Archaeological science, methodology and techniques Books

Book SynopsisArchaeology: The Science of the Human provides students with a thorough understanding of what archaeology is, how it operates, and familiarizes them with fundamental archaeological concepts and methods.Table of ContentsPart I What is Archaeology?; 1 The Science of Archaeology; 2 Background of Archaeology; 3 The Development of Contemporary Archaeology; Part II Obtaining Information about the Past; 4 The Archaeological Record; 5 Conducting Fieldwork; 6 Classification and Analysis of Artifacts; 7 Determining Time; 8 Bioarchaeology: Human Remains; Part III Interpreting the Past; 9 Environment and Adaptation; 10 Understanding Past Settlement and Subsistence; 11 Interpreting Past Cultural Systems; 12 Understanding Change; Part IV Public Archaeology; 13 Cultural Resource Management; 14 Archaeology in Today’s World

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Book SynopsisPresents research contributions drawing on radiocarbon dates produced by the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator.

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Book SynopsisThese nine papers, based on the 4th World Archaeological Congress held in South Africa in 1999, take a critical view of computer usage in archaeology and study its impact on the discipline and especially in terms of archaeological method and theory.Table of ContentsComputers and archaeological culture change, Jeremy Huggett; archaeological computing and disciplinary theory, Jayne Gidlow; mathematics and computers, Hannah Forsyth; constructs, simulations and hyperreal worlds - the role of virtual reality (VR) in archaeological research, Glyn Goodrick and Mark Gillings; from museum store to data warehouse - archaeological archives for the 21st century, Francis Grew; intellectual excavation and dynamic information management systems, Anthony Beck; English sites and monuments records - information, communication and technology, Ben Robinson; a view from above - can computers help aerial survey?, Rog Palmer; is there such a thing as "computer archaeology"?, Andre Tschan and Patrick Daly.

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Book SynopsisArchaeological field survey methods developed over half a century combine with powerful new quantitative tools for spatial analysis to unleash new potential for identifying and studying ancient local communities and regional polities. This volume details these changes.Trade Review"Many scholars dismiss reconstructions of paleodemography as too imprecise. In this volume the authors demonstrate this assessment is not true. They review methodological best practices to illustrate how to obtain reasonably accurate estimates of population size. More important, they show that reconstructing paleodemography is central to understanding ancient societies and how and why they change. This book is a must read for students and professionals alike." Mark Varien, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center "I found the book a pleasure to read and I am convinced that it soon will become a required text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes in anthropological archaeology. The book is written in a colloquial style reminiscent of Kent V. Flannery's Early Mesoamerican Village that makes the material accessible even to novices. The book also is a great refresher for seasoned professionals who toy around with regional datasets but have not recently taught a course on regional demography." William A. Parkinson, Field Museum of Natural History"The current state of the art for examining population and population change in archaeology. The authors cover with considerable thought and care the important questions, answers, techniques, and doubts. Excellent examples from forests, deserts, alluvial valleys, farmland, and grasslands and a wide variety of cultural contexts. The annotated bibliographies are especially helpful. Essential reading and thinking for anyone designing or interpreting archaeological research on human demographic change over the long term." Stephen A. Kowalewski, University of GeorgiaIt is a wonderful introduction to the world of demography, and it should be highly considered by those working in archaeology, particularly those that focus on group interactions and settlement distributions on a regional scale. Anna Tremblay, Pennsylvania State UniversityOverall this is a strong book that makes an important contribution to regional survey methodology, despite ongoing skepticism in the community about population estimates. Drennan, Berrey, and Peterson are taking up the challenge and making important headway. -- James Conolly * American Anthropologist, Vol. 119, No. 2, June 2017 *This compact, straightforward treatment of settlement demography is very welcome. Drennan et al.'s approach to settlement demography is appropriately careful; it's not overly optimistic, and it always keeps a critical eye on the data. The use of on-going examples throughout the book is excellent. The case examples draw on the authors' extensive experience in settlement demography. [...] Overall, this is an extremely useful volume that, I expect, will become a future staple for advanced undergraduate courses in archaeological methods, settlement archaeology, and ancient population studies. -- Richard R. Paine, University of Utah, * Journal of Anthropological Research, Summer 2017 *‘The book is a significant contribution in that it puts together, in one place and in an explicit manner for the first time, the various methodologies that have been employed by different regional survey projects to generate population estimates. [...] The theoretical and methodological strengths of Drennan's processual body of work, masterful understanding of statistics, and decades of experience in regional surveys worldwide are reflected in the volume, which backs its main arguments with comparative datasets and contemporary examples.’ (Verónica Pérez Rodriguez, American Antiquity Vol. 81, No. 3, 2016)Table of Contents Chapter 1. Regional Settlement Demography: Why Bother? Chapter 2. What Can We Use as Population Proxies? Chapter 3. What Can We Do with Population Proxies? Chapter 4. How Can We Estimate Absolute Numbers of Inhabitants? Chapter 5. How Can We Collect Regional Settlement Data for Demographic Analysis? Chapter 6. Conclusion Sources of Data for Examples

