Archaeology: Print Books

with a foreward by Milanich

foreward by Milanich

foreward by Milanich

foreward by Milanich

The book is organized by region and then by country. As a "defender of sites on the brink of loss," the World Monuments Watch wants to educate readers about endangered places, and to call to action those who can make a difference in the numbered days of the 100 most imperiled ruins, buildings, monuments, or landscapes.

Bahn shows us on maps and tells us the stories of the first humans, postglacial revolutions, and the rise of civilizations (by region). The preface by Cunliffe, Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford, informs the reader that the study of mitochondrial DNA from human tissue was just starting to shed light on archaeology's understanding of migration.

This encyclopedic treatment of the field of archaeology includes timelines and a helpful index. From Acheulean Tradition to Zooarchaeology (promoted by Lewis Binford), this comprehensive source shows the changes in archaeology from "an unbridled treasure hunt" to "a sophisticated, multidisciplinary area of study...."

Thomas Jefferson did not make the list of the great archaeologists, according to Murray, but his list, starting with William Camden (1551-1623) and ending with David Clarke (1938-1976) sends us back over the course of the last three hundred years. This set could be used to order biographies/autobiographies to augment our collection.

Paul Bahn edits this pictorial account of 36 case studies that discuss world-wide sites where bones were uncovered by archaeologists. There are 250 color photographs that document the case studies, and a team of museum, scholar, and journalist experts review the studies and comment on the technologies and techniques that are allowing for the human remains to communicate with us about the past.

Binford's book has a new afterword, written in 2001, which glances back to In Pursuit of the Past's first publication in 1983. He notices that there has been an assemblage of vast amounts of literature (on early man and on early hominids, for example) during this nearly twenty-year period, but no progress! He recommends that "today's students have the potential to tackle such problems and make a real contribution to the growth of knowledge in archaeology." Excellent black and white photos and sketches accompany the chapters that discuss specific sites.

Brian Fagan's book was originally intended for the general public, but has become a course textbook. It is in his inimitable narrative style and concerns itself with discoveries of old; he has intentionally left the discussion of the latest scientific discoveries to the bibliography. Maps, black and white photographs and illustrations, and floorplans graphically support the stories of the great discoveries of archaeology.

This book came about from the planning that went into the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyages to the Americas by the National Museum of American History. Scholars of different fields aided the museum in its planning for this exhibit, including historical archaeologists like Kathleen A. Deagan from University of Florida. Dutch-Indigenous relations in the New World, the Dutch at Fort Orange, the impact of colonialism, and historical archaeologist's contributions to the understanding of early American life are examined.

Mentored by Brian Fagan, the British professor who gave the online lecture about the medieval warming period in our class on 11/8/10, Orser of the Illinois State University writes comprehensively about historical archaeology in this textbook-like monograph. For this second edition he has included "time travels" vignettes, examples of sites that have significance for the field. His Guide for Further Reading, listing general works, major journals, and specialist literature for each chapter, will be a helpful collection development tool.

Ian Hodder's book "is an attempt, from a particular perspective, to encourage debate about archaeological field method, ‘data collection,’ and archaeological reasoning in general." Post postprocessual is a term advocating for a "diversity of views." This book is clearly written, and further explains concepts in boxed-off areas, in charts and graphs, and in photos and sketches.

This is the brief history of DNA, the blueprint of life, and archaeology. Author Martin Jones, professor of Archaeological Science at Cambridge University, begins by placing himself in the story; "I was a toddler of two years old when James Watson and Francis Crick rushed into the Eagle Pub at Cambridge to celebrate their breakthrough in understanding the structure of the molecule at the heart of all life." We also read what happened when the molecules of ancient remains were tested, and what the results revealed that have changed our knowledge thus far.

