The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology

an impressive group of performers... excellent... an even-handed approach is one of the strengths of this handbook

Autorentext

Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology, University of Oxford

Chris Gosden, Professor of European Archaeology, University of Oxford

Rosemary A. Joyce, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley

Klappentext

The Handbook, written by 35 leading experts, provides an authoritative guide to the full range of archaeological activities past and present. It will give the reader a sense of the history of the subject and of the main theoretical debates, as well as a taste of the excitement generated by archaeological exploration.

Zusammenfassung
Archaeology is a vast subject - it is the study of human society everywhere in the world, from distant human origins 3-4 million years ago up to the present day. The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology brings together 35 authors - all specialists in their own fields - to explain what archaeology is really about. This is one of the most comprehensive treatments of the subject and of the key debates ever attempted. It is designed to open up the world of archaeology to non-specialists and to provide an essential starting point for those who want to pursue particular topics in more depth.

Inhalt

• Introduction

• 1. The Name and Nature of Archaeology

• The discipline of archaeology

• The formative century, 1860-1960

• The theoretical scene, 1960-2000

• Into the future

• Technologies

• 2. Tools of the Trade

• Measuring the passage of time, achievements and challenges in archaeological dating

• Human activity in a spatial context

• Data collection by excavation

• Mastering materials

• 3. Early Humans

• The nature of humanness

• Early hominids

• The emergence of Home sapiens sapiens

• The Neanderthals

• Peopling the world

• 4. Strategies for Survival

• Hunters and gatherers

• Early farming and domestication

• Studying diet

• 5. Complex Societies and the Formation of Early States

• Cultural complexity

• Trade and interaction

• China: state formation and urbanization

• Mesoamerica

• The central Andean region in prehistory

• 6. Some Regional Overviews

• The Mediterranean and its hinterland

• The archaeology of sub-Saharan Africa: an overview

• Pre-Islamic Central Asia

• The Circumpolar zone

• East Asia

• Australasia

• Pacific Islands

• North America

• South American archaeology

• 7. Issues and Debates

• Indigenous voices and repatriation

• Sex and gender

• Archaeological representation: the consumption and creation of the past

• Community archaeology