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Book SynopsisThe current geography of north-west Europe, from the perspective of long-term Pleistocene climate change, is temporary. The seaways that separate southern Britain from northern France comprise a flooded landscape open to occupation by hunter-gatherers for large parts of the 0.5 million years since the English Channel’s formation. While much of this record is now inaccessible to systematic archaeological investigation it is critical that we consider past human societies in the region in terms of access to, inhabitation in, and exploitation of this landscape.This latest volume of the acclaimed Prehistoric Society Research Papers provides a starting point for approaching the Middle Palaeolithic record of the English Channel region and considering the ecological opportunities and behavioural constraints this landscape offered to Neanderthal groups in north-west Europe. The volume reviews the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological record along the fringes of La Manche in northern France and southern Britain. It examines this record in light of recent advances in quaternary stratigraphy, science-based dating, and palaeoecology and explores how Palaeolithic archaeology in the region has developed in an interdisciplinary way to transform our understanding of Neanderthal behaviour. Focusing in detail on a particular sub-region of this landscape, the Normano-Breton Gulf, the volume presents the results of recent research focused on exceptionally productive coastal capture points for Neanderthal archaeology. In turn the long-term behavioural record of La Cotte de St Brelade is presented and explored, offering a key to changing Neanderthal behaviour. Aspects of movement into and through these landscapes, changing technological and raw material procurement strategies, hunting patterns and site structures, are presented as accessible behaviours that change at site and landscape scales in response to changing climate, sea level and ecology over the last 250,000 years.Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Contributors Abstract French Language Abstract German Language Abstract Acknowledgements 1. Repeopling La Manche: survey and encounters By Matt Pope 2. La Cotte de St Brelade: a key early Middle Palaeolithic geoarchaeological sequence in La Manche By Andrew Shaw 3. In pursuit of the mammoths By Katharine Scott 4. The early Middle Palaeolithic ‘bone heaps’ from La Cotte de St Brelade reconsidered By Andrew Shaw, Beccy Scott and Matt Pope 5. Coming home: reconstructing place and landscape during the early Middle Palaeolithic at La Cotte de St Brelade By Andrew Shaw and Beccy Scott 6. Jersey’s north facing property: the Neanderthal sequence at La Cotte à la Chèvre Cave By Josie Mills 7. Understanding the context of Palaeolithic archaeology in the Normanno-Breton Gulf: the importance of the Pleistocene coastal sequences By Martin R. Bates, John Renouf and Marine Laforge 8. La Cotte, Neanderthals and Goldilocks: investigating hominin adaptations in the submerged landscapes of the Normanno-Breton Gulf By C. Richard Bates, Andrew Shaw, Martin R. Bates, Matt Pope and Beccy Scott 9. Archaeological sequences, framework, and lithic overview of the late Middle Pleistocene of northern France By David Hérisson, Jean-Luc Locht, Émilie Goval, Pierre Antoine and Sylvie Coutard 10. La Cotte in its regional context: reconsidering La Manche By Beccy Scott and Anne-Lyse Ravon 11. Mind and society: re-imagining the archaeology of Neanderthals By Clive Gamble and Matt Pope Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFor many people it is clear: the actions and beliefs of Ancient Israel are described in the Bible. The stories about its peoples and kings, struggles and wars, deities and shrines, are supposed to have been told and retold throughout the ages and recorded in ancient archives. At a certain moment in time these stories have been assembled in the Bible which becomes history. However, from the 19th century at least, scholars have doubted the historical reliability of many biblical stories, and archaeological research has hardly been able to confirm their historicity.The aim of this book is to describe the often-complicated relationship between archaeology and the Bible. It is not a book on `biblical archaeology’, and archaeology is not used to illustrate the biblical stories, let alone to prove that the Bible is right. On the contrary, it focuses on the information that archaeology can provide of the lives and beliefs of the ancient peoples that inhabited the land in which the Bible was written, and on the question of how this information relates to the biblical stories. It aims at providing some examples of how this interplay of archaeology and biblical stories works, and how to interpret the discrepancy that may exist between the results of archaeological research and the biblical narrative. It thus offers an introduction into the field from the standpoint of an archaeologist.The book is intended for the general public, and will also be of interest to biblical scholars, historians and teachers, as well as archaeologists in other fields. It differs from the average non-scholarly book on this subject in that it is more personal, more eclectic, more archaeological. Reviews of the Dutch edition praise the passionate style and the way it focuses on the scientific process of researching problems, instead of on finding answers and presenting the solution.Trade ReviewA good acquisition for archaeology collections. * Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews *Table of ContentsList of figures Prologue 1. In search of … archaeology and the Bible 2. In search of … Abraham and his descendants 3. In search of … Saul and the days of the Judges 4. In search of … Goliath, the Philistine 5. In search of … David and Solomon 6. In search of … Jezebel and the House of Omri 7. In search of … Mesha of Moab 8. In search of … Jehoiachin and the Exile 9. In search of … the prophet Balaam 10. In search of … the goddess Asherah 11. In search of … the temple of Jerusalem Epilogue Further reading

