Landscape archaeology Books
Peter Lang Publishing Inc An Illustrated Dictionary of Navajo Landscape
Book SynopsisThe Navajo language (Diné bizaad) has a vocabulary of landscape terms that allows speakers to communicate about their environment. This book documents that vocabulary and provides photographic illustration of many of the terms. The meanings of these terms seldom match the English-language terms one-to-one. Terms include explicit reference to earth materials such as water or rock/stone. Rather than alphabetically, this book is organized by material and form categories.This dictionary is a valuable resource for language preservation in schools and elsewhere, and for linguists, anthropologists, geographers, and earth scientists interested in indigenous conceptualization of landscape and environment.Table of ContentsList of Figures – Saad Ałtsé Si’ánígíí (Preface) – Project History – A Note on the Methodology – Acknowledgments – The Organization of This Book – Section 1: Water-related Features – Section 2: Elongated Depressions – Section 3: Open Spaces, Gaps, and Holes – Section 4: Elevations and Rock Formations – Section 5: World, Land, Place – Section 6: Vegetation – Section 7: Earth Materials – Index to Navajo-language Terms – Index to English-language Terms.
£67.54
Peter Lang Publishing Inc An Illustrated Dictionary of Navajo Landscape
Book SynopsisThe Navajo language (Diné bizaad) has a vocabulary of landscape terms that allows speakers to communicate about their environment. This book documents that vocabulary and provides photographic illustration of many of the terms. The meanings of these terms seldom match the English-language terms one-to-one. Terms include explicit reference to earth materials such as water or rock/stone. Rather than alphabetically, this book is organized by material and form categories.This dictionary is a valuable resource for language preservation in schools and elsewhere, and for linguists, anthropologists, geographers, and earth scientists interested in indigenous conceptualization of landscape and environment.Table of ContentsList of Figures – Saad Ałtsé Si’ánígíí (Preface) – Project History – A Note on the Methodology – Acknowledgments – The Organization of This Book – Section 1: Water-related Features – Section 2: Elongated Depressions – Section 3: Open Spaces, Gaps, and Holes – Section 4: Elevations and Rock Formations – Section 5: World, Land, Place – Section 6: Vegetation – Section 7: Earth Materials – Index to Navajo-language Terms – Index to English-language Terms.
£29.78
£9.09
Manchester University Press Neolithic Cave Burials: Agency, Structure and
Book SynopsisThis is the first book-length treatment of Neolithic burial in Britain to focus primarily on cave evidence. It interprets human remains from forty-eight caves and compares them to what we know of Neolithic collective burial elsewhere in Britain and Europe. It reviews the archaeology of these cave burials and treats them as important evidence for the study of mortuary practice. Drawing on evidence from archaeology, anthropology, osteology and cave science, the book demonstrates that cave burial was one of the earliest elements of the British Neolithic. It also shows that Early Neolithic cave-burial practice was highly varied, with many similarities to other burial rites. However, by the Middle Neolithic, a funerary practice which was specific to caves had developed.Trade Review'Neolithic Cave Burials is important reading for anyone interested in Neolithic Britain, funerary practice, prehistoric landscapes or cave archaeology. It is a valuable book, one that provides the first comprehensive review of the subject and leaves us in no doubt as to the significance of caves as ritual and funerary loci in the limestone landscapes of Neolithic Britain.'Marion Dowd, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland, The Prehistoric Society'Peterson’s wealth of experience in the excavation of prehistoric archaeological sites has enabled him to collate and reappraise the evidence for a large number of Neolithic cave burial sites, and the book is an important and timely addition to the literature on cave archaeology.'Andrew Chamberlain, University of Manchester, Cave and Karst Science 46/2 -- .Table of Contents1 The body in the cave2 In praise of limestone3 Gestures and positions4 How do caves act?5 Origins6 Written on the body7 Deep time8 Temporality, structure and environmentIndex
£76.50
Manchester University Press Bog Bodies: Face to Face with the Past
Book SynopsisThe ‘bog bodies’ of north-western Europe have captured the imaginations of poets and archaeologists alike, allowing us to come face-to-face with individuals from the past. Their exceptional preservation permits us to examine minute details of their lives and deaths, making us reflect poignantly on our own mortality. But, as this book argues, the bodies must be resituated within a turbulent world of endemic violence and change. Reinterpreting the latest continental research and new discoveries, and featuring a ground-breaking ‘cold case’ forensic study of Worsley Man, Manchester Museum’s ‘bog head’, it brings the bogs to life through both natural history and folklore, revealing them as places that were rich and fertile yet dangerous. The book also argues that these remains do not just pose practical conservation problems but also philosophical dilemmas, compounded by the critical debate on if – and how – they should be displayed.Trade Review'[...] this book is so much more than just an archaeological text setting out what we know about these fascinating remains. Giles takes us on a journey that is poignant, moving and often deeply personal. I have so much empathy in how Giles relates her work to her own sense of bereavement, having lost my own mother recently, that I am left saying, “Hell yes – this is archaeology”. Archaeology of the very best kind – the kind that helps you explore what it is to be human.'British Archaeology, Neil Redfern'Bog Bodies is an exhaustive study of human remains extracted from bogs in northern Europe where conditions amenable to preservation have resulted in the recovery of largely complete bodies. Giles (Univ. of Manchester, UK) explores the natural context of the bogs and how they interacted with the "bog bodies" found within them, delving deeply into the bodies' recovery. She deals with how historians and the public have viewed the bodies, pointing out that shaky assumptions have often driven interpretation. Treatment of the subject raises questions relating to death, from well-known examples to the more general occurrence of the dead, both in past and present cultural contexts and in relation to the bogs' natural environment. Giles's survey of finds, as well as public presentations in museums and written reconstructions, suggests to her that the dead offer a way for everyone to richly connect with and understand the lives of the past. Well-illustrated, with a current bibliography, this book is an obvious acquisition for colleges and universities with appropriate departments. The author's sensitive treatment will also interest a wider audience.--R. B. Clay, emeritus, University of KentuckySumming Up: Recommended. General readers through graduate students.Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association. -- .Table of Contents1 Introduction 2 Discovering bog bodies 3 Preserving the dead 4 Crossing the bog 5 Exquisite things and everyday treasures: interpreting deposition in the bog6 Violent ends7 Worsley Man: Manchester’s bog head 8 Disquieting exhibits9 Conclusion: creative legaciesIndex
£26.00
University of Utah Press,U.S. From Mountain Top to Valley Bottom: Understanding
Book SynopsisThe American Southwest is characterised by environmentally and culturally diverse landscapes, which include the northern Rio Grande valley as it cuts through north-central New Mexico from Taos to Albuquerque. The region has a long and rich history of anthropological research primarily focused on the archaeological remains found along this valley corridor. Only recently has research involving large-scale surveys and excavations been conducted on the nearby mesas and mountains that form the rugged margins of the river valley. From Mountain Top to Valley Bottom incorporates this new research into a perspective that links the ever-changing and complementary nature of lowland and upland land use.The essays in this collection are unified by three specific themes: landscape, movement, and technology. Landscape involves the ecological backdrop of the northern Rio Grande valley, including past and present environments. Movement refers to the positioning of people across the landscape along with the dynamic and fluid nature with which people—past and present—view their relationship with the “above” and “below.” Technology not only refers to the tools and facilities that past people may have used but to the organisation of labour needed to cooperatively exploit a variety of subsistence resources and the exchange of products across the region. This volume provides both a cross section of current research from expert scholars and a broad perspective that seeks to integrate new data from lowland and upland contexts. From Mountain Top to Valley Bottom will appeal to those interested in obsidian source studies, geoarchaeology, past climatic regimes, foraging societies, early agriculture, ceramic technology, subsistence, early village formation, ethnogenesis, and historic multiethnic economies.Trade Review“Brings a wide range of specialties commenting on a single region into a single volume. It covers thousands of years of human occupation in the Northern Rio Grande and spans an array of specialties.”