Books in Archaeology

Principles of Archaeological Stratigraphy

2nd Edition
June 28, 2014
Edward C. Harris
English
eBook
9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 9 5 8 5 5

This book is the only text devoted entirely to archaeological stratigraphy, a subject of fundamental importance to most studies in archaeology. The first edition appeared in 1979 as a result of the invention, by the author, of the Harris Matrix--a method for analyzing and presenting the stratigraphic sequences of archaeological sites. The method is now widely used in archaeology all over the world.The opening chapters of this edition discuss the historical development of the ideas of archaeological stratigraphy. The central chapters examine the laws and basic concepts of the subject, and the last few chapters look at methods of recording stratification, constructing stratigraphic sequences, and the analysis of stratification and artifacts.The final chapter, which is followed by a glossary of stratigraphic terms, gives an outline of a modern system for recording stratification on archaeological sites. This book is written in a simple style suitable for the student or amateur. The radical ideas set out should also give the professional archaeologist food for thought.

Cannon's Point Plantation, 1794 - 1860

1st Edition
June 28, 2014
John Solomon Otto
English
eBook
9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 9 7 7 3 6

Cannon's Point Plantation, 1794 – 1860: Living Conditions and Status Patterns in the Old South presents the results of historical archaeological investigations at Cannon's Point, an antebellum sea-island cotton plantation off the Georgia coast. This book compares investigations of archaeological remains at sites once occupied by slaves, overseers, and planters—people who differed in racial, social, and economic status. This text not only examines the material living conditions of the Old South, but also observes a substantial example of status patterning in the archaeological record. This publication is valuable to archaeologists and historians concerned with the treatment and daily lives of slaves in the Old South.

Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory

1st Edition
May 19, 2014
Michael B. Schiffer
English
eBook
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 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.

Quantifying Archaeology

1st Edition
May 19, 2014
Stephen Shennan
English
eBook
9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 9 5 9 4 7

This book introduces archaeologists to the most important quantitative methods, from the initial description of archaeological data to techniques of multivariate analysis. These are presented in the context of familiar problems in archaeological practice, an approach designed to illustrate their relevance and to overcome the fear of mathematics from which archaeologists often suffer.

Prehistory of the Nile Valley

1st Edition
May 10, 2014
Fred Wendorf + 1 more
Stuart Struever
English
eBook
9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 7 4 8 3 6

Studies in Archeology: Prehistory of the Nile Valley provides information pertinent to the prehistoric settlements along the Nile Valley. This book presents brief descriptions and the characteristics of the primary archeological taxonomic entities defined in the post-Nubia work. Organized into two parts encompassing 13 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the physiography of the Nile Valley and the Nile River, which gives fertility to the desert and attracts people to live beside its banks. This text then describes the geology of the El-Kilh area that lies on the west bank of the Nile about 15 km north of Idfu. Other chapters consider the series of lake aggradations and recessions during the Holocene in the Fayum Depression. This book discusses as well the development of the landscape at Dishna. The final chapter deals with the abundant geological and archeological data in Nubia. This book is a valuable resource for anthropologists.

Paleoethnobotany

1st Edition
October 22, 2013
Deborah M. Pearsall
English
eBook
9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 8 8 9 6 3

This book describes the approaches and techniques of paleoethnobotany--th... study of the interrelationships between human populations and the plant world through the archaeological record. Its purpose is twofold. First, it assembles in one volume the three major methods of paleoethnobotany, the analysis of macroremains, pollen analysis, and phytolith analysis, for the student or professional interested in the field. Second, it presents on paleoethnobotanist's view of the discipline: its past, present, and future, its strengths and weaknesses, and its role in modern archaeology.

Origins of Human Innovation and Creativity

1st Edition
Volume 16
July 25, 2012
Scott A. Elias
English
Hardback
9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 3 8 2 1 5
eBook
9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 3 8 2 2 2

Innovation and creativity are two of the key characteristics that distinguish cultural transmission from biological transmission. This book explores a number of questions concerning the nature and timing of the origins of human creativity. What were the driving factors in the development of new technologies? What caused the stasis in stone tool technological innovation in the Early Pleistocene? Were there specific regions and episodes of enhanced technological development, or did it occur at a steady pace where ancestral humans lived? The authors are archaeologists who address these questions, armed with data from ancient artefacts such as shell beads used as jewelry, primitive musical instruments, and sophisticated techniques required to fashion certain kinds of stone into tools. Providing ‘state of art’ discussions that step back from the usual archaeological publications that focus mainly on individual site discoveries, this book presents the full picture on how and why creativity in Middle to Late Pleistocene archeology/anthropol... evolved.

Comparative Osteology

1st Edition
August 12, 2011
Bradley Adams + 1 more
English
Spiral-bound
9 7 8 0 1 2 3 8 8 4 3 7 4
eBook
9 7 8 0 1 2 3 8 8 4 4 0 4

In the forensic context it is quite common for nonhuman bones to be confused with human remains and end up in the medical examiner or coroner system. It is also quite common for skeletal remains (both human and nonhuman) to be discovered in archaeological contexts. While the difference between human and nonhuman bones is often very striking, it can also be quite subtle. Fragmentation only compounds the problem. The ability to differentiate between human and nonhuman bones is dependent on the training of the analyst and the available reference and/or comparative material. Comparative Osteology is a photographic atlas of common North American animal bones designed for use as a laboratory and field guide by the forensic scientist or archaeologist. The intent of the guide is not to be inclusive of all animals, but rather to present some of the most common species which also have the highest likelihood of being potentially confused with human remains.

The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain

1st Edition
Volume 14
November 12, 2010
Nick Ashton + 2 more
English
Hardback
9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 3 5 9 7 9

The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain Project (AHOB) funded by the Leverhulme Trust began in 2001 and brought together researchers from a range of disciplines with the aim of investigating the record of human presence in Britain from the earliest occupation until the end of the last Ice Age, about 12,000 years ago. Study of changes in climate, landscape and biota over the last million years provides the environmental backdrop to understanding human presence and absence together with the development of new technologies. This book brings together the multidisciplinary work of the project. The chapters present the results of new fieldwork and research on old sites from museum collections using an array of new analytical techniques.

The Analysis of Burned Human Remains

1st Edition
January 29, 2008
Christopher W. Schmidt + 1 more
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 5 9 2 8 5

This unique reference provides a primary source for osteologists and the medical/legal community for the understanding of burned bone remains in forensic or archaeological contexts. It describes in detail the changes in human bone and soft tissues as a body burns at both the chemical and gross levels and provides an overview of the current procedures in burned bone study. Case studies in forensic and archaeological settings aid those interested in the analysis of burned human bodies, from death scene investigators, to biological anthropologists looking at the recent or ancient dead.

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