Archaeological science, methodology and techniques Books

Book SynopsisSession VIII-1 of UISPP 2018 in Paris ‘Mapping the Past’ brought together several contributions reflecting on the need to develop sustainable and reliable approaches to mapping our landscape heritage. The session was guided by the crucial concept termed the ‘archaeological continuum’. This concept can be defined as a proactive approach to landscape survey based on the summative evidence detected (or detectable) within the area under examination, reducing spatial and chronological gaps as far as possible through the intensive and extensive application of a wide variety of exploratory methods and analytical techniques. Research work across Europe as well as contributions presented in this session have demonstrated that it is now possible to explore the whole landscape of carefully chosen areas and study them as an archaeological continuum. Archaeological interpretations derived from this kind of approach can be expected to reveal different layers of information belonging to a variety of chronological horizons, each displaying mutual physical (stratigraphic) and conceptual relationships within that horizon. The raising of new archaeological questions and also the development of alternative conservation strategies directly stimulated by the radical ideas inherent in the concept of the ‘archaeological continuum’ are among the major outcomes of the session.Table of ContentsList of Figures ; General introductory text of the series ; Introduction to the volume ; Establishing meanings, roles and limits of ‘Archaeological Continuum’ paradigms – Stefano Campana ; Mound landscape continuum. Mapping barrows (and more) in the Białowieża Forest, Poland – Michał Szubski ; An integrated approach to the construction of cultural landscapes in Southwest Angola: The case of Huila – Daniela de Matos, Luiz Oosterbeek, Ziva Domingos, Christopher Miller, Nicholas J. Conard, Manuel Sahando Neto, Paulo Valongo, José B. Fernandes, and Maria Helena Henriques ; Geophysical explorations of the classical coastal settlement of Lechaion, Peloponnese (Greece) – Apostolos Sarris, Tuna Kalayci, Nikos Papadopoulos, Nasos Argyriou, Jamie Donati, Georgia Kakoulaki, Meropi Manataki, Manolis Papadakis, Nikos Nikas, Paul Scotton and Konstantinos Kissas ; A view from the hills. Investigating protohistoric phases in the longue durée of the Potenza Valley (Marche, Italy) – Wieke de Neef, Frank Vermeulen ; Magnetic method in the study of the influence of environmental conditions on settlement activity: case study from Fayum Oasis (Egypt) – Tomasz Herbich

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Book SynopsisBig Data and Archaeology presents the papers from two sessions of the 18th UISPP World Congress (Paris, June 2018): Session III-1 (CA): ‘Big data, databases and archaeology’, and Session III-1 (T): ‘New advances in theoretical archaeology’. The advent of Big Data is a recent and debated issue in Digital Archaeology. Historiographic context and current developments are illustrated in this volume, as well as comprehensive examples of a multidisciplinary and integrative approach to the recording, management and exploitation of excavation data and documents produced over a long period of archaeological research. In addition, specific attention is paid to neoprocessual archaeology, as a new platform aimed at renewing the theoretical framework of archaeology after thirty years of post-modernism, and to the refinement of the concept of archaeological cultures, combining processual, contextual and empirical approaches.Table of ContentsIntroduction au volume – François Djindjian, Paola Moscati ; Mégadonnées et archéologie : une introduction – François Djindjian ; How Big Is Big Data? – Paola Moscati ; Les statistiques et l’analyse spatiale des sites archéologiques sont à notre portée – Olivier Buchsenschutz ; Innovative multidisciplinary method using Machine Learning to define human behaviors and environments during the Caune de l’Arago (Tautavel, France) Middle Pleistocene occupations – Sophie Grégoire, Nicolas Boulbes, Bernard Quinio, Matthieu Boussard, Caroline Chopinaud, Anne-Marie Moigne, Agnès Testu, Vincenzo Celiberti, Cédric Fontaneil, Christian Perrenoud, Anne-Sophie Lartigot Campin, Thibaud Saos, Tony Chevalier, Véronique Pois, Henry de Lumley, Marie-Antoinette de Lumley, Antoine Harfouche, Rolande Marciniack, Philippe Carrez, Thierry Hervé ; Cagny-l’Épinette (Somme Valley, France), Thirty Years of Mixed Data: Potential and Limits – Floriane Peudon, Éric Masson, Patrick Auguste, Agnès Lamotte, Anne-Marie Moigne, Alain Tuffreau ; Towards an Archaeological Information System: the evolution of Syslat, an archaeological data management software – Réjane Roure, Hakima Manseri, Sébastien Munos, Michel Py ; L’archéologie néoprocessuelle – François Djindjian ; Transcending ‘Technocomplexes’. When French Empiricism calls for Hypothetico-deductive Method – Pascaline Gaussein

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Book SynopsisThis volume is in honor of the American scholar Rev. H. Richard Rutherford, C.S.C, Ph.D (University of Portland). It contains the papers presented at the Archaeometry Symposium in the 74th Northwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (NORM) which took place in Portland (Oregon), June 18th 2019, covering a wide range of topics. The volume includes papers about the application of different techniques in archaeology in order to comprehend some aspects during and after the excavation, for instance, physics, chemical analysis, remote sensing, LiDAR, etc. This work compiles papers about sites from different places around of the world, Spain, Canada, Thailand, Lithuania or Russia. The aim of the symposium was to facilitate communication between scholars from different places, to present current work in the field, and to stimulate future research.Table of ContentsIdentification of iron and wood through the effects of microstructures in timber-laced walls of the Celtic Iron Age of the Iberian Peninsula. Luis Berrocal-Rangel, Rosario García-Giménez, Raquel Vigil de la Villa, Carmen Gutiérrez-Sáez, Lucía Ruano & Marcos Osório ; Traction or hybrid trebuchet? The use of physical calculations to classify trebuchets. Mario Ramírez Galán, María Benítez Galán, Rafael Montalvo Laguna, Reina Inlow & Ronda S. Bard ; Blue-and-white porcelain in early South Thailand maritime trade. Angelica Kneisly, William Ayres & Maury Morgenstein ; Archaeometallography: a new look at old issues in the history of the iron industry. N. N. Terekhova & V. I. Zavyalov ; Falling from the sky. Aerial photogrammetry and LiDAR applied to the archaeology of architecture and landscape: two fortifications from the Alpujarra (Granada, Spain). Jorge Rouco Collazo, José Antonio Benavides López & José María Martín Civantos ; Early Roman Iron Age jewellery in the Northern Barbaricum: between stylistic and technological simplicity and luxury. Audronė Bliujienė, Gediminas Petrauskas, Jurga Bagdzevičienė, Sergej Suzdalev & Evaldas Babenskas ; The application and evaluation of remote sensing techniques to household archaeology on the Northwest Coast. William T. D. Wadsworth, Andrew Martindale, Colin Grier & Kisha Supernant

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Book SynopsisCrimes in the Past: Archaeological and Anthropological Evidence aims to discuss the possible examples of crimes in the archaeological past, their detection and interpretation with the help of modern scientific methods, and how interdisciplinary approaches can be conducted in further research concerning ‘crimes of the past.’ The idea to create this publication was born after organizing Session #169 Past Crimes during the 25th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA 2019) in Bern. In this book, readers will find cases of historic and prehistoric ‘crimes scenes’ known from various contexts, including the findings of (pre)historic (mass) graves and lethal violent acts related to warfare, ritual killings, or possible murder cases. In order to get to the bottom of the possible archaeological crime scenes, contemporary interdisciplinary approaches will be used, which allow us to extend the frames of classical archaeological study.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Part One: Science Applied to Past Crimes ; Wrapping the dead over the centuries ; How forensic geology can be a valuable support to investigate past crimes ; Complementary investigations can help the forensic pathologist ; Part Two: From Prehistory to Middle Ages ; ‘An arrow in your spine’ ; Evidence of injuries and killings in the post-catacomb world (22,000–18,000 cal. BC) ; Comparative analysis of multiple burials from the Late Copper Age, Hungary ; Digital trauma analysis and the mechanism of weapon related injuries ; Dismembered and ditched ; Ritual violence or acts of warfare ; ‘Los ricos tambièn lloran’