—Michael Adler, author of The Prehistoric Pueblo World, A.D. 1150–1350 “This volume illustrates the richness of the Northern Rio Grande archaeological record, the rapidly expanding database being built by a large number of excellent archaeologists working in the region, and the fascinating debates on fundamental interpretations that result.”—Journal of Anthropological Research “[This volume] is especially helpful as an example of a regional overview that synthesizes available data, addresses important research questions, identifies data gaps, and helps develop hypotheses for future research in Utah.”—Utah ArchaeologyTable of ContentsList of FiguresList of TablesForeword by Severin M. FowlesIntroductionBradley J. VierraPart I/Landscape1. The Geochemistry and Archaeological Petrology of Volcanic Raw Materials in Northern New Mexico: Obsidian and Dacite Sources in Upland and Lowland Contexts, M. Steven Shackley2. Surficial Processes and Preservation of Ancestral Puebloan Archaeological Sites on the Pajarito Plateau, New Mexico, Paul G. Drakos and Steven L. Reneau3. Dendroclimatologic Reconstructions of Precipitation for the Northern Rio Grande, Ronald H. Towner and Mathew W. SalzerPart II/Movement4. The Cultural Ecology of Jemez Cave, Richard I. Ford5. Transitional Archaic and Emergent Agricultural Settlement in the Lowland-Upland Settings of the Northern Rio Grande, New Mexico, Stephen S. Post6. Ecological Uncertainly and Organizational Flexibility on the Prehistoric Tewa Landscape: Notes from the Northern Frontier, Samuel Duwe and Kurt F. Anschuetz7. Living it Up: Upland Adaptation and High Altitude Occupation by the Gallina along the Continental Divide, J. Michael Bremer and Denver Burns8. Upland-Lowland Corridors and Historic Jicarilla Apache Settlement in the Northern Rio Grande, B.Sunday EiseltPart III/Technology9. Archaic Foraging Technology and Land-use in the Northern Rio Grande, Bradley J. Vierra10. The Gradual Development of Systems of Pottery Production and Distribution Across Northern Rio Grande Landscapes, C. Dean Wilson11. From the Land of the Little Birds to the Valleys of the White Rock, Tewa, Galisteo, Rio Grande and Santa Fe Rivers: Diet and Subsistence Meet the Challenges of a Changing Environment, Pamela J. McBride and Mollie S. Toll12. Northern Rio Grande Faunal Exploitation: A View from the Pajarito Plateau, the Tewa Basin and Beyond, Nancy J. Akins13. Discussion: Landscape, Movement and Technology in the Northern Rio Grande, Timothy A. KohlerList of ContributorsIndex
£29.66
University of Utah Press,U.S. Purple Hummingbird: A Biography of Elizabeth
Book SynopsisElizabeth Warder Crozer Campbell and her husband, William Campbell, found themselves forced to move to the Mojave Desert in 1924, its dry climate proving to be the best for William’s frail lungs burned by mustard gas in World War I. They camped at Twentynine Palm Oasis in what is now Joshua Tree National Park, homesteaded nearby, and became a central part of that early community. Life in the remote, stark landscape contrasted sharply with Elizabeth’s early years of wealth and privilege in Pennsylvania, but her resilient spirit made the best of what at first seemed like a bleak situation— she became an amateur archaeologist and explored the desert. A keen observer and independent thinker, she soon hypothesised that prehistoric people had lived in the California deserts along the shores of late Pleistocene lakes and waterways much earlier than was then believed. She devised a means for testing her hypothesis and found evidence to support it. Her interpretations, however, conflicted with the archaeological paradigm of the day and she was dismissed by formally trained archaeologists. Even so, she and her husband continued their work, convinced of the accuracy of her findings. Four decades later the archaeological establishment validated and accepted her ideas. Campbell’s research ultimately revolutionised archaeological thought, forming the basis of today’s landscape archaeology.Trade Review“The authors’ incredible breadth of knowledge on the region’s early archaeology is evident. Their book will aid future researchers in understanding the history of archaeological research in this area.” —Heidi Roberts, founder and director of HRA Incorporated, Conservation Archaeology “Evoking a very different era of archaeological exploration, Warren and Schneider tell the story of a true pioneer in understanding the deep history of the California and Nevada deserts. Lacking any formal academic training, Elizabeth Crozer Campbell transcended chauvinism and professional rivalries to develop unique insights into the relationship of landforms, sites, and human behavior. A must read for anyone interested in the developmental stages of American archaeology and how some researchers achieved reasonable chronological controls before the advent of radiometric dating.” —Mark E. Basgall, Professor of Anthropology, CSU Sacramento
£17.56
University of Utah Press,U.S. The Geoarchaeology of a Terraced Landscape: From
Book SynopsisThe toil of several million peasant farmers in Aztec Mexico transformed lakebeds and mountainsides into a checkerboard of highly productive fields. This book charts the changing fortunes of one Aztec settlement and its terraced landscapes from the twelfth to the twenty-first century. It also follows the progress and missteps of a team of archaeologists as they pieced together this story. Working at a settlement in the Toluca Valley of central Mexico, the authors used fieldwalking, excavation, soil and artifact analyses, maps, aerial photos, land deeds, and litigation records to reconstruct the changing landscape through time. Exploiting the methodologies and techniques of several disciplines, they bring context to eight centuries of the region's agrarian history, exploring the effects of the Aztec and Spanish Empires, reform, and revolution on the physical shape of the Mexican countryside and the livelihoods of its people. Accessible to specialists and nonspecialists alike, this well-illustrated and well-organized volume provides a step-by-step guide that can be applied to the study of terraced landscapes anywhere in the world. The four authors share an interest in terraced landscapes and have worked together and on their own on a variety of archaeological projects in Mesoamerica, the Mediterranean, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
£72.80
University of Utah Press,U.S. Retracing Inca Steps: Adventures in Andean
Book SynopsisDean Arnold takes readers on a journey into the Andes, recounting the adventures of his 1960s research in the village of Quinua, Peru. Arnold's quest to understand how contemporary pottery production reflected current Quinua society as well as its ancient Inca and pre-Inca past is one of the earliest studies in what later became known as ethnoarchaeology. This first-person narrative reveals the challenges of living and working in another culture and the many obstacles one can encounter while doing field research. Arnold shares how his feelings of frustration and perceived failure led him to refocus his project, a shift that ultimately led to an entirely new perspective on pottery production in the Andes. Masterfully weaving details about Peru's geography, ecology, history, prehistory, and culture into his story, he chronicles his change from small-town Midwesterner to a person of much broader vision, newly aware of his North American views and values. Retracing Inca Steps is an excellent read for the lay person wishing to learn about the environment, prehistory, history, and culture of Peru as well as for students wanting to know more about the joys and rigors of fieldwork.
£28.46
University of Utah Press,U.S. The Archaeology of Place and Space in the West
Book SynopsisHistorical archaeologists explore landscapes in the American West through many lenses, including culture contact, colonialism, labor, migration, and identity. This volume sets landscape at the center of analysis, examining space (a geographic location) and place (the lived experience of a locale) in their myriad permutations. Divided into three thematic sections—the West as space, the West as community, and the West today—the book pulls together case studies from across the American West and incorporates multivocal contributions and perspectives from archaeology, anthropology, Indigenous studies, history, Latinx studies, geography, and material culture studies. Contributors tackle questions of how historical archaeologists theoretically and methodologically define the West, conveying the historical, mythological, and physical manifestations of placemaking. They confront issues of community and how diverse ethnic, racial, gendered, labor-based, and other demographic populations expressed their identities on and in the Western landscape. Authors also address the continued creation and re-creation of the West today, exploring the impact of the past on people in the present and its influence on modern conceptions of the American West.