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Book SynopsisThe present volume shows the archaeological thinking as a form of art, revealing the poetics of the archaeological imagination. It shows that, in their work, archaeologists, without being inspired by contemporary artists, use creative methods, and their analysis of the art of the Past goes beyond the material culture of the art objects, into the realm of the mental processes of creation. Consequently, the purpose of this book is to present the archaeological research functioning as a sort of artistic creation, proposing new perspectives on the archaeological imagination. It offers an exploration of the creative processes, the possibility of finding inspiration in experientiality, and the approach to the act of creation as a subject for archaeological research. When analysing the art of the Past, or when using art methods to approach the Past, we are facing an act of creation where imagination, emotion, and creativity combine under the form of an experiential instrument of investigation. The book offers a vision of archaeological research, a means to understand the complexity of the human nature, and consequently, to approach the human thinking structured on similarity and symbolism, being able to detect cultural and psychological subjects ignored until today, and, at the same time, to offer a series of visions of art, seen from the perspective of archaeology.Table of ContentsContributors Introduction Dragoş Gheorghiu 1. Reveries and representations of the magic of being Roberta Robin Dods 2. Catching the ephemeral – aesthetics of artful artefacts. A Middle Stone Age Still Bay bifacial pointed stone tool from Blombos Cave, South Africa and a Migration Period brooch from Kvåle in Sogn, Norway Torill Christine Lindstrøm 3. The importance of the anthropological approach in archaeology: The example of prehistoric acoustic studies Iegor Reznikoff 4. Replicating the prehistoric artisan’s mindset Jacqui Wood 5. Pathways Timothy Darvill and Elizabeth Poraj-Wilczynska 6. Art in the corporal memory and in the mental imagery Dragoş Gheorghiu 7. Modernity and landscape through art: Deconstructing the mindset of British contemporary artist James Lawrence Isherwood George Nash 8. The demography of prehistoric artists Ezra Zubrow

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Book SynopsisArchaeologists excavating burials often find that they are not the first to disturb the remains of the dead. Graves from many periods frequently show signs that others have been digging and have moved or taken away parts of the original funerary assemblage. Displaced bones and artefacts, traces of pits, and damage to tombs or coffins can all provide clues about post-burial activities.The last two decades have seen a rapid rise in interest in the study of post-depositional practices in graves, which has now developed into a new subfield within mortuary archaeology. This follows a long tradition of neglect, with disturbed graves previously regarded as interesting only to the degree they revealed evidence of the original funerary deposit.This book explores past human interactions with mortuary deposits, delving into the different ways graves and human remains were approached by people in the past and the reasons that led to such encounters. The primary focus of the volume is on cases of unexpected interference with individual graves soon after burial: re-encounters with human remains not anticipated by those who performed the funerary rites and constructed the tombs. However, a first step is always to distinguish these from natural and accidental processes, and methodological approaches are a major theme of discussion.Interactions with the remains of the dead are explored in eleven chapters ranging from the New Kingdom of Egypt to Viking Age Norway and from Bronze Age Slovakia to the ancient Maya. Each discusses cases of re-entries into graves, including desecration, tomb re-use, destruction of grave contents, as well as the removal of artefacts and human remains for reasons from material gain to commemoration, symbolic appropriation, ancestral rites, political chicanery, and retrieval of relics. The introduction presents many of the methodological issues which recur throughout the contributions, as this is a developing area with new approaches being applied to analyze post-depositional processes in graves.Trade ReviewThe volume is a must for all those with an interest in funerary archaeology: disturbed remains, previously largely ignored or viewed as insignificant, can be considered with fresh eyes – a paradigm has been shifted. * Current World Archaeology *This is an excellent reference and resource for advanced students and professional scholars interested in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. * CHOICE *Table of Contents1. The archaeology of post-depositional interactions with the dead. An introduction Edeltraud Aspöck, Alison Klevnäs and Nils Müller-Scheeßel 2. Unruly bones and efficacious stones. Materialities of death in Early Christian post-burial interactions in central eastern Sweden Fredrik Fahlander 3. Grave disturbance in early medieval Poland Leszek Gardeła 4. Disturbed relatives. Post-burial practices among the Nomadic Khazars of the Lower Volga (7th-8th centuries CE) Irina Shingiray 5. Things we knew about grave robbery: reassessing ideas on how and why graves were reopened in the Merovingian period Stephanie Zintl 6. Disturbance of early medieval graves in southwestern Gaul. Taphonomy, burial reopening and the reuse of graves Yves Gleize 7. What happened at Langeid? Understanding reopened graves after time has taken its toll Camilla C. Wenn 8. Iron Age ancestral bonds. Consecutive burials and manipulated graves in the Dürrnberg cemeteries (Austria) Holger Wendling 9. Disturbing the dead. Reopening of stone cists in the Macedonian Gevgelija and Valandovo plains Daniela Heilmann 10. In search of the modus operandi. Reopenings of Early Bronze Age burials at Fidvár near Vráble, southwest Slovakia Nils Müller-Scheeßel, Jozef Bátora, Julia Gresky, Samantha Reiter, Kerstin Stucky and Knut Rassmann 11. Disturbance of graves among the ancient Maya Estella Weiss-Krejci 12. ‘It was found that the thieves had violated them all’. Grave disturbance in Late New Kingdom Thebes David A. Aston

