The archaeological geology of the Quaternary or the geological epoch during which humankind evolved is a scientific endeavor with much to offer in the fields of archaeology and palaeoanthropology. Earth science techniques offer diverse ways of characterizing the elements of past landscapes and archaeological facies. This book is a survey of techniques used in archaeological geology for the study of soils, sediments, rocks and minerals. The techniques presented represent those most commonly used today. They are discussed in detail and examples are provided, in many cases, to demonstrate their usefulness to archaeologists.

Inhalt

1 Introduction.- 2 Survey and Mapping the Geomorphological and Geological Context.- 3 Geophysical Techniques for Archaeology.- 4 Field Sampling Techniques for Archaeological Sediments and Soils.- 5 Analytical Techniques for Archaeological Sediments.- 6 Petrography for Archaeological Geology.- 7 Instrumental Analytical Techniques for Archaeological Geology.- 8 Statistics in Archaeological Geology.- References.