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Book SynopsisThis volume is the result of the Cambridge Annual Student Archaeology Conference (CASA), held at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research from September 13–15, 2019. CASA developed out of the Annual Student Archaeology Conference, first held in 2013, which was formed by students at Cambridge, Oxford, Durham and York. In 2017, Cambridge became the home of the conference and the name was changed accordingly. The conference was developed to give students (from undergraduate to PhD candidates) in archaeology and related fields the chance to present their research to a broad audience. The theme for the 2019 conference was New Frontiers in Archaeology and this volume presents papers from a wide range of topics such as new geographical areas of research, using museum collections and legacy data, new ways to teach archaeology and new scientific or theoretic paradigms. From hunting and gathering in the Neolithic to the return of artefacts to Turkey, the papers contained within show a great variety in both geography and chronology. Discussions revolve around access to data, the role of excavation in today’s archaeology, the role of local communities in archaeological interpretation and how we can ask new questions of old data. This volume presents 18 papers arranged in the six sessions with the two posters in their thematic sessions.Table of ContentsNew Frontiers in Archaeology – Kyra Kaercher and Monique Arntz ; Session 1: Strength in Numbers: Combining Old Datasets to Answer New Questions ; Strength in Numbers: Combining Old Datasets to Answer New Questions – Lucy Timbrell ; Hunting in the Neolithic: Zooarchaeological Meta-analysis of the Role of Wild Mammals in Eastern Europe 6500-3000 BCE – Giselle F. Rainsford-Betts ; The Relevance of Çatalhöyük Reflexive Diaries – Gustavo Sandoval ; Multiple Datasets, Multiple Meanings? A Reanalysis of Multiple Internment Burials in Early Anglo-Saxon England – Caroline Palmer ; The Reuse of Archaeological Data: Grand Challenges and New Approaches to Southern Levantine Mortuary Archaeology – Sara Mura ; Session 2: Past and Future-Lifestyle and Inequality ; Past and Future-Lifestyle and Inequality – Sabrina Ki and Helena Muñoz-Mojado ; Magdalenian Minds: Evaluating the Role of Cognition in Mobiliary Art of the Magdalenian – Molly Hardman ; Gathering Practices in Eastern-Central Sweden During the Middle and Late Mesolithic – Erik Solfeldt ; Missing Objects: New Perspectives to Tackle the Problem of Textile Activity – Patricia Rosell Garrido ; Session 3: Animal-Human Interactions: Becoming, Creating, Relating ; Animal-Human Interactions: Becoming, Creating, Relating – Izzy Wisher and Kevin Kay ; Beating the Dead Horse? Using Ethnography for Middle Palaeolithic Zooarchaeological Contexts in North-West Europe – Erica Priestley ; Hounds of Hel: How Did the Mythological Significance of Viking Age Dogs Affect their Social Position? – Jessica Cousen ; Hold Your Horses – Animals in Ancient Thrace – Stella Nikolova ; Seen but not Herd: Animals in La Tène Art in England and Wales – Rebecca L. Ellis ; Wolf vs. Dragon. What if Medieval Dragons Were Wolf-Headed Snakes from Antiquity? – Giuseppe Delia ; Session 4: Public Archaeology in the Light of Global Politics: New Challenges and Opportunities ; Public Archaeology in the Light of Global Politics: New Challenges and Opportunities – Nancy Bomentre ; Rights of Cultural Objects: Gypsy Girl Reuniting with Her Company – Elvin Akbulut Dağlıer ; Papa He’e Nalu: Two Surfboards from Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum – Joanna Tonge ; Session 5: New Frontiers in the Archaeology of Buildings ; New Frontiers in the Archaeology of Buildings – Xosé L. Hermoso-Buxán ; Desert Kites: A New Frontier in Near Eastern Archaeology – Mariam Shakhmuradyan ; Peculiar Elements of the Built Environment: The Problem of ‘Special Rural Settlements’ and Identification of Rural Social Hierarchies. Archaeological Evidence from a Medieval Village in the Western Periphery of the German Central Uplands – Roman Zabolotnîi ; The Fort-Towers in La Rioja (Central-Northern Iberia): Conservation Status and Rehabilitations – Isaac Martínez-Espinosa ; Session 6: New Frontiers in Archaeological Sciences: Trowel-Blazing at the Cutting Edge? ; Introduction: Really Cool Stuff in the Future of Archaeological Sciences – Ruairidh Macleod

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Book SynopsisThe Plague Cemetery of Alghero (Sardinia, Italy, 1582-1583) presents a bioarchaeological analysis of the individuals exhumed from the cemetery of Alghero, which is associated with the plague outbreak that ravaged the city in 1582-1583. This cemetery revealed a particular burial typology, consisting of long and narrow trenches, each containing multiple inhumations, which attests to a catastrophic event, such as an epidemic with high mortality in a short period of time. Given the rarity of human remains from epidemic contexts buried in trenches, the skeletal sample from Alghero represents valuable material. In fact, no other Italian plague cemeteries have been examined through a detailed bioarchaeological analysis, and the study thus serves as a model for future research. The author examines a series of parameters, starting from the demographic profile of the sample –181 individuals from 15 trenches – and taphonomic analysis, and then analysing stature, dental pathologies, stress indicators, degenerative joint disease, entheseal changes and other pathologies. The study is intended to illuminate a cross section of 16th century Sardinian society in a coastal city through a holistic view, which interweaves the documentary evidence for plague, funerary responses and the health status of the population. The main objective is therefore to shed light on a population which lived during a period of plague, revealing lifestyles, activity patterns and illnesses and providing a significant contribution to the bioarchaeology, palaeopathology, and archaeology of the Italian territory.Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1 Introduction ; 1.1 The Plague: historical and biological aspects ; 1.2 The history of Alghero from the origins to the plague of 1582-83 ; 1.3 The site of Lo Quarter ; 1.4 The cemetery (end of 13th-beginning of 17th centuries) ; 1.5 The collective burials of Alghero: the trenches ; 1.6 Aims of the study ; Chapter 2 Materials and methods ; 2.1 Materials ; 2.2 Biological sex estimation ; 2.3 Age at death estimation ; 2.4 Taphonomy ; 2.5 Stature estimation ; 2.6 Non-metric traits ; 2.7 Dental pathologies ; 2.8 Stress indicators ; 2.9 Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) ; 2.10 Entheseal changes ; 2.11 Pathologies ; 2.12 Statistical analysis ; Chapter 3 Results and discussion ; 3.1 Demography ; 3.2 Taphonomic analysis ; 3.3 Stature ; 3.4 Non-metric traits ; 3.5 Dental pathologies ; 3.6 Stress indicators ; 3.7 Degenerative joint disease ; 3.8 Entheseal changes ; 3.9 Pathologies ; Chapter 4 Conclusions and future perspectives ; Appendix ; 1. Methods ; 2. Age and sex of the individuals ; 3. Taphonomy ; 4. Stature data ; Chapter 5 The catalogue of the individuals of each trench ; References