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Book SynopsisStone and brick tombs were repositories for the physical remains of many of Connecticut’s wealthiest and influential families. The desire was to be interred within burial vaults rather than have their wooden coffins laid into the earth in direct contact with crushing soil burden led many prominent families to construct large above-ground and semi-subterranean tombs, usually burrowed into the sides of hills as places of interment for their dead."And So The Tomb Remains" tells the stories of the Connecticut State Archaeologist’s investigations into five 18th/19th century family tombs: the sepulchers of Squire Elisha Pitkin, Center Cemetery, East Hartford; Gershom Bulkeley, Ancient Burying Ground, Colchester; Samuel and Martha Huntington, Norwichtown Cemetery, Norwich; Henry Chauncey, Indian Hill Cemetery, Middletown; and Edwin D. Morgan, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford. In all of these cases, the state archaeologist assisted in identifying and restoring human skeletal remains to their original burial placements when vandalized through occult rituals or contributed to the identification of unrecorded burials during restoration projects.Each investigative delves into family histories and genealogies, as well as archaeological and forensic sciences that helped identify the entombed and is told in a personal, story-telling approach. Written in essay form, each investigation highlights differing aspects of research in mortuary architecture and cemetery landscaping, public health, restoration efforts, crime scene investigations, and occult activities.These five case studies began either as “history mysteries” or as crime scene investigations. Since historic tombs were occupied by social and economic elites, forensic studies provide an opportunity to investigate the health and life stress pathologies of the wealthiest citizens in Connecticut’s historic past, while offering comparisons to the wellbeing of lower socio-economic populations.Trade ReviewMany of the illustrations are reproduc­tions of historic prints and photographs, pro­viding further context. The text also includes a certain amount of background on the history of mortuary practices in both the Old and New Worlds. The tone is personal, accessible and lively: Bellantoni is not afraid to tell a good story. … this book is a worthy pro­duction, providing useful factual data about the particular tombs investigated, contextual infor­mation on the burial culture of New England and insights into the working life of an histori­cal archaeologist. It is entertainingly written and could easily inspire a casual reader to consider a career in archaeology. * Church Monuments *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Map Part I. Tomb Restorations Chapter 1 Introduction: Moseley Tomb Chapter 2 Squire Elisha Pitkin Family Tomb Chapter 3 The Tomb of Gershom Bulkeley and His Family Chapter 4 The Tomb of His Excellency Samuel Huntington, Esq. Part II. Tomb Vandalisms Chapter 5 Henry Chauncey Family Tomb Chapter 6 Edwin Denison Morgan Tomb Acknowledgements Glossary/Skeletal Diagram Bibliography

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Book SynopsisClothing was an essential part of material culture in ancient societies both as a form of body protection and as house equipment. Besides a practical function, textiles played a crucial role in communicating various aspects of social and personal identity.Based largely on the analysis of textile tools, this book is intended to be the first systematic attempt at reconstructing textile culture in ancient Sicily. Textile implements represent the most abundant category of evidence for textile activity in Sicily and in this book they are used as a means to explore the social dynamics within cultural interactions in the final Bronze–Iron Age and Archaic Sicily.The book begins with an overview of the cultural complexity of communities in Sicily and the Aeolian islands, focusing on two crucial periods of Sicilian history, which are characterised by intense movements of peoples from the Italian peninsula and the establishment of Greek and Phoenician settlements. Through the investigation of textile tools, the book discusses several key aspects, including technological features of textile technology and production, knowledge transfer, networks of weavers, as well as the social significance of textile activity.By employing an interdisciplinary perspective, this book is important not only for textile specialists but also for scholars and students dealing with culturally hybrid frameworks of ancient Sicily and provides a springboard for future studies on textile culture and cultural interactions in the ancient world.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations List of Maps List of Tables Abbreviations Introductory Framework Geographical, Chronological and Cultural framework Textile activity in Sicily: Sources and Evidence Textile tools in domestic and workshop contexts Textile tools in votive and sacred contexts Technology and production Tracing textile culture of Sicily Annex A: Analysis of textile tools in Sicily: the case studies Annex B: Analysis of textile tools from the Late-Final Bronze Age settlements at Lipari Annex C: Analysis of loom weights from the so-called Bothros of Aeolus- Lipari Annex D: Analysis of textile tools from Metapiccola (Lentini) Annex E: Analysis of textile tools from the FB-IA Cittadella hill (Morgantina) Annex F: Analysis of textile tools from the Archaic Cittadella hill (Morgantina) Annex G: Analysis of textile tools from the FB-IA settlement of Sabucina Annex H: Analysis of textile tools from the Archaic settlement of Sabucina Annex I: Analysis of textile tools from Himera Annex J: Analysis of textile tools from Monte Maranfusa Annex K: Analysis of textile tools from Monte Polizo Afterword Bibliography

