Archaeology: The Science of the Human Past (3e)

The Third Edition of this recent entry into the introductory archaeology market conveys the excitement of archaeological discovery and explains how archaeologists think as they scientifically find, analyze, and interpret evidence.

Each chapter concludes with "Chapter Summary," "Key Concepts" and "Suggested Readings."

PART I. WHAT IS ARCHAEOLOGY?

1. The Science of Archaeology.

 

What Is Archaeology?

Branches of Archaeology.

Key Concepts in Archaeology.

Archaeology as Science.

The Importance of Archaeology.

 

2. Backgrounds of Archaeology.

 

The Antiquarians.

The Discovery of a Prehistory.

The Classical Civilizations.

The Emergence of Professional Archaeology.

Developing the Outline of World Prehistory.

Political Influences in the History of Archaeology.

 

3. The Development of Contemporary Archaeology.

 

Archaeology after World War II.

The Rise of Scientific Archaeology.

Expanding Theoretical Horizon

Archaeological Frontiers.

Careers in Archaeology.

PART II. OBTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT THE PAST.

4. The Archaeological Record.

 

Archaeological Sites.

Archaeological Evidence.

Site Formation and Transformation.

Preservation.

Recognizing and Recovering Evidence.

Ongoing Impacts on the Archaeological Record.

 

5. Conducting Fieldwork.

 

Finding Sites.

Conducting Archaeological Surveys

Excavating Sites.

Practical Aspects of Fieldwork.

Ethics in Archaeological Fieldwork.

 

6. Classification and Analysis of Artifacts.

 

Classification and Typology.

Classifying Types of Artifacts.

Analyzing Artifacts.

 

7. Determining Time.

 

What Is So Important About Time?

Older or Younger? Relative Dating in Archaeology.

Real Time: Chronometric Dating.

 

8. Bioarchaeology: Human Remains.

 

The Study of Human Remains: Getting to Know Past Peoples.

Preserved Bodies.

Skeletal Remains.

Analytical Approaches in Bioarchaeology.

PART III. INTERPRETING THE PAST.

9. Environment and Adaptation.

 

The Environment.

Environmental Archaeology.

Human Biological Adaptation.

Human Cultural Adaptation.

Domestication and the Agricultural Revolution.

 

10. Understanding Past Settlement and Subsistence.

 

How Did People Make a Living? Subsistence.

Where Did People Live? Past Settlement Systems.

The Interplay between Subsistence and Settlement.

 

11. Interpreting Past Cultural Systems.

 

How Can Archaeology Answer Anthropological Questions?

Interpreting Past Social Structures.

Interpreting Past Political Organization.

Interpreting Past Belief Systems.

Remembering the Individual.

 

12. Understanding Culture Change.

 

The Archaeology of Change.

Interpreting Evidence of Change.

Cultural Contact and Conflict.

PART IV. APPLIED ARCHAEOLOGY.

13. Public Archaeology.

The Impact of Population Growth and Development on Archaeology.

The Field of Cultural Resource Management.

The Role of Public Education in Archaeological Preservation.

Cultural Resource Management among Traditional Peoples.

Archaeology and Ethics.

 

14. Archaeology in the Real World.

 

Archaeology Today.

Archaeology and Politics.

Who Owns the Past?

Learning from the Past: Applying Archaeology to Contemporary Problems.

Archaeology and Computer Technology.

Archaeology, Mass Media, and Public Perception.

So What? The Significance of Archaeology.

 

Glossary.

References.

Index.

• Material throughout updated and brought current.
• New or expanded discussions relating to various aspects of archaeological theory including sections on postprocessualism, gender, archaeology of power, cognitive archaeology, and evolutionary archaeology.
• A new "Highlight" feature on pyramids.

• Covers archaeological history, theory, and method comprehensively–but at a reasonable level of detail–and in language accessible to students.

• Presents a balanced treatment of archaeological theory, its various approaches, and the interpretation of gender, ethnicity, and individuality in the archaeological record.

• Each chapter begins with a compelling story of a real archaeological adventure that expresses the main theme of the chapter. A related activity appears at the end of the chapter and invites critical analysis or application.

• Designed for flexible use. Brief enough to accompany prehistory or physical anthropology texts, while also comprehensive enough to stand alone.

• “Highlight” features in every chapter provide interesting details on sites ranging widely in time and geography. “Highlights” include “The Archaeology of Enslaved Africans in the New World,” “Easter Island's Ecological Disaster,” “Ethnoarchaeology Among the Aka of Central Africa,” “The Roman Mummies of Tell El-Hibeh,” and “Dating the Shroud of Turin.” “Highlights” conclude with critical thinking questions that relate chapter content to the story.

• Integrates examples of historical archaeology and emphasizes cultural resource management throughout the text, highlighting several examples in Part IV.