£52.00
Liverpool University Press Mallorca: The Making of the Landscape
Book SynopsisThe island of Robert Graves, Joan Miro and Archduke Ludwig Salvador has become the most popular holiday destination in the Mediterranean with nearly 10 million visitors a year. Few, however, are aware of the 5000 year history of Mallorca and its resulting landscape featuring late Bronze Age navetes and talayots, Roman cities, and a major medieval trading port with one of Europe's largest cathedrals. Mallorca's landscape has been formed with a pattern of important country houses and enclosed fields, and the relics of major nineteenth century industries including textiles and shoe-making workshops. One hundred and twenty years of tourism, latterly on a massive scale, endangers much of what has gone before. Professor Buswell's pioneering work, based on more than ten years of local research, describes and analyses all these elements that together form the contemporary landscape. Written in an accessible style and well-illustrated with maps and photographs, this book will appeal to student and concerned reader alike and should be read by all who are inquisitive about what they see around them when they visit the island.Trade Review'Buswell's latest book has no peer in English....he draws on various epistemological perspectives to portray the landscape as a cultural artifact that is unique due to changing human settlement and exploitation, but also is a palimpsest bearing telltale signs of sequent occupancy never completely erased.' The AAG Review of Books'The chapters on the historical landscape changes are both enjoyable and informative. The reader is taken on a tour which begins with ‘Prehistoric Mallorca’ (ch. 4), runs through the Roman and Muslim occupations (ch. 5 and 6) through to Medieval and early modern Mallorca (ch. 7 and 8). Three final chapters in this block (ch. 9-11) cover the last two centuries, focusing on the development of manufacturing (principally textiles), demographic changes, the decline of the large estates that had dominated for centuries, and of course, tourism. There is a careful consideration throughout on rural-urban landscape interactions and the development of Palma, reflecting its size and importance. These historical chapters that form the ‘core’ of the book are highly readable and will have wide appeal to a non-academic audience. This is in part down to the inclusion of many fascinating factual ‘gems’ that make the narrative come alive. These range from descriptions of land tenants’ rents during the sixteenth century (paid in a mixture of cream cheeses, goats and cash), to changes in dietary preferences between the Muslim and Christian occupations. I particularly enjoyed the author’s many asides (harking back to themes covered elsewhere) and style of probing behind the facts, although not all his questions are answered in much depth, which might frustrate some readers. There is much to commend the structuring and presentation of the book. The chronological layout of the chapters makes them easy to dip in and out of, whilst helpful summaries reinforce key points. The illustrations are generous and useful, taking the form of coloured maps, photographs and tables. I found the historical maps and old photographs particularly welcome - I wish there had been more of these but space doesn’t seem to have permitted this. The reference list is impressive and an excellent resource in itself.' Island Studies‘The book is well illustrated and offers a panoply of archival photographs, contemporary images and sketch maps, but draws almost exclusively upon secondary research material. It is of direct interest to the teaching of Iberian geography at undergraduate level. This fascinating and informative book offers valuable insight into an island community that is little known beyond its Catalan and Castilian research roots.’ GeographyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Preface. 1. Introduction: Mallorca and landscape history; 2. Mallorca and the Mediterranean; 3. The physical basis of the landscape; Prehistoric Mallorca - early human imprint; 5. Roman and other empires in Mallorca: limited landscapes; 6. The landscape of the Muslims, 902-1229; 7. Medieval Mallorca, 1229-1519; 8. Early modern Mallorca, 1520-1820; 9. The long nineteenth century, 1820-1920: the beginnings of modernisation; 10. A beggar's mantle fringed with gold - Mallorca 1920-1955; 11. Mass tourism and the landscape - Mallorca 1955-2011; 12. Reflections on a theme of landscape change. Notes. References. Index.
£41.86
Fonthill Media Ltd The Anglo-Saxon Avon Valley Frontier: A River of
Book SynopsisThis ground-breaking exploration of the Anglo-Saxon 'Avon valley frontier', combines archaeology and documentary sources, to present a case for remarkable continuity during the Dark Age and Anglo-Saxon period. Based on research in the department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic History at Cambridge University, this study explores the evidence of archaeology, chronicles, charters and place-names to analyse the history of the 'Bristol Avon' as a frontier from the 4th to the 11th century. The result is a regional history that mirrors the history of Anglo-Saxon England. It also reveals a striking continuity in the use of the Avon valley as a frontier; the roots of which are discernible in the Late Iron Age. Yet this continuity tells two different 'stories', either side of Bath, which influenced the actions of successor kingdoms over hundreds of years. In this history, Offa, Alfred, Guthrum, Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edgar and Cnut all played their parts. Even the legendary Arthur and the semi-legendary Vortigern have walk-on parts. What is surprising is that 21st century civil and Church boundaries still reflect this history, which is over 1,500 years old.
£15.29
Oxbow Books Hopewell Ceremonial Landscapes of Ohio: More Than
Book SynopsisNearly 2000 years ago, people living in the river valleys of southern Ohio built earthen monuments on a scale that is unmatched in the archaeological record for small-scale societies. The period from c. 200 BC to c. AD 500 (Early to Middle Woodland) witnessed the construction of mounds, earthen walls, ditches, borrow pits and other earthen and stone features covering dozen of hectares at many sites and hundreds of hectares at some. The development of the vast Hopewell Culture geometric earthwork complexes such as those at Mound City, Chilicothe; Hopewell; and the Newark earthworks was accompanied by the establishment of wide-ranging cultural contacts reflected in the movement of exotic and strikingly beautiful artefacts such as elaborate tobacco pipes, obsidian and chert arrowheads, copper axes and regalia, animal figurines and delicately carved sheets of mica. These phenomena, coupled with complex burial rituals, indicate the emergence of a political economy based on a powerful ideology of individual power and prestige, and the creation of a vast cultural landscape within which the monument complexes were central to a ritual cycle encompassing a substantial geographical area.The labour needed to build these vast cultural landscapes exceeds population estimates for the region, and suggests that people from near (and possibly far) travelled to the Scioto and other river valleys to help with construction of these monumental earthen complexes. Here, in the first American Landscapes volume, Mark Lynott draws on more than a decade of research and extensive new datasets to re-examine the spectacular and massive scale Ohio Hopewell landscapes and to explore the society that created them.Trade ReviewMark Lynott has given us a successful account of the earthwork centers of southern Ohio and one that complements previous treatments focusing on grave lots, ritual production, and artifact-based interaction. It is a useful addition to our understanding of Ohio Hopewell and it will be read by generations to come. * Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology *Well illustrated with photos and drawings. A must for those interested in Hopewell and for scholars around the world researching ceremonial earthworks. * CHOICE *Hopewell Ceremonial Landscapes of Ohi is, in my estimation, the most authoritative, up-to-date, and attractive overview of ancient North America’s allimportant Hopewellian world (c. 150 b.c.