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Book SynopsisInterdisciplinary Research into Iron Metallurgy along the Drava River in Croatia – The TransFER Project presents the results of the scientific project ‘Production of Iron Along the Drava River During Antiquity and Middle Ages: Creation and Transfer of Knowledge, Technology and Commodities - TransFER project (IP – 2016 - 06 - 5047)’ funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. The research presented explores the evidence for and nature of iron production in the lowland area of the central Drava River basin in Croatia during late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, from the turn of the 4th to the early 9th centuries. The wide-ranging methodology of the project features non-destructive archaeological site identification (surface survey and geophysics), archaeological excavation of sites with attested bloomery iron production and processing along with their associated dwelling and settlement structures, as well as experimental archaeology. The record of bloomery iron production and processing is explored via an interdisciplinary approach which examines the technology used as well as the natural resources (bog iron ores, wood and plant remains) exploited in the production process. The results of the research testify to the importance and longevity of iron production in the area of the Drava river valley.Table of ContentsList of Contributors Preface – Tajana Sekelj Ivančan DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-1 ; Methodological Approach to Detecting Archaeological Sites with Metallurgical Activities on the Territory of the River Drava Basin and the Possibilities of Analysing the Collected Information – Ivan Valent, Tatjana Tkalčec and Siniša Krznar DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-2 ; Results of Geophysical Investigations Related to the Excavated Remains of the Late Antique and Early Mediaeval Iron Production Sites in the Podravina Region, Croatia – Branko Mušič and Barbara Horn DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-3 ; Archaeological Record of Iron Metallurgy Along the Drava River – Tajana Sekelj Ivančan and Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-4 ; Absolute Dating of the Virje and Hlebine Sites – Katarina Botić DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-5 ; Mineralogical and Geochemical Characterization of Selected Bog Iron Ores and Archaeological Samples of Roasted Iron Ores and Iron Slags Towards Their Provenance Studies in the Podravina Region – Tomislav Brenko, Sibila Borojević Šoštarić and Stanko Ružičić DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-6 ; Prehistoric Settlement at Virje–Volarski Breg/Sušine – Marko Dizdar and Daria Ložnjak Dizdar DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-7 ; The Archaeological Remains of Settlement at Sites with Smelting Workshop Features in the Podravina Region (Croatian Drava River Basin) – Tajana Sekelj Ivančan DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-8 ; Anthracological Analysis of Samples from Four Sites with Smelting Activity Around Virje and Hlebine – Katarina Botić and Metka Culiberg DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-9 ; Plant Macro-Remains and Traces of Leaves from Virje and Hlebine – Renata Šoštarić and Tihana Vilović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-10 ; Bone Remains from Archaeological Sites in the Podravina Area with Traces of Metallurgical Activity – Snježana Kužir, Lucija Bastiančić and Nikolina Škvorc DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-11 ; Methodological Framework for Experiments Related to Bloomery Iron Production Procedures: Ore Preparation and Smelting – Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-12 ; The Spatial Database of the TransFER project – Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-13 ; Knowledge Gathering and Dissemination of the Smelting Process Experience to the Wider Community – Robert Čimin DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-14 ; Evidence of Iron Metallurgy at the Okuje Site – from Findings to Presentation in the Exhibition and More – Aleksandra Bugar DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-15 ; Scientific and Professional Activities within the TransFER Project (2017-2021) – Tajana Sekelj Ivančan and Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-16

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Book SynopsisMeasurements of bones and teeth play an important role in zooarchaeology. They are useful in distinguishing between closely related species and between their wild and domestic forms. Measurements can tell us about size and shape, and for large samples it is sometimes possible to ascertain the sex ratio of the animals from which the bones are derived. For sequences of archaeological assemblages, changes in sizes can tell us about environmental and economic changes such as the advent of domestication and livestock improvement. An Experimental Approach to Archaeomorphometrics has the following aims: to publish a set of metapodial (Artiodactyl) measurements to facilitate comparisons with other bones from archaeological sites and to help the interpretation of measurement data; and to gain a better understanding of metric data, i.e., how much dimensions of different bones and parts of bones vary, and how they reflect the condition of the animal in life. To this end the volume uses principal component analysis to interpret morphological differences between taxa.Table of ContentsAbstract ; Introduction ; Global Synthesis ; The Sri Lankan Synthesis ; Species Description ; Cervus unicolor (Artiodactyl: Cervidae) ; Sus scrofa (Artiodactyl: Suidae) ; Muntiacus muntjak (Artiodactyl: Cervidae) ; Axis axis (Artiodactyl: Cervidae) ; Axis porcinus (Artiodactyl: Cervidae) ; Moschiola meminna (Artiodactyl: Tragulidae) ; Bubalus Bubalis (Artiodactyl: Bovidae) ; Methodology of the study ; General description of terminology used ; Description of the metacarpals ; Description of the metatarsals ; Results ; Results of metacarpals ; Principal component analysis: BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Factor analysis: BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Item analysis of BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Descriptive statistics: BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Principal component analysis: BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Discriminant analysis: species versus BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Factor analysis: BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Item analysis of BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Interpretation of the Results ; Appendix 1: Primary data set of bone measurements ; Appendix 2: Bone terminology ; Appendix 3: Summary report for BP, DP, BM, BL, BS, GL, BD1, BC, BD2 ; Appendix 4: Exclusion of Sus scrofa ; References

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Book SynopsisPortus, investigaciones geoarqueológicas en el muelle este-oeste collects the scientific results of the geoarchaeological project on the east-west pier of Portus (Rome) developed within the framework of the Archaeological Projects Abroad program of the Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte of the Kingdom of Spain, and also under a collaboration agreement between the University of Huelva and the Parco Archeologico di Ostia Antica. Since 2017, without interruption until the present, various excavation and study campaigns have focused their efforts on the pier via an inter- and multidisciplinary methodology involving archaeologists, geologists, palaeobotanists and palaeontologists. Thus, excavation activities, geophysical prospecting, petrographic, archaeometric studies and architectural analysis have been developed, always with the application of new photogrammetric techniques and laser scanning, which have allowed us to obtain a significant volume of data. Its analysis and interpretation now gives the most extensive and up-to-date picture of one of the most interesting and extensive docks in Portus, with new contributions related to its chronology, with a building phase from thefourth century AD; its construction system, whose foundations have been determined; the surrounding paleoenvironment, with new data related to the silting process of the Claudio inlet; as well as the changes that occured in the transition to the Early Middle Ages, among others.

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Book SynopsisThe ERC-funded FRAGSUS Project (Fragility and sustainability in small island environments: adaptation, culture change and collapse in prehistory, 201318) led by Caroline Malone has focused on the unique Temple Culture of Neolithic Malta and its antecedents. This third volume builds on the achievements of Mortuary customs in prehistoric Malta, published by the McDonald Institute in 2009. It seeks to answer many questions posed, but left unanswered, of the more than 200,000 fragments of mainly commingled human remains from the Xaghra Brochtorff Circle on Gozo. The focus is on the interpretation of a substantial, representative subsample of the assemblage, exploring dentition, disease, diet and lifestyle, together with detailed understanding of chronology and the affinity of the ancient population associated with the Temple Culture' of prehistoric Malta. The first studies of genetic profiling of this population, as well as the results of intra-site GIS and visualization, taphonomy, health and mobility, offer important insights into this complex mortuary site and its ritual. These data and the original assemblage are conserved in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta as a resource for future study.