Lambert's thesis is that "early humans were more than tool-makers. They were molecular transformers." The chapter organization of his book helps us non-chemists get our arms around the "matter" of archaeological and chemical analysis: stone, soil, pottery, color, glass, organics, metals, and humans ("the 'chemical' animal"). In 1997 this book was ground-breaking, and hailed as "hard to beat" by New Scientist Magazine. According to his online bio from the Division of History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society, "[h]e believes archaeological chemistry is 'an experimental science,' where scientists 'carry out the analysis of ancient materials… It is an important field because chemical analysis can provide archaeologists with information that cannot be obtained by traditional methods of archaeology.'"

Little, an archaeologist with the National Park Service Archaeology and Ethnography Program, has gathered writings from historic preservation planners to curators, and from consulting archaeologists to a former mayor, and everyone in between. They all address from their unique perspectives the benefits offered to the world beyond the research efforts, and why the public should care. Brian Fagan has written the epilogue which challenges the field of archaeology to keep its practical and responsive characteristics, otherwise he advocates "Ph.D. population control."

Wallace is in charge of third year students of English at Peterhouse, Cambridge. Her book "revolves around certain key archaeological sites which have proved particularly resonant for our culture, for good or ill," and "it addresses the question of what the excavation of these places has meant to us and just why we do or do not want to dig things up." This is an interdisciplinary work that draws from literature (poetry of Shelley and Wordsworth), religion (Bible), philosophy (Foucault), psychology (Freud), as well as from archaeology (Stukeley).

This is an archaeology ethics textbook, complete with discussion questions and further reading suggestions. Vitelli and her student Colwell-Chanthaphonh, awarded his Ph.D. in 2004, have edited a collection of essays, from journalists to field archaeologists, and from historians to anthropologists, all dealing with topics such as "Faking Biblical History," "When Artifacts Are Commodities," "Intellectual Property Issues in Archaeology?," and "Writing Unwritten History."

Historical archaeology emphasizes historically important sites, and "the time period covered by this discipline begins after 1492 for North America." Definitions are important to Orser and his contributors like Kathleen Deagan and Barbara J. Little, as they examine the twenty-year development period of the subfield or technique known as historical archaeology.

Clive Orton brings us an archaeologically oriented sampling theory discussion. He contends that "sampling is not an option but an imperative that should be embraced willingly, not reluctantly." It is a highly readable text, whereby all of the chapters are "algebra-free," except for the appendix where algebra formulas abound. The organization is as follows: "historical introduction, followed by the relevant applied theory, and finally some case studies." There are copious illustrations and tables.

Renfrew, professor of Archaeology and director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge, wants to sound the alarm about the looting that is taking place around the world. His fear is that information about the world's heritage is lost when unprovenanced items are removed from their context. The appendices contain facsimiles of primary source resources dealing with conventions, resolutions, and other legal documents. This book is part of the Duckworth Debates in Archaeology Series, again a direction for SLU collection development to go in, since this is the only title in the series that we currently hold.

Part of the Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology Series, this book by Roskams is in its fifth printing. Filled with helpful plates (photos) and figures (charts), the fourteen chapters make excavation come alive through a thorough discussion of its history, its theory, the pre-excavation strategies, the business side, site preparations, recording, descriptions, analysis, and future prospects. A Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of York, Roskams has an appreciation society you can join on facebook.

Bruce Trigger's updated work broke ground when it analyzed the international history of archaeological thinking from the medieval period to today. Trigger also posits that "the gradual accumulation of archaeological data has exercised a growing constraint on interpretation. In turn, this has increased the objectivity of archaeological research...." There is an excellent bibliographical essay (guide to archaeological literature) included, which will serve as a collection development tool, not to mention a references list.

Edited by White, Sullivan, and Marrinan, “this is a remarkable book about ten remarkable archaeologists who made significant contributions to their discipline during a time when that discipline was structured to exclude their kind (female).” The focus is on the Southeastern region of the United States, and the writing merges autobiographical and biographical content on the ten. Many suggestions are provided for further research, including comparisons with earlier works done about the women archaeologists in other regions such as the Southwest. A look at the imbalance of the archaeological record in terms of women in prehistory and history is discussed.

Chapters on Archaeological Dating