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Book SynopsisArchaeology is in crisis. Spatial turns, material turns and the ontological turn have directed the discipline away from its hard-won battle to ­ find humanity in the past. Meanwhile, popularised science, camouflaged as archaeology, produces shock headlines built on ancient DNA analyses that reduce humanity’s most intriguing historical problems to ‘just-so stories’. Today archaeology ­finds itself less able than ever to proclaim its relevance to the modern world.This volume foregrounds the relevance of the scholarship of John C. Barrett to this crisis. Twenty-four writers representing three generations of archaeologists scrutinise the current turmoil in the discipline and highlight the resolutions that may be found through Barrett’s analytical framework. Topics include archaeology and the senses, the continuing problem of the archaeological record, practice, discourse and agency, reorienting archaeological field practice, the question of different expressions of human diversity and material ecologies. Understanding archaeology as both a universal and highly specific discipline, case studies range from the Aegean to Orkney, and encompass Anatolia, Korea, Romania, the United Kingdom and the very nature of the Universe itself. This critical examination of John Barrett’s contribution to archaeology is simultaneously a response to his urgent call to arms to reorient archaeology in the service of humanity.Table of ContentsList of contributors List of tables List of figures Preface The archaeology of John C. Barrett 1. (Re)placing humanity? Responses to the crisis in archaeology Michael J. Boyd and Roger C.P. Doonan 2. Bibliography of John C. Barrett Prehistory in transition 3. The late Neolithic midden in Orkney: decay, assemblages and the efficacy of unwanted things Jane Downes and Colin Richards 4. In what way is one dead for an Eneolithic tell community? The construction of the dead body’s presence at Căscioarele-Ostrovel (Romania) Alexandra Ion 5. Conceptualising wealth and value in the Bronze Age Christopher Tilley 6. An assemblage of Early Bronze Age metalwork from the Scottish Highlands: Dail na Caraidh in retrospect Richard Bradley Fields of discourse and an archaeology of inhabitation 7. ‘Contextual archaeology’ revisited: reflections on archaeology, assemblages and semiotics Zoë Crossland 8. Making the past human: history, archaeology and myth Martial Staub 9. What future for archaeology’s past? Krysti Damilati and Giorgos Vavouranakis 10. Fragments from Minoan Crete: social practice at the EM IIA–MM IB (2650–1875 BCE) Court Building at Knossos Ilse Schoep 11. Cemeteries of discourse: re-inhabiting a social arena Mark S. Peters 12. Towards an ‘archaeology of the conditions of possibility’ Ilhong Ko 13. ‘Fields of discourse’ revisited: a Simondonian perspective Despina Catapoti and Maria Relaki Practice and record 14. ‘Ode to a treethrow’ and other reflexive thoughts: multivocal engagements at Heathrow airport Catriona Gibson 15. Project design and implementation: reflections on Framework Michael J. Boyd with Colin Renfrew 16. From fields of discourse to fields of sensoriality: rethinking the archaeological record Yannis Hamilakis 17. Critical discourse and creative labours: learning and teaching archaeology with John C. Barrett Brian Boyd Material ecologies and forms of humanness 18. Bio-socio-material entanglements: archaeology and the extended evolutionary synthesis Ian Hodder 19. To love is to nourish: a thermodynamic perspective on practice and perception Roger C.P. Doonan 20. Is the universe sentient? What implications might this have for archaeology? Chris Gosden and Mark PollardPerspective 21. Agency and life Andrew Meirion Jones Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is about two islands off the coast of Continental Europe, the seas that surrounded them, and the ways in which they were used over a period of three thousand years. Instead of the usual emphasis on finds in the intertidal zone, it focuses on parts of Britain and Ireland where traces of the prehistoric shoreline survive above sea level. It explores a series of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites which were investigated in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and have been largely forgotten. These places were very different from the Iron Age ports and harbours studied in recent years. How can we identify these special sites, and what are the best ways of interpreting them?The book considers the evidence for travel by sea between the settlement of the earliest farmers and the long distance movement of metalwork. It emphasises the distinctive archaeology of a series of coastal locations. Little of the information is familiar and some of the most useful evidence was recorded many years ago. It is supplemented by new studies of these places and the artefacts found there, as well as reconstructions of the prehistoric coastline. The book emphasises the important role of 'enclosed estuaries', which were both sheltered harbours and special places where artefacts were introduced by sea. Other items were made there and exchanged with local communities. It considers the role played by these places in the wider pattern of settlement and their relationship to major monuments. The book describes how the character of coastal sites changed in parallel with developments in maritime technology and trade.The main emphasis is on Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages uses of the seashore, but the archaeology of the Middle and Later Bronze Age provides a source of comparison.Trade ReviewThis thought-provoking book reimagines how we approach maritime archaeology - demonstrating that it is not solely for the adventurous diver, but can, and should, be practised from the comfort of dry land. * Current Archaeology *[A] thought-provoking book … full of interesting interpretations and worthwhile reflections that are of value to anyone considering the archaeology of our coastal zones. * Archaeology Ireland *Table of ContentsPrelims Part One The Sea, the Sea Chapter One Fluid Dynamics: a brief introduction Chapter Two Seas without ships Part Two Landing Places Chapter Three The riddle of the sands Chapter Four Comparisons and complications Part Three Ocean Terminals Chapter Five Long distance Chapter Six Coastal archaeology in perspective – a brief conclusion

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Book SynopsisOver the last 30 years, the Connecticut Office of State Archaeology and the Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service have entered into a partnership employing ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to the study of the state’s archaeology and history. As a result, many historical cemeteries and places of note in Connecticut have been investigated. The authors have selected 10 geophysical surveys, which have used GPR as a non-intrusive, non-destructive exploratory tool, that have elicited positive results in the search for unmarked burials, confirmation of marked burials and to authenticate areas of known historical events.This book narrates the stories of GPR studies at 10 historical sites in Connecticut, spanning the 17th to the 20th centuries. Each chapter investigates and highlights a ‘history mystery’ and differing aspects of our research, including the ‘lost’ grave of an African-American Revolutionary War veteran, the verification of French Revolutionary War military personnel in a mass grave, the detection of a below-ground hidden 19th-century family burial tomb, the discovery of hurriedly dug, unmarked burials associated with the 1918 influenza pandemic and the detection of the unknown location of a 1941 military plane crash site, among others.Professionally, the authors have over 40 years’ experience in GPR, soil science and archaeology. They bring their collective expertise to the reader in a scientific approach with a personal, story-telling touch. Each chapter delves into the history of the sites and the nature of the geophysical search (i.e., how the equipment was used) and the interpretation of the data in regard to solving a historical problem.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Ground-penetrating Radar and Archaeology Part I. Historical Cemeteries 2. Robinson Burying Ground (1814 Bomb Crater), Stonington 3. Old Norwichtown Burying Ground (French Soldiers), Norwich 4. Judea Cemetery, Washington 5. Stone-lined Tomb, North Burying Ground, Danbury Part II. Historical Places and Events 6. John Mason’s House, Palisado, Windsor 7. Barkhamsted Lighthouse Village, Barkhamsted 8. Battle of Essex (War of 1812) Riverfront, CT River Museum, Essex 9. A Pandemic Strikes, Old Farm Cemetery, Middletown 10. Second Lieutenant Eugene Bradley’s Plane Crash, Windsor Locks