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Book SynopsisAn equestrian burial from the 10th century with an exceptionally elaborate horse harness was discovered at Fregerslev near Skanderborg in eastern Jutland, Denmark in 2012. This formed the starting point for the Fregerslev Research Project initiated by Museum Skanderborg in 2017. Two years later, the museum held a conference to present the preliminary results of the project. A group of researchers from neighbouring countries were invited to provide a wider international context for a discussion of the social, political, cultural and religious background of the Fregerslev burial.With 21 articles, Horse and Rider in the late Viking Age presents the outcome of the conference. Part I describes the excavation of the Fregerslev burial and its contents. The finds, particularly the harness fittings and the remains of a quiver of arrows, and the results of a wide range of scientific analyses demonstrate what a remarkable burial this once was. The excavation methods and documentation procedures, the sampling strategies, and the following conservation and preservation of the finds, give an idea of the many new approaches, which may be useful when dealing with a decomposed grave in the future. Part II and Part III present new research on 10th-century equestrian burials and their significance in contemporary society from a variety of countries across Central and Northern Europe.Trade ReviewThe book is lavishly illustrated throughout, and a perfect companion to anyone wanting to understand the Scandinavian cultures of the early medieval period, who had such a profound effect on much of western Europe. The editors and the authors are to be commended on producing such an exemplary and refreshingly factual text on an overlooked subject. * Cheiron Journal *

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Book SynopsisPlacard is a major Upper Palaeolithic site in France, known from as early as the middle of the nineteenth century. Paradoxically, owing to the antiquity of the poorly-documented early excavations, dozens of thousands of remains that were uncovered then are either unpublished to this day, or have only been the subjects of limited and often obsolete studies. This is the case in particular for the human remains, for which, until recently, the cultural attribution was moreover still under debate. Dating makes it clear they belong to various periods, yet most of them form a homogeneous group remarkable by traces of a specific treatment. Thanks to radiocarbon dating and to data from further excavations carried out some thirty years ago, this group can be dated from the Badegoulian period. Les restes humains badegouliens de la Grotte du Placard presents a detailed study of the Badegoulian human remains. On the basis of quantification and bone modification analyses, they describe and identify the treatments of the dead. Whereas the general treatment pertains to the practice of cannibalism, more specific ones, focused on the head, can be explained by the crafting of trophies. On the whole, these treatments can be interpreted in a consistent manner by one or several episodes of armed conflicts, begging the question of the possible existence of warfare during the Upper Palaeolithic. Thus, despite the antiquity of the discovery, the Badegoulian human bones from le Placard still constitute a unique assemblage that contributes greatly to our knowledge of the behaviours of hunter-gatherer populations in European prehistory.Table of ContentsAvant-propos ; INTRODUCTION ; LES VESTIGES HUMAINS ET LEUR CONTEXTE ; Le site du Placard ; Les vestiges humains ; L’ASSEMBLAGE BADEGOULIEN ; Caractéristiques générales ; Dénombrement, biologie, démographie ; Analyse quantitative ; Étude des modifications anthropiques ; Étude anatomique ; DISCUSSION ET INTERPRÉTATIONS ; Résumé des faits : acquis et incertitudes ; Interprétations antérieures et démarche interprétative ; Identification des traitements ; Interprétations des traitements ; Contexte général : discussion ; CONCLUSION ; BIBLIOGRAPHIE

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Book SynopsisEpigraphy in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Challenges in the Recording, Analysis and Dissemination of Inscriptions originates from the International Conference El patrimonio epigráfico en la era digital: Documentación, análisis y socialización (Madrid, 20–21 June 2019), organized by the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Santiago de Compostela. Taking the results of the conference as a starting point, the book presents epigraphic research using digital and computational tools, bringing together and comparing the outcomes of both well-established projects and newer ones, so as to establish a comprehensive view according to the most innovative trends in investigation. 21 contributions have been gathered together, involving 38 scholars, which address issues related to open-access databases, SfM Photogrammetry and Digital Image Modelling applied to textual restoration, EpiDoc (TEI-XML edition), and Linked Open Data. In this manner, the book offers a dialogue based on very different perspectives and previous experiences to generate common research questions, methodologies, practical solutions, and significant results. The outcome is intended more a starting point and platform for future research than as a definitive point of arrival in terms of so-called ‘digital epigraphy’.Table of ContentsForeword – Isabel Velázquez Soriano and David Espinosa Espinosa ; Part 1: Preliminary Issues ; Chapter 1: Digital Projects in Epigraphy: Research Needs, Technical Possibilities, and Funding Problems – Silvia Orlandi ; Chapter 2: The Need for an Innovative Approach to the Study of Latin Epigraphic Poetry – Concepción Fernández-Martínez ; Chapter 3: The Role Played by Epigraphy in Archaeological Divulgation – Rosario Cebrián Fernández ; Part 2: Digital Recording and Analysis Techniques in Epigraphy ; Chapter 4: Virtual Epigraphy: Virtual Museums and 3D Epigraphy – Javier Andreu Pintado and Pablo Serrano Basterra ; Chapter 5: Digital Epigraphy: New Technologies and 3D Modelling – Aroa Gutiérrez Alonso, Mercedes Farjas Abadía and Rocío Gutiérrez González ; Chapter 6: Reconstructing the Texts of Funerary Inscriptions from Augusta Emerita for the CIL II2 Mérida Project with the Aid of New Technologies – Jonathan Edmondson ; Chapter 7: Tools Integration for Understanding and Deciphering Inscriptions in the PETRAE Database – Florent Comte, Hernán González Bordas, Milagros Navarro Caballero and Nathalie Prévôt ; Chapter 8: A Sample of the Application of Digital Photogrammetry to Latin Epigraphy: The Epitaphs of the Vadinienses in 3D – David Martino García and Luis Coya Aláez ; Chapter 9: The ‘Toros de Guisando’ in the Digital Age – J. Francisco Fabián, Helena Gimeno Pascual, María del Rosario Hernando Sobrino and Hugo Pires ; Chapter 10: ‘Rough-and-Ready’: 3D Models Rescuing some Roman Inscriptions from Lusitania – Joaquín L. Gómez-Pantoja and Ignacio Triguero ; Part 3: Computational Epigraphy and Digital Dissemination ; Chapter 11: Where Can Our Inscriptions Take Us? Harnessing the Potential of Linked Open Data for Epigraphy – Charlotte Tupman ; Chapter 12: Linguistic Markup and Dialectal Variants. The Perspective of the Digital Corpus Supplementum Epigraphicum Creticum (e-SEC) – Alcorac Alonso Déniz ; Chapter 13: Digital Publication of Texts in Palaeo-European Languages and Script. The State-of-the-Art – María José Estarán Tolosa ; Chapter 14: Philology and Technology in the Hesperia and AEHTAM Databanks – Eduardo Orduña, Eugenio R. Luján and Isabel Velázquez ; Chapter 15: The Epigraphica 3.0 Project: Making Accessible and More Readable the Roman Epigraphy from Ourense Province (Galicia, Spain) – David Espinosa Espinosa, Borja Paz Rodríguez and Miguel Carrero Pazos ; Chapter 16: Roman Open Data. CEIPAC’s Amphora Epigraphy Database – José Remesal Rodríguez and Guillem Rull Fort ; Chapter 17: From CIL XV to the CEIPAC Database: Some Results of Dissemination Data – Juan Manuel Bermúdez Lorenzo ; Chapter 18: M(agistratus) H(ispaniae) R(omanae): A Database of Magistrates from Roman Iberia – Silvia Gazzoli ; Chapter 19: Doing Epigraphy with Digital Support: Tools for the Study of Lapidary Epigraphy – The Case of Roman Goldsmiths – Jordi Pérez González ; Chapter 20: Inscriptions by Christians in Late Antique Rome. Some Issues and Perspectives for the Epigraphic Database Bari (EDB) – Antonio E. Felle ; Chapter 21: EPIHUM, a Database for Renaissance Epigraphy from Portugal and Spain – Manuel Blázquez-Ochando and Manuel Ramírez-Sánchez

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Book SynopsisThe author challenges the scientific community's long held beliefs on the theory of evolution and gives evidence for extreme human antiquity.Forbidden Archeology's Impact offers readers an inside look at how mainstream science reacts with ridicule, threats and intimidation to any challenge to its deeply held beliefs.