–a.d. 350). The book’s authority and up-to-date quality rest on the late author’s decades-long experience with the archaeology and archaeologists of this all-important indigenous cultural phenomenon. * Landscape History *Table of ContentsI. More than Mounds and Ditches, an Introduction to Ohio Hopewell Ceremonial Landscapes Ohio and the Beginning of North American Archaeology Mortuary Mounds and Artifacts Expanding Research Interests in earthworks and ceremonial centers Ohio Hopewell Constructed Landscapes and the Digital Revolution Ohio Hopewell – an iconic name and iconic sites, but what is it?II. Current Issues in the Construction of Ohio Hopewell ceremonial landscapes Hopewell Variation and Distribution Time and Hopewell ArchaeologyEnergy analysis: How many people did it take to build Ohio Hopewell Ceremonial Landscapes Sedentary Farmers or Mobile Foragers? Mensuration, Geometry, Alignments and Reading the Heavens Alignments and Reading the Heavens The Great Hopewell Road Were ceremonial landscapes planned designs? Models and hypotheses.III. The Hopeton Earthworks ProjectGeophysical Survey and Trench ExcavationsEmbankment Wall Features GeoarchaeologyRadiocarbon ResultsNon-embankment wall featuresNear The Earthworks: Triangle, Red Wing, Overly, and Cryder sitesWhat have we learned about the Hopeton Earthworks?IV. Studies of Ohio Hopewell Ceremonial Landscapes Southeastern Ohio Newark Earthworks Marietta Scioto River Valley Seip High Bank Earthwork Anderson Earthwork Mound City Hopewell Mound Group Shriver CircleSouthwest Ohio – Brush Creek, The Great Miami and Little Miami River drainagesFort Hill, Highland CountyFort AncientFoster’s CrossingPollock WorksMiami FortTurner Group of EarthworksStubbs EarthworkV: What do we know about Hopewell ceremonial landscapes?Constructed Landscapes, Site Preparation and PlanningMaterial Selection and the Placement of material: art or engineering?Landscape Features - Unique and DiverseTime and Landscape Construction How Were Ceremonial Landscapes Used? Ritual Refuse Pits at the Riverside Site, Hopewell Mound Group The Moorehead Circle Craft Houses and Other Wooden Structures A Great Post Circle and Many Buildings Beyond the Enclosure at Mound City Some additional thoughtsVI. Some Final Thoughts: What We Still Need to Learn Landscapes and Time The Meaning Behind Landscape Forms Beyond Southern Ohio Future studies and final thoughtsVII. References
£34.20
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Burial, Landscape and Identity in Early Medieval
Book SynopsisMulti-disciplinary investigation of Anglo-Saxon funerary traditions. Burial evidence provides the richest record we possess for the centuries following the retreat of Roman authority. The locations and manner in which communities chose to bury their dead, within the constraints of the environmentaland social milieu, reveal much about this transformational era. This book offers a pioneering exploration of the ways in which the cultural and physical environment influenced funerary traditions during the period c. AD 450-850, in the region which came to form the leading Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. This was a diverse landscape rich in ancient remains, in the form of imposing earthworks, enigmatic megaliths and vestiges of Roman occupation. Employing archaeological evidence, complemented by toponymic and documentary sources and elucidated through landscape analysis, the author argues that particular man-made and natural features were consciously selected as foci for funerary events and ritual practice, becoming integral to manifestations of identity and power in early medieval society. Kate Mees is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Archaeology, Durham University.Trade Review[An] invaluable resource for anyone seeking to use evidence of burial in the landscape -- EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPEA detailed and thoughtful book...A stroke of Mees' brilliance is the use of microtopography, a novel approach that yields some intriguing inferences about the interplay between landscape and funerary ritual. * JAEMA *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Perspectives, Approaches and Context Monument Reuse and the Inherited Landscape Topography and Ritual Life 'Britons and Saxons'? Land Use, Territoriality and Social Change The Church and the Funerary Landscape Conclusions Appendix: Gazetteer of burial sites in the study area, c. AD 450-850 Bibliography
£76.50
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Transhumance and the Making of Ireland's Uplands,
Book SynopsisFirst full survey of how transhumance operated in Ireland from the sixteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth. WINNER: American Conference for Irish Studies Donald Murphy Prize for Distinguished First Book 2021 Special Commendation, Publication Prize in Irish History, NUI Awards 2021 SHORTLISTED: European Association of Archaeologists Book Prize 2023 The rearing of cattle is today a fairly sedentary practice in Ireland, Britain and most of north-west Europe. But in the not-so-distant past it was common for many rural households to take their livestock to hill and mountain pastures for the summer. Moreover, ethnographic accounts suggest that a significant number of people would stay in seasonal upland settlements to milk the cows and produce butter and cheese. However, these movements all but died out in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, meaning that today transhumance is mainly associated with Alpine and Mediterranean landscapes. This book is the first major interdisciplinary approach to the diversity and decline of transhumance in a northern European context. Focusing on Ireland from c.1550 to 1900, it shows that uplands were valuable resources which allowed tenant households to maintain larger herds of livestock and adapt to global economic trends. And it places the practice in a social context, demonstrating that transhumance required highly organized systems of common grazing, and that the care of dairy cows amounted to a rite of passage for young women in many rural communities.Trade ReviewCostello's wide-ranging research and incisive analysis on transhumance makes a valuable contribution to historical archaeology not just in Ireland, but in a wider European context...The great achievement of this book is that it brings to the fore a people and a way of life that has not been fully appreciated in Irish settlement studies hitherto, surely a commendable achievement. * AGRICULTURAL HISTORY REVIEW *Costello's splendid opus . . . is highly worthwhile for an interdisciplinary readership and at the same time is a groundbreaking work for future cross-disciplinary research on the diversity of transhumance in Northwestern Europe and beyond. * AGRICULTURAL HISTORY *An exemplar of how historical landscapes should be studied, and informs our wider understanding of how social and economic processes played out in different regions. * LANDSCAPE HISTORY *This is a remarkable study in terms of its chronological sweep, its use of diverse sources and its multi-disciplinary approach to the past. * IRISH HISTORICAL STUDIES *He makes a sensitive study of these landscapes drawing on archaeology, placenames, oral tradition, historic documents, and soil science. * ESTUDIOS IRLANDESES *"Costello's well-presented and beautifully published study is a welcome addition to the increasing literature on transhumance" * BÉALOIDEAS: JOURNAL OF THE FOLKLORE OF IRELAND SOCIETY *Table of ContentsIntroduction Seasonal movement and settlement in a world of pastoralism Imagining movement: past and present views of transhumance in Ireland Seasonal sites in context: summer pastures of the Carna peninsula Connected places: home and booley in Gleann Cholm Cille over time Altitude and adaptation: evolving seasonal settlement in the Galtee Mountains Herders and historical forces, 1600-1900 Conclusion
£72.00
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Territoriality and the Early Medieval Landscape:
Book SynopsisAn exploration of small early folk communities prior to the eleventh century, showing their development and sophistication. All communities have a strong sense of identity with the area in which they live, which for England in the early medieval period manifested itself in a series of territorial entities, ranging from large kingdoms down to small districts known as pagi or regiones. This book investigates these small early folk territories, and the way that they evolved into the administrative units recorded in Domesday, across an entire kingdom - that of the East Saxons (broadly speaking, what is now Essex, Middlesex, most of Hertfordshire, and south Suffolk). A wide range of evidence is drawn upon, including archaeology, written documents, place-names and the early cartographic sources. The book looks in particular at the relationship between Saxon immigrants and the native British population, and argues that initially these ethnic groups occupied different parts of the landscape, until a dynasty which assumed an Anglo-Saxon identity achieved political ascendency (its members included the so-called "Prittlewell Prince", buried with spectacular grave-good in Prittlewell, near Southend-on- Sea in southern Essex). Other significant places discussed include London, the seat of the first East Saxon bishopric, the possible royal vills at Wicken Bonhunt near Saffron Walden and Maldon, and St Peter's Chapel at Bradwell-on-Sea, one of the most important surviving churches from the early Christian period.Trade ReviewStephen Rippon must be congratulated on a handsome, well-illustrated book that is a new must-read [...]. -- Current ArchaeologyTable of ContentsPART I: BACKGROUND Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Territoriality in Early Medieval England Chapter 3 Reconstructing Early Medieval Folk Territories PART II: THE EARLY FOLK TERRITORIES Chapter 4 From Early Folk Territory to Domesday Vills: The Rochford Peninsula Chapter 5 Immigration and Integration in the Central Thameside Districts: The Fen District and Havering Chapter 6 The Province of the Middle Saxons Chapter 7 Fringes of the Kingdom: The Eastern Coastal Districts and the Landscape Context of Anglo-Saxon Colonisation Chapter 8 A British Domain: The Central Claylands, Place-names, Early Medieval Territorial Identity, and the -ingas Question Chapter 9 Another British Domain: The Northern Claylands Chapter 10 And Another British Domain: The Western Districts, and Romano-British Antecedents of Early Medieval Central Places Chapter 11 Beyond the Northern Frontier PART III: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS Chapter 12 Agriculture and Resource Management Chapter 13 Conclusions Appendices 1. Domesday population densities across the 'Rochford Peninsula' early folk territory 2. Sites used in the analysis of animal bone assemblages 3. Sites used in the analysis of charred cereal assemblages Bibliography Index