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Book SynopsisFlakes, and small flakes in particular, are usually seen as by-products or debris of the knapping process, rather than as desired end-products with a specific potential use. In recent years, this particular category of small tools has attracted increasing interest among researchers, especially when focusing on technological aspects in Lower Palaeolithic contexts, while the functional role of these tools is still poorly investigated. ‘Understanding Lithic Recycling at the Late Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave, Israel: A functional and chemical investigation of small flakes’ examines Late Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave, Israel, where a particular lithic trajectory directed towards the production of small flakes by means of recycling and exploiting old discarded flakes as cores has been recognised. The high density of this production throughout the stratigraphic sequence of the cave demonstrates that this was a conscious and planned technological choice aimed at providing small and sharp items to meet specific functional behaviours, and that this lithic behaviour persisted for some 200 kyr of human use of the cave. The exceptional conservation of use-wear signs and residues has made it possible to reconstruct the functional role of this specific production system, highlighting its specialised nature mostly related to the processing of the animal carcasses through accurate and careful actions and in a very specific way. The application of functional analysis based on the determination of wear on artefacts by means of optical light microscope, scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis (FTIR and EDX), provides a useful and effective approach for understanding the adaptive strategies of the Qesem Cave hominins while facing various situations and solving different needs.Table of ContentsLIST OF FIGURES; LIST OF TABLES; PREFACE; 1. INTRODUCTION; 2. METHODOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES; 3. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT: QESEM CAVE AND THE LOWER PALAEOLITHIC IN THE LEVANT; 4. THE RECYCLING PHENOMENON AND ITS MANIFESTATIONS AT QESEM CAVE; 5. THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME; 6. POST DEPOSITIONAL SURFACE MODIFICATION (PDSM); 7. THE FUNCTIONAL AND RESIDUE ANALYSES OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIAL; 8. DISCUSSION; 9. CONCLUSION; BIBLIOGRAPHY; APPENDIX A; APPENDIX B; APPENDIX C

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Book SynopsisBioarchaeology and Dietary Reconstruction across Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in Tuscany, Central Italy presents the results of the first multidisciplinary bioarchaeological analysis to reconstruct living conditions in Tuscany between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. This was done through the examination of stress markers, including adult stature, periosteal reaction, cranial porosities, and linear enamel hypoplasia, and through palaeodietary reconstruction in order to explore the effects of socio-cultural and environmental factors in a diachronic perspective. The shift from Classical to Medieval times has long left its mark on the European historical consciousness. Nevertheless, the impact of this transition on living conditions and dietary practices remains a subject of debate, with a prevailing perception of these ‘Dark Ages’ as an impoverished phase following the collapse of the Roman agrarian villa system, particularly in the Mediterranean area. This volume analyses bioarchaeological data from three sites in Tuscany, in the former core of the western Roman Empire and potentially most vulnerable to the major socio-political constraints of the first millennium AD, to provide a corrective view, which begins to show how communities perceived and reacted to changes during the passage to post-Classical times.Trade Review‘Overall, this publication provides an invaluable body of data and information on post-classical and medieval Tuscany and for Italy in general, where anthropology and bioarchaeology have only recently started to be exploited for their contribution to issues long debated by scholars on the critical passage between the Classical and medieval world.’ – Alessandro Carabia (2022): Medieval Archaeology, 65/2, 2021‘…this book does contribute to the growing scholarship on human health in the past using multidisciplinary bioarchaeological approaches, and it serves as an aspirational companion to students wishing to undertake publishable PhD work. It also offers a solid foundation for future studies that might identify interesting skeletal collections with excellent historical and associated archaeological context, and to suggest interesting opportunities for new research.’ – Kori Lea Filipek (2023): Antiquity Vol. 97 (395)Table of ContentsList of Figures ; Foreword ; Acknowledgements ; I. Introduction ; II. Historical Background of Tuscany in the 1st Millennium AD ; III. Background of Late Antique and Medieval Sites in Tuscia ; IV. Antropology, Palaeopathology and Biochemistry Methodologies ; V. Osteological and Stable Isotope Results ; VI. Theoretical Framework for Discussing Osteoarchaelogical and Palaeodietary Data ; VII. Conclusion ; References ; Appendix

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Book SynopsisLaying the Foundations, which developed out of the British Museum’s ‘Iraq Scheme’ archaeological training programme, covers the core components for putting together and running an archaeological field programme. The focus is on practicality. Individual chapters address background research, the use of remote sensing, approaches to surface collection, excavation methodologies, survey with total (and multi) stations, use of a dumpy level, context classification, on-site recording, databases and registration, environmental protocols, conservation, photography, illustration, post-excavation site curation and report writing. While the manual is oriented to the archaeology of Iraq, the approaches are no less applicable to the Middle East more widely, an aim hugely facilitated by the open-source distribution of translations into Arabic and Kurdish.Table of ContentsForeword ; Preface ; Chapter 1 Initiating a Field Project ; Chapter 2 Documentary Research ; Chapter 3 Regional Survey ; Chapter 4 Satellite Imagery ; Chapter 5 Geophysical Prospection ; Chapter 6 Geographic Information Systems ; Chapter 7 Survey with Total Station / Multi Station ; Chapter 8 GPS ; Chapter 9 Drones ; Chapter 10 Database ; Chapter 11 Surface Collection ; Chapter 12 Excavation Methodology ; Chapter 13 Context Recording ; Chapter 14 Finds ; Chapter 15 Burials ; Chapter 16 The Dumpy Level ; Chapter 17 Environmental Protocols ; Chapter 18 Drawing Plans and Sections ; Chapter 19 Registration ; Chapter 20 Conservation ; Chapter 21 Small Finds Illustration ; Chapter 22 Ceramic Illustration ; Chapter 23 Photography ; Chapter 24 Photogrammetry ; Chapter 25 Damaged and looted sites ; Chapter 26 Site Management ; Chapter 27 Report writing ; Appendices: ; Surface survey record sheet ; Levels recording sheet ; Context sheet ; Burial sheet