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Book SynopsisEvery year hundreds of human skeletal remains are brought to the surface by engineering works, quarrying or planned archaeological exploration. These remains provide vital clues to unraveling man's antiquity—their position and location, relation to...

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Book SynopsisThe first edition of 3D Laser Scanning for Heritage was published in 2007 and originated from the Heritage3D project that in 2006 considered the development of professional guidance for laser scanning in archaeology and architecture. Publication of the second edition in 2011 continued the aims of the original document in providing updated guidance on the use of three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning across the heritage sector. By reflecting on the technological advances made since 2011, such as the speed, resolution, mobility and portability of modern laser scanning systems and their integration with other sensor solutions, the guidance presented in this third edition should assist archaeologists, conservators and other cultural heritage professionals unfamiliar with the approach in making the best possible use of this now highly developed technique. Table of Contents• Introduction • Laser scanning technology • Laser scanning procedures • Specifying and commissioning a survey • Case studies • References • Glossary • Where to get advice • Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisThis book explains the value of the study of pottery for the archaeologist. It shows how evidence about the production, trade and use of pottery can be obtained from a wide range of techniques, and gives practical advice about the initial study and archiving of excavated pottery. It is illuminated by case studies and backed up by an extensive bibliography.Trade Review'… its aspiration [is] to enthuse and inspire … Remarkably, and despite the great breadth of its content, it does both of these things and should entice hordes into the pot shed and keep them effectively employed there. This is how textbooks should be written.' Antiquity'… the organization of a volume of this scope is a daunting task. Readers can pick and mix relevant chapters. Allowing such flexibility in use without losing consistency is probably Pottery in Archaeology's biggest feat. In its second edition, [it] is still one of the most accessible and authoritative pottery manuals [and] will be of interest to any scholar of the Roman period who finds herself faced with a table of potsherds or … [trying] to get to grips with the value of pottery evidence.' Astrid Van Oyen, The Journal of Roman StudiesTable of ContentsPart I. History and Potential: 1. History of pottery studies; 2. The potential of pottery as archaeological evidence; Part II. Practicalities: A Guide to Pottery Processing and Recording: 3. Integration with research designs; 4. Life in the pot shed; 5. Fabric analysis; 6. Classification of form and decoration; 7. Illustration; 8. Pottery archives; 9. Publication; Part III. Themes in Ceramic Studies: 10. Making pottery; 11. Archaeology by experiment; 12. Craft specialisation and standardisation of production; 13. Pottery fabrics; 14. Form; 15. Quantification; 16. Chronology; 17. Production and distribution; 18. Pottery and function; 19. Assemblages and sites; Conclusion: the future of pottery studies.

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Book SynopsisThe scale of processing associated with the dyeing industry in Pompeii is a controversial subject. To determine the scale of manufacturing would allow an understanding of the operation of Pompeii’s economy and its part in the Roman World. Previous studies have taken a theoretical approach, and no conclusive answer has been reached. Conversely, Investigations into the Dyeing Industry in Pompeii uses a new multi-disciplinary triangulated approach. A replica was constructed to gauge the operating parameters of a dyeing apparatus within the framework of the principles of experimental archaeology. The remains were re-examined in situ with the new operational and ergonomics understanding. The replica was amended to allow exploration of design features and ventilation. The throughput of the apparatus was placed within the context of the industry with modern manufacturing systems theory. Computer simulation was used to explore the long-term mechanical effects of the dyeing process on the materials used in the construction of the original apparatus and to determine if ‘ratcheting’ failure was due to creep. These combined methods have given an understanding of the significance of the industry that is grounded in engineering and archaeological principles but within the context of Pompeii.Table of ContentsPreface ; Timeline of previous work relevant to this study ; Chapter Zero: Preface to the published thesis ; An investigation of the parameters that would influence the scale of the dyeing industry in Pompeii: an application of experimental archaeology and computer simulation techniques to investigate the scale of manufacture of the dyeing industry and the factors that influence output ; Chapter One: Introduction to the dyeing industry of Pompeii ; Chapter Two: Literature Review ; Chapter Three: Experimental Replica ; Chapter Four: Review of Remains in situ ; Full Gazetteer of Dyeing Apparatus in Pompeii ; Chapter Five Application of Ergonomics to Apparatus and Skeletal data ; Chapter Six: Flued Experimental replica ; Chapter Seven: The Finite Element model ; Chapter Eight: Discussion ; Glossary ; References ; Appendices ; Appendix One: Coding Pompeii: The layout of the city and address description ; Appendix Two: Understanding the economic influence of the dyeing industry in Pompeii through the application of experimental archaeology and thermodynamics ; Appendix Three ; Appendix Four: Assembling lead data for model ; Appendix Five: Abaqus input decks ; Online Content

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Book SynopsisHumans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four, legs. From an evolutionary perspective, this is an illogical development, as it slows us down. But here we are, suggesting there must have been something tremendous to gain from bipedalism.First Steps takes our ordinary, everyday walking experience and reveals how unusual and extraordinary it truly is. The seven-million-year-long journey through the origins of upright walking shows how it was in fact a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us humanfrom our technological skills and sociality to our thirst for exploration.DeSilva uses early human evolution to explain the instinct that propels a crawling infant to toddle onto two feet, differences between how men and women tend to walk, physical costs of upright walking, including hernias, varicose veins and backache, and the challenges of childbirth imposed by a bipedal pelvis. And he theorises that upright walking may have laid the foundation for the traits of comTrade Review‘A book that strides confidently across complex terrain, laying out what we know about how walking works, who started doing it and when … DeSilva is a genial companion on this stroll through the deep origins of walking … Illuminating’ New York Times ‘This is breezy popular science at its best, interweaving anecdotes from the field and lab with scientific findings and the occasional pop culture reference … compelling’ Science News ‘Before our ancestors thought symbolically, before they used fire, before they made stone tools, or even entered the open savanna, our ancestors walked upright. In one way or another, this odd locomotory style has underwritten the whole spectrum of our vaunted human uniquenesses, from our manual dexterity to our hairless bodies, and our large brains. In the modern world it even influences the way other people recognise us at a distance, and it is crucial to our individual viability. In this authoritative but charmingly discursive and accessible book, Jeremy DeSilva lucidly explains how and why.’ Ian Tattersall, author of Masters of the Planet and The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack ‘Master anatomist and paleontologist Jeremy DeSilva makes no bones about the fact that when looking at fossils “I let myself be emotional …” Thus does this world expert and gifted story teller take us on a tour through the sprawling, complicated, saga of human origins. Drawing on his personal knowledge of topics ranging from sports medicine to childcare and his acquaintance with a host of colourful characters –whether lying inert in museum drawer, sitting behind microscopes or feuding with one other – DeSilva adds flesh and projects feelings onto the bones he studies, a tour de force of empathic understanding.’ Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of Mother Nature and Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisIn this book Dr Wallace makes a fundamental contribution to the study of urbanism in the Roman provinces. She attempts for the first time to present a detailed archaeological account of the first decade of one of the best-excavated cities in the Roman Empire. Delving into the artefact and structural reports from all excavations of pre-Boudican levels in London, she brings together vast quantities of data which are discussed and illustrated according to a novel methodology that address both the difficulties and complexity of ''grey literature'' and urban excavation.Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The first features; 3. The early town; 4. The town c. AD 60/61; 5. People, activities, and meaning; 6. Characterising early Londinium.