£93.53
Archaeopress A Life in Norfolk's Archaeology: 1950-2016:
Book SynopsisThis is a history of archaeological endeavour in Norfolk set within a national context. It covers the writer's early experiences as a volunteer, the rise of field archaeology as a profession and efforts to conserve the archaeological heritage against the tide of destruction prevalent in the countryside up to the 1980s when there was not even a right of access to record sites before they were lost. Now developers often have to pay for an excavation before they can obtain planning consent. The book features progress with archaeology conservation as well as the growth of rescue archaeology as a profession both in towns and in the countryside. Many of the most important discoveries made by aerial photography, rescue excavations and metal detecting from the 1970s onwards are illustrated. The last section covers the recent growth of the Norfolk Archaeological Trust as an owner of some of the most iconic rural sites in Norfolk. The book concludes with a discussion of some issues facing British field archaeology today.Trade Review'What a life in Norfolk's archaeology! The book is destined to become an essential archaeological reference and to join other classics of archaeological autobiography, among them Sir Mortimer Wheeler's Still Digging and Philip Rahtz's Living Archaeology. An absolute must-read.' - Edward Biddulph (2018): Current Archaeology Nominated for the Current Archaeology Book of the Year Award 2019Table of ContentsNorfolk Firsts ; Time line of key events most of which feature in the Book ; Chapter 1: Introduction ; Chapter 2: The Early Years ; Chapter 3: Excavating Deserted Medieval Villages ; Chapter 4: The Launditch Hundred Project, 1967-71 ; Chapter 5: North Elmham Park: The Excavation of a High-Status Anglo-Saxon and Early Medieval Settlement, 1967-72 ; Chapter 6: Chance Finds ; Chapter 7: Societies ; Chapter 8: Amateurs in Action ; Chapter 9: Metal Detecting: ‘The Norfolk System’ ; Chapter 10: Urban Surveys ; Chapter 11: The ‘RESCUE’ Movement, The Scole Committee and Professional County Units ; Chapter 12: A New County Service for Field Archaeology, 1973-1999 ; Chapter 13: Key Norfolk Archaeological Unit Projects ; Chapter 14: The Story of ‘East Anglian Archaeology’ ; Chapter 15: County-based Conservation Projects ; Chapter 16: National Conservation Initiatives ; Chapter 17: Some Rescue Excavations, 1972-92 ; Chapter 18: Clearing the Publication Backlog from the Past, 1977-97 ; Chapter 19: Re-structuring Field Archaeology in Norfolk, 1991 ; Chapter 20: Time to Move On ; Chapter 21: The Norfolk Archaeological Trust: a property-owning conservation trust ; Chapter 22: Caistor St Edmund Roman Town ; Chapter 23: Burgh Castle ‘Saxon Shore’ Roman Fort ; Chapter 24: Two Monasteries ; Chapter 25: Other Recent Acquisitions ; Chapter 26: The Future Role of the Norfolk Archaeological Trust ; Chapter 27: A Time to Reflect ; Appendix 1: Alan Davison’s publications ; Appendix 2: Summary of progress set out in the 1996 Five-year Development Plan for Archaeology in the Norfolk Museums Service ; Appendix 3: List of those archaeologists who attended the February 1970 Barford meeting which represented the start of the RESCUE movement ; Bibliography ; Index
£23.74
Archaeopress The Gwithian Landscape: Molluscs and Archaeology
Book SynopsisGwithian, on the north coast of Cornwall, is a multiperiod archaeological site. Excavations by Charles Thomas in the mid-twentieth century provided evidence of human activity from the Mesolithic to the post-medieval period. The present work explores the palaeoenvironment of the area around the settlement sites, from the Neolithic, when sand dunes initially developed in the Red River valley, to the present post-industrial landscape. Multiproxy analyses on sediments from coring, a test pit and mollusc columns provide a view of the changing landscape and how it may have influenced, or been influenced by, human presence and settlement. Mollusc studies are used as the principal analytical method. Multiple radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminesce dates permit these changes to be studied on a tighter time frame than was previously possible. Mining activity from the Bronze Age to the present is explored using fine-resolution geochemistry. Dating allows the timing of the extinction and introduction of some mollusc species to be refined.Table of ContentsPreface; Foreword by Jacqueline A. Nowakowski; Chapter I – Introduction ; Chapter II – Gwithian and its archaeological complex; Chapter III – Previous molluscan studies at Gwithian; Chapter IV – The current study at Gwithian; Chapter V – The coring transect; Chapter VI – Percussion cores; Chapter VII – Hand auger cores; Chapter VIII – Pollen analysis at Gwithian – by Dr. C. R. Batchelor ; Chapter IX – Chronology and discussion of the coring transect; Chapter X – Trench excavation; Chapter XI – Micromorphology analysis of a buried soil – by Dr R. Y. Banerjea; Chapter XII – Mollusc studies in the wider Gwithian landscape; Chapter XIII – Mining for tin and other metals; Chapter XIV – Discussion and conclusions; Conclusions; Bibliography
£36.10
Archaeopress Professor Challenger and his Lost Neolithic
Book SynopsisProfessor Challenger and his Lost Neolithic World combines the two great passions of the author’s life: reconstructing the Neolithic mind and constructively challenging consensus in his professional domain. The book is semi-autobiographical, charting the author’s investigation of Alexander Thom’s theories, in particular regarding the alignment of prehistoric monuments in the landscape, across a number of key Neolithic sites from Kintraw to Stonehenge and finally Orkney. It maps his own perspective of the changing reception to Thom’s ideas by the archaeological profession from initial curiosity and acceptance to increasing scepticism. The text presents historical summaries of the various strands of evidence from key Neolithic sites across the UK and Ireland with the compelling evidence from the Ness of Brodgar added as an appendix in final justification of his approach to the subject.Trade Review'...a richly illustrated account of an important, but much marginalised debate within archaeology and, as such, of great historiographical value.'—Kenneth Brophy (2021): Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1558/jsa.22278Table of ContentsForeword – Dr Doug MacKie ; Preface ; Chapter 1 The origins of the controversy ; Chapter 2 Early hypothesis-testing in western Scotland ; Chapter 3 Decisive tests in Orkney and Ireland ; Chapter 4 Research into Alexander Thom’s fieldwork ; Chapter 5 The probable astronomy and geometry of Stonehenge ; Chapter 6 The Neolithic solar calendar, as seen on a kerb stone at Knowth, Ireland ; Chapter 7 Current aspects of the research situation ; Appendix Is there plausible evidence that the Ness of Brodgar priesthood had any esoteric knowledge? ; Bibliography
£40.78
Oxbow Books Limited Ancient Effigy Mound Landscapes of Upper
Book Synopsis
£34.20
Oxbow Books Extracting Stone
Book SynopsisThis exciting new addition to the American Landscapes series provides an in-depth account of how flintknappers obtained and used stone based on archaeological, geological, landscape, and anthropological data. Featuring case studies from three key regions in North America, this book gives readers a comprehensive view of quarrying activities ranging from extracting the raw material to creating finished stone tools. Quarry landscapes were some of the first large-scale land modification efforts among early peoples in the New World. The chronological time periods covered by quarrying activities show that most intensive use took place during parts of the Archaic and Woodland periods or between roughly 40001000 years ago when denser populations existed, but use began as early as the Paleoindian Period, about 13,0009000 years ago, and ended in the Historic or Protohistoric periods, when colonists and Native Americans mined chert for gunflints and sharpening stones or abrasives. From the procu
£32.00
Oxbow Books Megalithic Tombs in Western Iberia: Excavations