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Book SynopsisEurope's Lost Frontiers was the largest directed archaeological research project undertaken in Europe to investigate the inundated landscapes of the Early Holocene North Sea the area frequently referred to as Doggerland'. Funded through a European Research Council Advanced Grant (project number 670518), the project ran from 2015 to 2021, and involved more than 30 academics, representing institutions spread geographically from Ireland to China. A vast area of the seabed was mapped, and multiple ship expeditions were launched to retrieve sediment cores from the valleys of the lost prehistoric landscapes of the North Sea. This data has now been analysed to provide evidence of how the land was transformed in the face of climate change and rising sea levels. This volume is the first in a series of monographs dedicated to the analysis and interpretation of data generated by the project. As a precursor to the publication of the detailed results, it provides the context of the study and method statements. Later volumes will present the mapping, palaeoenvironment, geomorphology and modelling programmes of Europe's Lost Frontiers. The results of the project confirm that these landscapes, long held to be inaccessible to archaeology, can be studied directly and provide an archaeological narrative. This data will become increasingly important at a time when contemporary climate change and geo-political crises are pushing development within the North Sea at an unprecedented rate, and when the opportunities to explore this unique, heritage landscape may be significantly limited in the future.

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Book SynopsisThe effects of tectonic processes on archaeological sites are evidenced by earthquake damage, volcanic eruptions, and tsunami destruction. However, these processes affect a far broader sphere of landform structures, environment, and even climate that envelops an archaeological site and triggers human behavioural activities. Tectonic processes derive directly or indirectly from Plate Tectonics and associated magmatic activity of the Earth’s mantle. This volume thus provides a primer on crucial subduction- and suprasubduction-zone processes due to Plate Tectonics, where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are generated. After a general survey of how tectonic effects are dealt with in geoarchaeology, Part I details how these processes are applied to understand the Japanese landmass’s development, from continental accretion to volcanic archipelago, as a world-standard example. A full glossary of geological terms is included for easy reference. This is followed by detailed examinations of Japan’s tectonic archaeologies in Part II: TephroArchaeology, Earthquake Archaeology, and Tsunami Archaeology. Part III summarizes and critiques the authors’ own geoarchaeological fieldwork in Japan which was underwritten by a clear exposition of its geological and geomorphological background. Looking holistically at a locale and its development through geological time is fruitful in understanding the lay of the land, its resources, and its hazards that affect human occupation potential.Trade Review‘This volume is a most useful addition to a sparse literature. The retrospective is constructed to provide context for the geoarcheology of Japan extending from whole earth processes to site specifics, and in so doing enables comparison with the tectonic archaeology of other regions. Much of the summarized source material is otherwise difficult to find.’ – Eric Force, University of Arizona ; ‘The theme of tectonic archaeology is important and deserves a wide audience. Part I chapters are informed by a detailed and expert geological knowledge, with well-illustrated explanations of concepts, written in a style aimed at a non-expert readership and with an eye to their archaeological relevance. Part II chapters are illustrated with a wealth of examples drawn from the archaeology and history of Japan. Part III illustrates the application of these principles to the author’s field investigations in the Nara Basin, and it serves as a detailed case study to round off the overall theme of the volume.’ – Geoff Bailey, University of YorkTable of ContentsDedication to William R. Farrand ; Preface ; Chapter 1: Tectonic Archaeology vs Geoarchaeology ; Part I: A Geological Introduction to the Japanese Islands ; Chapter 2: A Primer in Plate Tectonics, with Specific Reference to Japan ; Chapter 3: The Palaeogeographic Compilation of the Japanese Landmass ; Chapter 4: Shaping the Japanese Archipelago ; Chapter 5: Making Japan’s Mountains & Basins ; Chapter 6: Japan’s Igneous Activity & Volcanic Arcs ; Chapter 7: Tephra-derived Soils of Japan in comparative context ; Reflections on Part I ; Part II: The Tectonic Archaeologies of Japan ; Chapter 8: TephroArchaeology ; Chapter 9: Earthquake Archaeology ; Chapter 10: Tsunami Archaeology ; Chapter 11: The Inter-relatedness of Tectonics & Hazard Research ; Chapter 12: True Jades, False Friends ; Reflections on Part II ; Part III: Nara Basin Studies ; Chapter 13: Nara Basin Geology & Geomorphology ; Chapter 14: Geoarchaeological Studies in Nara, Japan: the Integrated Findings ; Chapter 15: Acid Soils and Acid Rocks: Misunderstood Implications for Bone Preservation in Japan ; Reflections on Part III ; Volume Conclusions ; Appendices ; Classified Index ; Glossary of East Asian Words ; Glossary & Index of Geological Terms