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Book SynopsisOur history and interaction with the environment are recorded in our teeth in the annual growth layers of cementum, a unique tissue anchoring teeth in bone. This book presents the latest advances in this method and explains how to use it in various anthropological contexts, from ancient fossils to forensic cases.Table of ContentsPart 1. The Biology of Cementum; Introduction: Cementochronology in chronobiology; 1. A brief history of cemental annuli research, with emphasis upon Anthropological applications; 2. Development and structure of cementum; 3. Insights into Cementogenesis from human disease and genetically engineered mouse models; 4. A comparative genetic analysis of acellular cementum; 5. Pattern of human cementum deposition with a special emphasis on hypercementosis; 6. Recent advances on acellular cementum increments composition using synchrotron x-radiation; 7. Incremental elemental distribution in chimpanzee cellular cementum: insights from synchrotron x-ray fluorescence and implications for life history inferences; 8. Identifying life-history events in dental cementum, a literature review; Part II. Protocols; 9. Cementochronology for archaeologists. Experiments and testing for an optimized thin section preparation protocol; 10. Optimizing preparation protocols and microscopy for Cementochronology; 11. Cementochronology protocol for selecting a region of interest in zooarchaeology; 12. Tooth cementum annulations method for determining age-at-death using modern deciduous human teeth: challenges and lessons learned; 13. The analysis of tooth cementum for the histological determination of age and season at death on teeth of us active duty military members; 14. Preliminary protocol to identify parturitions lines in acellular cementum; 15. Toward the non-destructive imaging of cementum annulations using synchrotron x-ray microtomography; 16. Non-invasive 3d methods for the study of dental cementum; Part III. Applications; 17. Using Cementochronology to discuss the organization of past Neanderthal societies; 18. Investigating seasonal competition between hominins and cave hyaenas in the belgian ardennes during the late pleistocene: insights from cementum analyses; 19. Cementochronology to the rescue: osteobiography of a middle woodland woman with a combined skeletal dysplasia; 20. Estimating a mortality profile of fisher-gatherers in Brazil using Cementochronology; 21. Cementochronology: a solution to reconstructing past populations' mortality profiles using individual age-at-death estimates; 22. Assessing age-related mortality at petra, jordan using Cementochronology and hazard modeling; 23. Shaping age at death distributions by applying tooth cementum analysis to the early medieval graveyard of lauchheim (Germany); 24. Back to the root: the coming of age of Cementochronology; Index.

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Book SynopsisAll humans share certain components of tooth structure, but show variation in size and morphology around this shared pattern. This book presents a worldwide synthesis of the global variation in tooth morphology in recent populations. Research has advanced on many fronts since the publication of the first edition, which has become a seminal work on the subject. This revised and updated edition introduces new ideas in dental genetics and ontogeny and summarizes major historical problems addressed by dental morphology. The detailed descriptions of 29 dental variables are fully updated with current data and include details of a new web-based application for using crown and root morphology to evaluate ancestry in forensic cases. A new chapter describes what constitutes a modern human dentition in the context of the hominin fossil record.Trade Review'This is the second edition of The Anthropology of Modern Human Teeth: Dental Morphology and its Variation in Recent Human Populations (1997). Scott and Turner, authors of the first edition, studied dental variants and the two major patterns of Mongoloid dental variation, Sundadont and Sinodont, were described. Their dental trait evaluation system, the ASUDAS (Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System), has become an essential tool for dental anthropological researchers worldwide. In the first edition, morphological variations in dental traits were described. In the second edition, the ontogenetic, genetic and evolutionary aspects of these traits have also been covered. The authors also describe how advances in dental studies will become even more dramatic over the next twenty years. This is a classic text that is well written, beautifully illustrated and extensively referenced, and it will undoubtedly become a compass for younger researchers responsible for the next generation of dental anthropological research.' Shintaro Kondo, Nihon University, Japan'Twenty years was well worth the wait. The authors' expertise complement each other perfectly while paying tribute to the late Christy Turner whose circum-Pacific research inspired so many to take up the buff yellow plaques. Revised and updated with new information on dental genetics and hominin dentition, The Anthropology of Modern Human Teeth provides a soup to nuts history of the field of dental morphology, while also providing clear guidance on future prospects. Its completeness provides the novice dental anthropologist with all that is needed to begin, and the expert a much needed survey and summary of the last six decades of work. From forensic applications, to multiscalar bioarchaeological research, to the intricacies of hominin crown and EDJ morphology, there is something here for everyone with even a passing interest in what teeth can tell us about the past and present.' Christopher Stojanowski, Arizona State UniversityTable of ContentsPreface; Prologue; 1. Dental anthropology and morphology; 2. Description and classification of permanent crown and root traits; 3. Biological considerations: ontogeny, asymmetry, sex dimorphism, and inter-trait association; 4. Genetics of morphological trait expression; 5. Geographic variation in tooth crown and root morphology; 6. Establishing method and theory for using dental morphology in reconstructions of human population history; 7. Dental morphology and population history; 8. Fossil hominin dental morphology with a focus on Homo sapiens; Epilogue; Appendix: tables of data; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses the application of geological methods and theory to archaeology. Written as a survey text covering appropriate methods and techniques taken from geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and geochronology, it shows the student the practicality and importance of the techniques'' use in solving archaeological problems. Specific techniques are illustrated by practical results obtained from their use on archaeological digs. The geographical scope is international, drawing on sites from both hemispheres, eg the Franchti Cave (Greece), St. Catherines Island (USA), the Roman site of Drand (France), and Monte Verde (Chile). The authors also address applications in less traditional areas such as underwater, historical, industrial, and conservation archaeology.Trade Review"Herz and Garrison (p viii) state that the purpose of their book . . . is to 'show archaeologists the many ways that geological sciences can help solve their problems.' The authors divide their book into four major sections with multiple chapters in each section. Part I, 'The Archaeological Site and Its Environment,' presents a discussion of geomorphology, sediments, and soils; Part II, 'Dating Techniques,' covers chemical, radioactive, and other methods of dating; Part III, 'Site Exploration,' addresses geophysical and geochemical applications to archaeology; and Part IV, 'Artifact Analysis,' offers a discussion of the analysis of the raw materials used to manufacture artifacts and features."--Geoarchaeology "Herz and Garrison (p viii) state that the purpose of their book . . . is to 'show archaeologists the many ways that geological sciences can help solve their problems.' The authors divide their book into four major sections with multiple chapters in each section. Part I, 'The Archaeological Site and Its Environment,' presents a discussion of geomorphology, sediments, and soils; Part II, 'Dating Techniques,' covers chemical, radioactive, and other methods of dating; Part III, 'Site Exploration,' addresses geophysical and geochemical applications to archaeology; and Part IV, 'Artifact Analysis,' offers a discussion of the analysis of the raw materials used to manufacture artifacts and features."--GeoarchaeologyTable of ContentsForeword ; 1. Scope of Archaeological Geology ; 2. Geomorphology in Archaeology ; 3. Sediments and Soils ; 4. Chemical Methods ; 5. Radioactive Methods: Radioactive Decay and Age Determination ; 6. Radiation Damage, Cosmogenic and Atom Counting Techniques ; 7. Other Chronological Methods ; 8. Archaeogeophysical Exploration ; 9. Soil Phosphate in Archaeological Surveys ; 10. Archaeological Materials - Rocks and Minerals ; 11. Instrumental Analytical Techniques ; 12. Metallic Minerals and Archaeological Geology ; 13. Ceramics ; 14. Applications of Stable Isotopes in Archaeological Geology