Book SynopsisWestern Iberia has one of the richest inventories of Neolithic chambered tombs in Atlantic Europe, with particular concentrations in Galicia, northern Portugal and the Alentejo. Less well known is the major concentration of tombs along the Tagus valley, straddling the Portuguese-Spanish frontier. Within this cluster is the Anta da Lajinha, a small megalithic tomb in the hill-country north of the River Tagus. Badly damaged by forest fire and stone removal, it was the subject of joint British-Portuguese excavations in 2006-2008, accompanied by environmental investigations and OSL dating. This volume takes the recent excavations at Lajinha and the adjacent site of Cabeço dos Pendentes as the starting point for a broader consideration of the megalithic tombs of western Iberia. Key themes addressed are relevant to megalithic tombs more generally, including landscape, chronology, settlement and interregional relationships. Over what period of time were these tombs built and used? Do they form a horizon of intensive monument construction, or were the tombs the product of a persistent, long-lived tradition? How do they relate to the famous rock art of the Tagus valley, and to the cave burials and open-air settlements of the region, in terms of chronology and landscape? A final section considers the Iberian tombs within the broader family of west European megalithic monuments, focusing on chronologies, parallels and patterns of contact. Did the Iberian tombs emerge through connections with older established megalithic traditions in other regions such as Brittany, or whether they are the outcome of more general processes operating among Atlantic Neolithic societies?Trade ReviewThis is a meaty volume […] an important source of both evidence and synthesis of the megalithic monuments of western Iberia in their local, regional and international contexts. * Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society *Table of ContentsList of figures List of tables Contributors Acknowledgements 1. The megalithic chambered tombs of western Iberia Chris Scarre 2. Excavations at the Anta da Lajinha 2006–2008 Chris Scarre and Luiz Oosterbeek Appendix 2.A: Petrological identification of the slabs used at the Anta da Lajinha Vera Moleiro, Sara Cura, Artur A. Sá and Luiz Oosterbeek Appendix 2.B: Luminescence dating at the Anta da Lajinha Chris Burbidge, Guilherme Cardoso, Isabel Dias, Luiz Oosterbeek, Isabel Prudêncio and Chris Scarre Appendix 2.C: Stratigraphic characterisation and sedimentological analysis at the Anta da Lajinha Pedro P. Cunha, Hugo Gomes, Luiz Oosterbeek and Pierluigi Rosina Appendix 2.D: The ceramic assemblage from the Anta da Lajinha César Neves Appendix 2.E: The lithic assemblage from the Anta da Lajinha Joana Carrondo 3. The regional context Chris Scarre and Elías López-Romero 3.1. The megalithic tombs of Proença-a-Nova João Caninas, Francisco Henriques, Mário Monteiro, Paulo Félix, Carlos Neto de Carvalho, Fernando Robles Henriques, Emanuel Carvalho, Pedro Baptista, André Pereira and Cátia Mendes 3.2. Contemporary non-megalithic interments Nelson J. Almeida, Luís Costa and Luiz Oosterbeek 3.3. Later prehistoric funerary practices in the Nabão valley: the Rego da Murta Megalithic Complex Alexandra Figueiredo 4. Palaeoenvironmental investigations around the Anta da Lajinha and the broader regional context Charles French, William Fletcher, Marco Madella, Cristiana Ferreira, Nelson J. Almeida, Pierluigi Rosina and Chris Scarre Appendix 4.1: The trench profile descriptions Appendix 4.2: The detailed soil micromorphological descriptions Appendix 4.3: Calibration curves for the Anta da Lajinha West Trench radiocarbon dates 5. The Tagus Valley Rock Art Sara Garcês and Luiz Oosterbeek 6. Megalithic tombs in Atlantic Iberia Chris Scarre 7. The Anta da Lajinha in its international context Chris Scarre Bibliography
£54.92
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The First Kingdom: Britain in the age of Arthur
Book SynopsisThe bestselling author of The King in the North turns his attention to the obscure era of British history known as 'the age of Arthur'. 'Not just a valuable book, but a distinctive one as well' Tom Holland, Sunday Times 'An accessible and illuminating book' Gerard de Groot, The Times 'A fascinating picture of Britain's new-found independence' This England Somewhere between the departure of the Roman legions in the early fifth century and the arrival of Augustine's Christian mission at the end of the sixth, the kingdoms of Early Medieval Britain were formed. But by whom? And out of what? The First Kingdom is a skilfully wrought investigation of this mysterious epoch, synthesizing archaeological research carried out over the last forty years to tease out reality from the myth. Max Adams presents an image of post-Roman Britain whose resolution is high enough to show the emergence of distinct political structures in the sixth century – polities that survive long enough to be embedded in the medieval landscape, recorded in the lines of river, road and watershed, and memorialized in place names.Trade ReviewNot just a valuable book, but a distinctive one as well -- Tom Holland, Sunday TimesAn engagingly written exploration of these 'fragments', synthesising archaeological and historical research from the last four decades, and applying a critical eye to traditional narratives passed down by medieval chroniclers and later accounts * Current World Archaeology *A remarkable tapestry in which are woven the diverse threads of archaeology, topography, folklore, linguistics, and culture to create a panorama of Early Medieval Britain and its place in the context of European history -- Seán Beattie, Donegal Annual'A worthy synthesis of what little we know' Gerard de Groot, The Times. -- Gerard de Groot, The TimesA fascinating picture of Britain's new-found independence * This England *He writes with empathy and sensitivity in this distinctive and valuable book * Sunday Times *
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Fens: Discovering England's Ancient Depths
Book SynopsisA BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. 'Francis Pryor brings the magic of the Fens to life in a deeply personal and utterly enthralling way' TONY ROBINSON. 'Pryor feels the land rather than simply knowing it' GUARDIAN. Inland from the Wash, on England's eastern cost, crisscrossed by substantial rivers and punctuated by soaring church spires, are the low-lying, marshy and mysterious Fens. Formed by marine and freshwater flooding, and historically wealthy owing to the fertility of their soils, the Fens of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire are one of the most distinctive, neglected and extraordinary regions of England. Francis Pryor has the most intimate of connections with this landscape. For some forty years he has dug its soils as a working archaeologist – making ground-breaking discoveries about the nature of prehistoric settlement in the area – and raising sheep in the flower-growing country between Spalding and Wisbech. In The Fens, he counterpoints the history of the Fenland landscape and its transformation – from Bronze age field systems to Iron Age hillforts; from the rise of prosperous towns such as King's Lynn, Ely and Cambridge to the ambitious drainage projects that created the Old and New Bedford Rivers – with the story of his own discovery of it as an archaeologist. Affectionate, richly informative and deftly executed, The Fens weaves together strands of archaeology, history and personal experience into a satisfying narrative portrait of a complex and threatened landscape.Trade ReviewFrancis Pryor traces the area's history and his own relationship with it, which stretches back more than 40 years * Radio Times *A fascinating account of a complex landscape by archaeologist Francis Pryor who has dug and worked its soil for almost 40 years. Weaving together strands of archaeology, history and personal experience, he paints an intimate portrait of the East of England's marshy and mysterious Fens * East Anglian Daily Times *[Francis Pryor's] enthusiasm is infectious, whether he's glimpsing Ely cathedral from a train, coming across John Clare's grave or counting the bricks of Tattershall Castle * Spectator *An elegant account of a region that, as [Francis Pryor] puts it, "has inhabited my soul" * History Revealed *Pryor always writes well and entertainingly, and in The Fens he has created what should become one of his most lasting works, a personal, archaeological celebration of a region where he has family roots and where he conducted a lifetime's fieldwork * British Archaeology *A heartfelt love story to the fens: a testament to their deep past as well as a concern for their ecological future * BBC Countryfile *Literally hands-on history – a deeply felt discovery of half a million underestimated acres from Lincolnshire to Suffolk... The Fens retains much of its brooding, enigmatic character and those who wish to understand its unique importance can now call on an articulate and avuncular guide' * Country Life *[Francis Pryor] interweaves his own personal experiences, the graft and grime of the dig and lyrical evocations of place, offering a unique portrait of a sometimes neglected but remarkable area of England * Countryside *A wonderful journey into the history and archaeology of an East Anglian landscape * Eastern Daily Press Norfolk. *An immersive journey through the landscape, saturated with local history and personal insight... It will inspire you to explore the locations on foot' * Country Walking. *Part history, part memoir, it brings the riches of the Fens to the surface and shines a light on this much misunderstood corner of the country * Waterways World *Extremely erudite, with a deep love for and understanding of the flat landscapes of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire (where he has lived for many years), this is the bronze and iron ages brought vividly to life -- Jo Henry, BookBrunch
