Predictive Models of Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation
Background
Ethnographic Studies
General Models of Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation
Models of Subsistence
Models of Settlement Location and Territoriality
Models of Population
Discussion
Conclusion
References
5 Demographic Archaeology
Demographic Archaeology
I. Demographic Methods in Archaeology
II. Demographic Models and Explanation in Archaeology
Concluding Remarks
References
6 Paleoethnobotany in American Archaeology
Theoretical Perspective
Historical Perspective
Archaeobotany
Paleoethnobotanical Interpretations
Integration of Paleoethnobotany and Archaeology
References
7 Social Interaction and Stylistic Similarity: A Reanalysis
Assumptions and Methods
Criticisms of the Assumptions
Criticisms of the Interpretations
Criticisms of the Methods
Reanalysis of the Data
Conclusions
References
8 Independent Dating in Archaeological Analysis
Introduction
Definition of Terms
The Dating Problem in Archaeology
The General Model
Application of the Model
Implications of the Model
The Future of Archaeological Dating Theory
Conclusions
References
9 Advances in Archaeological Seriation
Advances in Seriation Techniques
Advances in Seriation Theory
Seriation in Context
The Practice of Seriation
References
10 Taphonomy and Paleoecology: A Critical Review of Archaeology's Sister Disciplines
Introduction
Historical Background
Current Problems of Method and Theory in Taphonomy and Paleoecology
Practical Aspects of Vertebrate Taphonomy of Use to Archaeologists
Conclusions
References
11 A Survey of Disturbance Processes in Archaeological Site Formation
Introduction
Two General Soil-Forming Processes
Faunalturbation: Disturbance by Animals
Floralturbation: Disturbance by Plants
Cryoturbation: Disturbance by Freeze-Thaw Action
Graviturbation: Mass Wasting
Argilliturbation: Disturbance by Expanding and Contracting Clays
Aeroturbation: Disturbance by Soil Gas and by Wind
Aquaturbation: Disturbance by Artesian Action
Crystalturbation: Growth and Wasting of Crystals in Soil
Siesmiturbation: Disturbance by Earthquakes
Concluding Statements
References
12 Decision Making in Modern Surveys
Selection of a Survey Universe
Site Definition
Intensity
Sampling Strategies
Surface Collections
Site Records
Individual Variability and Measurement Error
Analytical Frontiers
References
13 Modern Material Culture Studies
An Archaeological Introduction to Modern Material Culture
The Role of Modern Material Culture Studies in Archaeology
The Social Context of Technology
Archaeology's Role in Modern Material Culture Studies
References
Index
- No. of pages: 690
- Language: English
- Edition: 1
- Published: May 19, 2014
- Imprint: Academic Press
- eBook ISBN: 9781483299099
MS
Michael B. Schiffer
Affiliations and expertise
University of Arizona, Tucson, U.S.A.Read Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory on ScienceDirect