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The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Death and Burial reviews the current state of mortuary archaeology and its practice, highlighting its often contentious place in the modern socio-politics of archaeology. It contains forty-four chapters which focus on the history of the discipline and its current scientific techniques and methods. Written by leading, international scholars in the field, it derives its examples and case studies from a wide range of time periods, such as the middle palaeolithic to the twentieth century, and geographical areas which include Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia. Combining up-to-date knowledge of relevant archaeological research with critical assessments of the theme and an evaluation of future research trajectories, it draws attention to the social, symbolic, and theoretical aspects of interpreting mortuary archaeology. The volume is well-illustrated with maps, plans, photographs, and illustrations and is ideally suited for students an

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Book SynopsisList of Figures and Tables List of Permissions and Figure Sources Acknowledgements Introduction The Ever-changing Calendar A hero in a dark age The Forged Cloth of Turin The Pyramids and the Bear's Groin The Volcano that Shook Europe The Mandate from Heaven The Coming of the Ice The Lost Worlds And Then there was One The Hole in the Ground Towards the Limits of Time Epilogue: Time's up for Creationism Further Reading IndexTrade Review'A fabulous, entertainingly written account of the amazing science behind calendars, dates and dating objects. Essential reading for anyone interested in prehistory.' - Professor Tim Flannery, Director of the South Australian Museum 'A rollicking run through the story of telling the time - lively and well-researched, with many fascinating stories.' - Professor Michael Benton, author of When Life Nearly Died 'This delightful introduction successfully fuses history, prehistory and earth science. It captures the imagination from its first page, and then takes the reader on a fun and fact-filled world tour through the past.' - Professor Tim White, University of California at Berkeley, USA 'What I like best about the book: It's a scientist clearly explaining what he does for a living and why it is important, at a level that any literate person can understand. Not an easy accomplishment.' - scienceblogs.com/pharyngula 'Absorbing - will appeal to a wide audience, particularly those who got a kick out of Blink or Freakonomics.' - Publishers Weekly 'If you like detective stories, you'll love this book. With a passion that radiates from every page, geologist Chris Turney, who did the radiocarbon dating on the 'hobbit' human fossil recently discovered in Indonesia, reveals how scientific dating techniques have helped solve the biggest mysteries of all time. What really happened to the dinosaurs? How old is the universe? Why did giant kangaroos die out? When did early Homo sapiens sweep aside the Neanderthals in the Middle East? What caused the ice ages? Turney explains how trees, amino acids, carbon, luminescence, volcanic ash, stars and even pollen can all give objects or events an exact place in history. The book is easy to understand and it should satisfy the hungriest of infovores.' - New Scientist '5/5: a book that tackles [these] issues is welcome indeed - that it succeeds so brilliantly is a wonderful surprise.' - Peter Andrews of the Natural History Museum, BBC Focus Magazine 'Well researched and covers a lot of ground in a splendidly personal style. Highly recommended' - Quaternary Australasia 'A fascinating guide to the measurement of time' - Chemistry World 'The value of Chris Turney's Bones, Rocks and Stars: The Science of When Things Happened is that it provides a concise, simple, readable introduction to the full range of dating techniques...Altogether a very useful little book.' - Current World ArchaeologyTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables List of Permissions and Figure Sources Acknowledgements Introduction The Ever-changing Calendar A hero in a dark age The Forged Cloth of Turin The Pyramids and the Bear's Groin The Volcano that Shook Europe The Mandate from Heaven The Coming of the Ice The Lost Worlds And Then there was One The Hole in the Ground Towards the Limits of Time Epilogue: Time's up for Creationism Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisWhere Stonehenge''s giant bluestones come from? Was the fall of the Roman Empire hastened by lead poisoning? How did amber get from the Baltic to Belize? In exploring these and other historical enigmas, Joseph Lambert expertly details the rich insights into ancient life that chemistry alone can provide.Using cutting-edge scientific methods such as radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis, and elemental fingerprinting, acclaimed chemist Joseph Lambert expertly details the rich insights into ancient life that chemistry alone can provide. He shows, for example, how investigators today can determine the diet of prehistoric Europeans, the geographical origin of the marble in a Greek statue, or the reason why the Liberty Bell cracked. He uses nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to reconstruct ancient trade routes, and X-ray diffraction, among other methods, to compare the colour palettes of the Mesopotamians and Egyptians (the latter were apparently much more flamboyant). He explains how chemicaTable of Contents* Stone * Soil * Pottery * Color * Glass * Organics * Metals * Humans * Epilogue

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Trade ReviewA typically sideways, very personal, look at the study of animal remains from archaeological deposits, offering a new approach centred upon understanding the full, complex relations between people and the animals around them. Students will appreciate this as a source of information and ideas, academics will welcome a gust of fresh air through a dusty subject, and the general reader will enjoy a lively, often irreverent, book on a fascinating topic. -- Terry O'Connor, Professor of Archaeological Science, University of York, UKThis volume provides an important and provocative contribution to the zooarchaeological literature. Naomi Sykes demonstrates that zooarchaeology can do much more than simply provide appendices to archaeological site reports. She shows that faunal remains can answer a range of interesting questions about human-animal relationships in the past. -- Pam J. Crabtree, Associate Professor of Anthropology, New York University, USANaomi Sykes begins Beastly Questions thus, ‘Zooarchaeology has begun to bore me.’ That is not really true. What troubles her greatly is the sterility of a certain kind of zoöarchaeology which identifies, measures, orders and quantifies animal remains but fails to interrogate them as traces of the co-constituted social and cultural relations between humans and other animals in the past. Beastly Questions is a feisty, imaginative, academically thorough and extremely readable exploration of the potentials and possibilities of a new social zooarchaeology. From mere bones Sykes fleshes out the animals and reconnects them to human worlds. Bored? Not at all! This is a powerful reanimation. -- Garry Marvin, Professor of Human-Animal Studies, University of Roehampton, UKAnybody who cares for animals will enjoy this book just as much as specialists involved in the study of the past. It will be a great companion volume for scholars and students in archaeology and history as well as those who would like to understand why we need animals around us not only for meat and milk, but also for company and as metaphors for life and living even in the most modernized urban society. The 770 scholarly works listed in the book’s reference list lend weight to the author’s educated arguments on these exciting questions. -- László Bartosiewicz, Professor of Archaeozoology, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, HungaryTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Animals and People: Mirrors and Windows Chapter 2: Animal ‘Revolutions’ Chapter 3: Wild Animals and Human Societies Chapter 4: Animal Diaspora and Culture Change Chapter 5: Ideas of Landscape Chapter 6: The Chapter about Ritual Chapter 7: Friends, Confidants and Lovers Chapter 8: Meat References

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Book SynopsisA series of 51 papers forming the Proceedings of the 28th CAA Conference held at Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2000 focusing on computer applications and quantative methods in European and American archaeology.

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Book SynopsisBringing together a team of international experts from different subject areas including law, history, archaeology and anthropology this book re-evaluates the traditional narratives surrounding the origins of Roman law before the enactment of the Twelve Tables.