£9.49
Oxbow Books Interpreting Transformations of People and
Book SynopsisIn this volume of papers, deriving from two conferences held in Rome and Leicester in 2016, nineteen leading European archaeologists discuss and interpret the complex evolution of landscapes – both urban and rural – across Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (c. AD 300–700). The geographical coverage extends from Italy to the Mediterranean West through to the Rhine frontier and onto Hadrian’s Wall. Core are questions of impacts due to the socio-political, religious, military and economic transformations affecting provinces, territories and kingdoms across these often turbulent centuries: how did townscapes change and at what rate? What were the fates of villas? When do post-classical landscapes emerge and in what form? To what degree did Europe become an insecure, defended landscape? In what ways did people – cityfolk, farmers, nobility, churchmen, merchants – adapt? Do the elite remain visible and how prominent is the Church? Where and how do we see culture change through the arrival of new groups or new ideas? Do burials form a clear guide to the changing world? And how did the environment change in this period of stress – was the classical period landscape much altered through the attested depopulation and economic deterioration? And underlying much of the discussion is a consideration of the nature and quality of our source material: how good is the archaeology of these periods and how good is our current reading of the materials available? Combined, these expert studies offer valuable new analyses of people and places in a complex, challenging and crucial period in European history.Trade Review...it is an essential publication for anyone working on the western Mediterranean and Europe from Late Antiquity into the Middle Ages. * Medieval Archaeology *It [this collection] highlights new and interesting aspects – from the north to the south of Europe – of the factors and the change agents that affected settlement processes and the formation/transformation of new post-Roman societies. * Early Medieval Europe *…the volume succeeds admirably in both providing a series of status quaestionum and sketching roadmaps for future scholarship to follow. * The Medieval Review *Table of ContentsList of Contributors Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction: Changing Data and Changing Interpretations in the Study of Transformations of Late Antique Space and Society Neil Christie 1. Transformation in the Cities of Northern Italy between the Fifth and Seventh Centuries AD. Forms, Functions and Societies Gian Pietro Brogiolo 2. Rome. An Analysis of Changes in Topography and Population between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages Roberto Meneghini 3. The Transformation of Society in Late Antique Hispania (AD 300–700) Javier Arce 4. Per omnium villas vicosque cunctos: Rural Landscapes in Late Antique Southern Italy Roberto Goffredo and Giuliano Volpe 5. The Countryside of Southern Gaul from the Fourth to Seventh Centuries AD. Settlement, Landscape and Society Claude Raynaud 6. Villas, Visigoths and Evangelisation: Rural Archaeology in Late Antique Novempopulana Simon Esmonde Cleary 7. Rural Settlements in the Territory of Salamanca (Spain) between the Late Roman Period and the Early Middle Ages: Testing a Model Enrique Ariño 8. Transformation in the Avon Valley from the Late Fourth to Seventh Centuries AD: A Case Study from the West Midlands, England Abigail E. I. Tompkins 9. Changing Landscapes? Land, People and Environment in England, AD 350–600 Stephen Rippon 10. Diversity in Unity: Exploring Survival, Transition and Ethnogenesis in Late Antique Western Britain Roger White 11. Landscape, Economy and Society in Late and Post-Roman Wales Andy Seaman 12. Military Might for a Depopulated Region? Interpreting the Archaeology of the Lower Rhine Area in the Late Roman Period Stijn Heeren 13. Landscapes of the Limitanei at the North-Western Edge of Empire Rob Collins 14. People and Landscapes in Northern Italy: Interrogating the Burial Archaeology of the Early Middle Ages Alexandra Chavarría Arnau 15. Rural and Urban Contexts in North-Eastern Spain: Examining and Interpreting Transformations across the Fifth–Seventh Centuries AD Pilar Diarte-Blasco 16. Spatial Inequality and the Formation of an Early Medieval Landscape in the Centre of the Iberian Peninsula Lauro Olmo-Enciso 17. Discontinuities, Threads of Continuity, Academic Inertia and All That: Debating the Late Antique and Early Medieval Archaeologies of Inner Iberia Alfonso Vigil-Escalera Guirado
£55.00
Oxbow Books Landscape Beneath the Waves: The Archaeological
Book SynopsisAt the end of the last Ice Age, sea level around the world was lower, coastal lands stretched further and the continents were bigger, in some cases landmasses were joined by dry land that has now disappeared beneath the waves. The study of the now submerged landscapes that our ancestors knew represents one of the last barriers for archaeology. Only recently have advances in underwater technology reached the stage where a wealth of procedures is available to explore this lost undersea world. This volume considers the processes behind the rising (and falling) of relative sea-levels and then presents the main techniques available for the study and interpretation of the archaeological remains that have survived inundation.Case studies are used to illustrate particular applications. Finally, a review of projects around the world highlights the varying scale and period of sites concerned. Submerged archaeological sites often include the preservation of fragile materials such as decorated timbers, that shed rare detail on the communities of prehistory; in other cases the features of the landscape context into which they are set can be extraordinarily well-preserved. This is not a book about shipwrecks but about landscapes now lost beneath the waves. It is written for all archaeologists, whether they work on land or at sea, and for all who are interested in the past; it illustrates the shape of the world as it once was and explains why we need to understand it. It offers an easily accessible introduction to the exciting realm of underwater archaeology.Trade Review…a book that deserves to be read by all striving to untangle the complex palimpsest of our landscape. * British Archaeology *this book does much to fill the apparent gap in the market for a sound introduction to its subject at a reasonable price… * International Journal of Nautical Archaeology *As a volume of the Studying Scientific Archaeology series, which is aimed at university students and focuses on the application of scientific techniques to understand the human past, both the style of the book and its content are well suited to a student readership. It is crafted like a textbook with clearly written, concise sections, inset boxes explaining key terms and concepts, and numerous illustrations. * Antiquity *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 1. The archaeological exploration of underwater landscapes: Introduction 2. Past studies of changes in relative sea-level and submerged landscapes around the UK 3. The mechanics of rising relative sea-levels and changing coastlines 4. Reconstructing relative sea-level rise 5. The mechanics of site submergence and preservation 6. Methodologies I: Remote sensing and sediment analysis 7. Methodologies II: Exploration and modelling 8. Managing submerged sites and landscapes 9. Submerged landscapes around the world: Asia, Africa and the Americas 10. Submerged landscapes around the world: The Mediterranean and the Black Sea 11. Submerged landscapes around the world: Atlantic and Northwest Europe 12. Submerged landscapes around the world: Doggerland, Britain and Ireland 13. Conclusions Bibliography Index
£28.45
Oxbow Books Repeopling La Manche: New Perspectives on
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
£33.25
Oxbow Books Kale Akte, the Fair Promontory: Settlement, Trade
Book SynopsisThis volume investigates the interaction between the natural environment, market forces and political entities in an ancient Sicilian town and its surrounding micro-region over the time-span of a thousand years. Focusing on the ancient polis of Kale Akte (Caronia) and the surrounding Nebrodi area on the north coast of Sicily, the book examines the city’s archaeology and history from a broad geographical and cultural viewpoint, suggesting that Kale Akte may have had a greater economic importance for Sicily and the wider Mediterranean world than its size and lowly political status would suggest. Also discussed is the gradual population shift away from the hill-top down to a growing harbour settlement at Caronia Marina, at the foot of the rock.The book is particularly important for the comprehensive analysis of the 1999–2004 excavations at the latter, with fresh interpretations of the function of the buildings excavated and their chronology, as well for reviewing the present state of our knowledge about Kale Acte/Calacte, and defining research questions for the future. The archaeological material at the heart of this study comes from excavations at the site conducted by the author. It is one of the few detailed publications from Sicily of Hellenistic and Roman amphora material.The conclusions about changing trends of commercial production and exchange will be of interest to those working on ceramic material elsewhere in Sicily and indeed further afield. The study also offers a fresh perspective of the economic history of ancient Sicily. The origins of Kale Akte and its alleged foundation by the exiled Sikel leader, Ducetius, in the fifth century BC, are also discussed in the light of the latest archaeological discoveries. An Italian summary of each chapter is also included.Table of ContentsList of contents Chapter 1 The Settlements Chapter 2 The territory: resources and communications Chapter 3 Archaeological research at Caronia and Caronia Marina Chapter 4 The material evidence Chapter 5 Production and supply at Kale Akte and in Sicily Chapter 6 Trade and production mechanisms ay Kale Akte and on the South Tyrrhenian Chapter 7 From trading post to rural village Appendix 1 Methodological problems and quantification of finds Appendix 2 Amphorae from Caronia and Caronia Marina: thin section analysis Catalogue of finds Catalogue of fabrics Notes Bibliography Index