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Book SynopsisNon-Intrusive Methodologies for Large Area Urban Research brings together contributions from a conference held in 2021 in association with the ERC-funded ‘Rome Transformed’ research project. The papers address a major challenge in archaeology. Non-intrusive research in pursuit of a deeper understanding of urban areas can be both richly informative and cost-effective. Multiple successes in the field have led to an impressive array of innovative methodologies, methodologies that are frequently combined for still greater insight and impact. Geophysical surveys, the use of UAVs, the study of exposed historic structures and the exhaustive examination of archival records can all play a vital role, and the development of these data capture methodologies is of the utmost importance for the future of research. As well as advances in data capture methodologies, however, the papers also present case studies in the management of the big data generated and in the integration of different methodologies. A further strength of this collection lies in the range of site types considered. While many projects have historically pursued non-intrusive research in areas relatively clear of modern buildings, a growing number of research initiatives, such as ‘Rome Transformed’ are seeking to advance them in areas which remain densely occupied. Accordingly the material presented here will also be of interest to non-archaeologists working in such diverse fields as civil engineering, urban planning and physical geography.Table of ContentsIntroduction – I. P. Haynes RT3D stratigraphies: analysis and software design to manage data – V. Bologna, M. Azzari Roman buildings on the western slopes of the Capitol. Investigations and new approach technologies – E. Bianchi, A. Pansini Combining past, present, and future. Non-invasive mapping for the urban archaeology of Ascoli Piceno (Italy) – F. Boschi, E. Giorgi, M. Silani SOS project: a new challenge for a novel approach to the understanding of an important historical city – S. Campana, S. Camporeale, J. Tabolli, R. Pansini, S. Güzel, G. Morelli, F. Pericci, M. Sordini, L. Gentili, F. Gianni, F. Vitali, G. Carpentiero, D. Barbagli Conducting archival research in an interdisciplinary context for Rome Transformed – F. Carboni, E. D’Ignazio The challenge for archaeologists using geophysics in urban areas – M. Dabas, F. Blary, G. Catanzariti Methods and techniques for the interpretation and reconstruction of the ancient landscape outside the Aurelian Walls – E. Demetrescu, C. Gonzalez Esteban, S. Morretta, R. Rea The archaeological area of S. Croce in Gerusalemme: new data for the reconstruction of the ancient landscape – A. De Santis, L. Bottiglieri, D. Colli, C. Rosa, M. Solvi From interpretation to ‘provocation’ and back again: Rome Transformed SCIEDOC and the Ospedale di San Giovanni in Laterano – I. P. Haynes, T. Ravasi, I. Peverett, M. Grellert, M. Simpson Rome Transformed: a multiple method geophysical approach for the urban investigations of the East Caelian – S. Kay, E. Pomar, G. Morelli Three coloniae and three municipia: non-invasive exploration of urban contexts in Roman Hispania – L. Lagóstena, J. A. Ruiz Gil, J. Pérez Marrero, P. Trapero, J. Catalán, I. Rondán-Sevilla, M. Ruiz Barroso The topography of Rome. An outlook for the future – P. Liverani Ground-penetrating radar survey as the linchpin of a multidisciplinary approach to the study of two Roman cities in Lazio – A. Launaro, M. Millett, L. Verdonck, F. Vermeulen A multidisciplinary approach for characterizing the shallow subsoil of the Central Archaeological Area of Rome for geohazard assessment – M. Moscatelli, M. Mancini, F. Stigliano, M. Simionato, C. Di Salvo, G.P. Cavinato, S. Piro Acquisition, integration and interpretation of multiple GPR data sets in urban areas, as part of the ERC Rome Transformed project – S. Piro, D. Zamuner, T. Leti Messina, D. Verrecchia Integrated GPR and laser scanning of Piazza Sant’Anastasia, Rome – E. Pomar, S. Kay, P. Campbell, K. Vuković GPR survey in the Punic harbour of La Martela (El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain) and the methodology used for the processing and archaeological visualisation of the data – J.A. Ruiz Gil, L. Lagóstena Barrios, J. Pérez Marrero, P. Trapero, J. Catalán, I. Rondán-Sevilla, M. Ruiz Barroso 4D with accuracy: why bother? – A. Schmidt, T. Sparrow, C. Gaffney, V. Gaffney, A. S. Wilson, R.A.E. Coningham SITAR project. New approaches and methods for an open data archaeology of Rome – M. Serlorenzi, A. Cecchetti, A. D’Andrea, F. Lamonaca, G. Leoni, R. Montalbano, S. Picciola Marvellous metadata: managing metadata for the Rome Transformed Project – A. Turner

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisDecoding Signs of Identity is the volume of proceedings resulting from the symposium with the same name and held in Leiden, 13-15 December 2013, in the framework of the NWO research project `Symbolizing Identity: Identity marks and their relation to writing in New Kingdom Egypt’. The aim of the project, and indeed of the symposium, was to investigate identity marks of Ancient Egyptian workmen, both in a specialist, in-depth manner, and in a more general, comparative perspective. The reader will recognise both of these approaches in the present collection of papers. In the course of its three sections, the topic is narrowed down from general considerations and non-Egyptian cases, to various sorts of Ancient Egyptian identity marks, and finally to the specific marking system of the royal necropolis workforce of the Egyptian New Kingdom, which was the core material of the NWO project. This volume can be considered a follow-up to Pictograms or Pseudo Script? (EU XXV, 2009), and testifies to the continuing scholarly interest in systems of identity marks, both in Egyptology and outside.

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