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Book SynopsisFirst hand anecdotal snap shots offer a taste of daily life during the author’s fifteen-year period at the High Down and Woomera rocket test sites. The preparation of eight Black Knight and four Black Arrow rockets up to their liftoff are recounted in detail with relevant diagrams and a few photos. So-called “rocket-science” jargon is deliberately sidestepped throughout. Delays that dogged Black Arrow’s birth are touched along with a full explanation for terminating RO’s maiden flight. Peripheral issues met during the final two proving flights are also discussed. The launch team’s bittersweet feelings as R3 was readied and lifted off to deliver Prospero into earth orbit are chronicled alongside their dismay at the projects unfitting end. Black Arrow was Britain’s only home grown rocket to stage an orbital insertion and may also be the only rocket to achieve this using peroxide oxidiser.

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Book SynopsisIn the past, Bronze Age painted plaster in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean has been studied from a range of different but isolated viewpoints. One of the current questions about this material is its direction of transfer. This volume brings both technological and iconographic (and other) approaches closer together: by completing certain gaps in the literature on technology and, by investigating how and why technological transfer has developed and what broader impact this had on the wider social dynamics of the late Middle and Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean. This study approaches the topic of painted plaster by a multidisciplinary methodology.Moreover, when human actors and their interactions are placed in the centre of the scene, it demonstrates the human forces through which transfer was enabled and how multiple social identities and the inter-relationships of these actors with each other and their material world were expressed through their craft production and organization. The investigated data from sixteen sites has been contextualized within a wider framework of Bronze Age interconnections both in time and space because studying painted plaster in the Aegean cannot be considered separate from similar traditions both in Egypt and in the Near East. This study makes clear that it is not possible to deduce a one-way directional transfer of this painting tradition. Furthermore, by integrating both technology and iconography with its hybrid character, a clear 'technological style' was defined in the predominant al fresco work found on these specific sites.The author suggests that the technological transfer most likely moved from west to east. This has important implications in the broader politico-economic and social dynamics of the eastern Mediterranean during the LBA. Since this art/craft was very much elite-owned, it shows how the smaller states in the LBA, such as the regions of the Aegean, were capable of staying within the large trade and exchange network that comprised the large powers of the East and Egypt. The painted plaster reflects a very visible presence in the archaeological record and, because it cannot be transported without its artisans, it suggests specific interactions of royal courts in the East with the Aegean peoples. The painted plaster as an immovable feature required at least temporary presence of a small team of painters and plasterers.Exactly this factor forms an argument in support of travelling artisans, who, in turn, shed light onto broader aspects of contact, trade and exchange mechanisms during the late MBA and LBA.Table of ContentsChapter One (prologue): A Tale of 'Frescoes' Chapter Two: The Power of Technology, Knowledge and Social AgencyChapter Three: Technological Style and the Power of Technology and Knowledge Chapter Four: Archaeometric Approaches to Technologies and MaterialsChapter Five: Painted Plaster in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean Chapter Six: Analyzed to Bits: Technological and Iconographic TransferChapter Seven: Considering Material Culture and Social IdentitiesChapter Eight: Technology and Social Agency of Painted Plaster

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Book SynopsisLuminescence dating is now widely applied by scientists working in Quaternary geology and archaeology to obtain ages for events as diverse as past earthquakes, desertification and cave occupation sites. Using quartz or feldspar minerals found in almost ubiquitous sand and finer sediments, luminescence can provide ages from over 500,000 years ago to modern. Written by some of the foremost experts in luminescence dating from around the world, this book takes a new approach. It explains what luminescence can and can't do, what and where to sample, types of measurements available and how to interpret and analyse ages once they are measured. It is accordingly for scientists who require luminescence ages for their research rather than those scientists developing the luminescence technique or making their own luminescence measurements. The background to the technique is explained in simple terms so that the range of potential applications, limits and issues can be understood. The book helps scientists plan where and what to sample to optimise the successful application of luminescence and stemming from that the chronologies that can be constructed. The Handbook sets out the challenges and limitations when applying luminescence dating in different environmental and archaeological settings and gives practical advice on how issues might be avoided in sampling, or mitigated by requesting different laboratory measurement approaches or analysis. Guidance is provided on how luminescence ages can be interpreted and published as well as how they can be used within chronological frameworks. With luminescence dating continuing to develop, information on more experimental approaches is given which may help expand the range of chronological challenges to which luminescence dating can be routinely applied.Trade Review‘…the twelve chapters in this volume provide a succinct summary of the techniques, applications, limitations, and future of luminescence analysis. This volume is recommended as a useful acquisition for senior undergraduate and graduate Quaternary programs’. Geoscience Canada -------------------- `...a welcome introduction to the method for scientists working in all kinds of environments... ...it does not only provide the theoretical background of the technique but also systematically supplies readers with helpful practical suggestions and instructions... ...a rich and up to date reference list that includes both classical work and the latest developments. ...the book covers the entire spectrum of environmental settings commonly used in Quaternary research. ...is a guideline that accompanies researchers during the entire process of establishing a luminescence chronology, starting with sample collection and ending with reporting of luminescence ages'. Geologica BelgicaTable of ContentsPrinciples and history of luminescence dating; From sampling to reporting; Incorporating luminescence ages into chronometric frameworks; Applications in aeolian environments; Applications in loessic environments; Applications in glacial and periglacial environments; Applications in fluvial and hillslope environments; Applications in coastal and marine environments; Applications of luminescence dating to active tectonic contexts; Applications in archaeological contexts; Rock surface burial and exposure dating; Future developments in luminescence dating

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Book SynopsisThis volume is the first in a new series of editions of Coptic-language "magical" manuscripts from Egypt, written on papyrus, ostraca, parchment, and paper, and dating to between the fourth and twelfth centuries CE. Their texts attest to non-institutional rituals intended to bring about changes in the lives of those who used them – heal disease, curse enemies, bring about love or hatred, or see into the future. These manuscripts represent rich sources of information on daily life and lived religion of Egypt in the last centuries of Roman rule and the first centuries after the Arab conquest, giving us glimpses of the hopes and fears of people of this time, their conflicts and problems, and their vision of the human and superhuman worlds. This volume presents 37 new editions and descriptions of manuscripts, focusing on formularies or "handbooks", those texts containing instructions for the performance of rituals. Each of these is accompanied by a history of its acquisition, a material description, and presented with facing text and translations, tracings of accompanying images, and explanatory notes to aid in understanding the text.

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Book SynopsisExamining such nation-states as Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, India, and Thailand, this book shows how states invoke the remote past to extol the glories of specific peoples or prove claims to ancestral homelands. It is suitable for archaeologists and historians.Trade Review"In this deeply intriguing and appealing book, expert contributors explore a wide and varied set of political, cultural, and ethical issues. Not only will this excellent collection be formative for the history and practice of archaeology for years to come, but it may also be hotly debated in the various regions it describes." - Suzanne Marchand, author of Down from Olympus"

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Book SynopsisThe vertebrate fossil record extends back more than 500 million years, and bonebeds - localized concentrations of the skeletal remains of vertebrate animals - help unlock the secrets of this long history. This book provides readers with definitions, theoretical frameworks, and modern techniques in bonebed data collection and analysis.

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Book SynopsisConsidering the history and theory of geoarchaeology, this book discusses soils and environmental interpretations; initial context and site formation; methods of discovery and spatial analyses; estimating time; and others. It is for all professionals and students interested in the field of geoarchaeology.Trade Review"Probably the most comprehensive treatise on geoarchaeology yet written."—Vance Haynes, University of Arizona -- Vance Haynes"Rapp and Hill provide the single most comprehensive guide to basic principles in the field of Geoarchaeology. The text is an essential resource for teaching earth science applications to undergraduate archaeologists."—Andrea Freeman, University of Calgary -- Andrea Freeman

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