£71.78
Oxbow Books An Archaeological History of Montserrat in the
Book SynopsisMontserrat is a small island in the Leeward islands of the eastern Caribbean and at present a British Overseas Territory. It has suffered greatly in recent times, first from the devastations of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and since 1995 from the still-ongoing eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano that has caused two-thirds of the island’s population to emigrate and left half the island a dangerous exclusion zone. Archaeological research here began only in the late 1970s, but work over the past four decades has now made it possible to present an archaeological history of Montserrat, from the earliest known traces of human activity on the island about 5,000 years ago to the present.This book draws on all the available archaeological evidence (including that from the co-authors’ own island-wide survey and excavation project since 2010), as well as newly available archival documents, to trace this little island’s long history and heritage. This is not the story of an isolated and remote island: Montserrat is shown rather to be a place intricately connected to the flows of people and goods that have travelled between islands and across the Atlantic at various points in time, both Amerindian and historical. Despite its small size and seeming irrelevance, Montserrat has in fact always been networked into regional and global systems of connectivity. An underlying theme of this volume is resilience. It presents insights from the archaeological and documentary evidence on how the island’s inhabitants have coped with often adverse conditions throughout the course of its history – hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, slavery, disease, invasions, and impoverishment – all while remaining proudly connected to heritage that celebrates the accomplishments of island residents.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments List of figures Introduction: Montserrat’s island setting Archaeology and heritage on Montserrat Box A. Airborne LiDAR on Montserrat 3. First humans on Montserrat Box B. Long Island, Antigua: Montserrat’s source of chert 4. New peoples, new ways of living: the Ceramic Age on Montserrat Box C. Ceramic adornos Box D. Petroglyphs on Montserrat 5. The colonial period begins: European encounters and Amerindian persistence Box E. Arawaks, Caribs, Taínos, and other such confusions 6. Establishing the English colony: new arrivals transform Montserrat Box F. Were there Irish slaves on Montserrat? Box G. The 1673 map of Montserrat in the Blathwayt Atlas 7. Montserrat’s sugar era, 1712–1834 Box H. Sugar processing: A step-by-step guide Box I. Galways Estate: Archaeology reveals the workings of a historic sugar plantation 8. Slavery and the slave experience Box J. A celebration of Irish and Afro-Caribbean heritage: St Patrick’s Day on Montserrat 9. Emancipation and its aftermath Box K. Montserrat’s world-famous citrus limes 10. Disaster, destruction, and development: the future of the past on Montserrat Box L. St Anthony’s Church, Plymouth Box M. The sad story of Gun Hill in Carr’s Bay References Index
£30.00
Oxbow Books Making One's Way in the World: The Footprints and
Book SynopsisThe book draws on the evidence of landscape archaeology, palaeoenvironmental studies, ethnohistory and animal tracking to address the neglected topic of how we identify and interpret past patterns of movement in the landscape. It challenges the pessimism of previous generations which regarded prehistoric routes such as hollow ways as generally undatable.The premise is that archaeologists tend to focus on ‘sites’ while neglecting the patterns of habitual movement that made them part of living landscapes. Evidence of past movement is considered in a multi-scalar way from the individual footprint to the long distance path including the traces created in vegetation by animal and human movement. It is argued that routes may be perpetuated over long timescales creating landscape structures which influence the activities of subsequent generations. In other instances radical changes of axes of communication and landscape structures provide evidence of upheaval and social change. Palaeoenvironmental and ethnohistorical evidence from the American North West coast sets the scene with evidence for the effects of burning, animal movement, faeces deposition and transplantation which can create readable routes along which are favoured resources.Evidence from European hunter-gatherer sites hints at similar practices of niche construction on a range of spatial scales. On a local scale, footprints help to establish axes of movement, the locations of lost settlements and activity areas. Wood trackways likewise provide evidence of favoured patterns of movement and past settlement location. Among early farming communities alignments of burial mounds, enclosure entrances and other monuments indicate axes of communication. From the middle Bronze Age in Europe there is more clearly defined evidence of trackways flanked by ditches and fields. Landscape scale survey and excavation enables the dating of trackways using spatial relationships with dated features and many examples indicate long-term continuity of routeways. Where fields flank routeways a range of methods, including scientific approaches, provide dates.Prehistorians have often assumed that Ridgeways provided the main axes of early movement but there is little evidence for their early origins and rather better evidence for early routes crossing topography and providing connections between different environmental zones. The book concludes with a case study of the Weald of South East England which demonstrates that some axes of cross topographic movement used as droveways, and generally considered as early medieval, can be shown to be of prehistoric origin. One reason that dryland routes have proved difficult to recognise is that insufficient attention has been paid to the parts played by riverine and maritime longer distance communication. It is argued that understanding the origins of the paths we use today contributes to appreciation of the distinctive qualities of landscapes. Appreciation will help to bring about effective strategies for conservation of mutual benefit to people and wildlife by maintaining and enhancing corridors of connectivity between different landscape zones including fragmented nature reserves and valued places. In these ways an understanding of past routeways can contribute to sustainable landscapes, communities and quality of life.Trade Review[…] this important book […] could not be more topical. * British Archaeology *There is a good deal of novel thought and synthesis in this essentially stall-setting book; a research agenda that will intrigue many. * Northern Earth *It’s incredibly wide ranging, detailed and thorough. All the things I’d hoped to read about were there in spades along with an entire tranche of evidence and opinions that were new to me and kept me happily turning pages, right to the end. I’d definitely advise this book for anyone with an interest in prehistory. * The Prehistoric Society *This is an interesting and incredibly readable book examining the physical environmental evidence for the most basic of human needs, subsistence mobility and community interaction. The text is supported by well-chosen illustrations, it is extremely well-referenced and though descriptive in parts, it is critical throughout and delivers much food for thought. * Archaeologia Cambrensis - Cambrian Archaeological Association *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Figures List of Tables List of Supplementary Tables (on WWW) Chapter 1: Steps towards understanding: routeways in practice, theory and life Chapter 2 Walks in the temperate rainforest: developing concepts of niche construction and linear environmental manipulation Chapter 3 Niche construction and place making: hunter-gatherer routeways in north west Europe Chapter 4 Footprints of people and animals as evidence of mobility Chapter 5 Early farmers: mobility, site location and antecedent activities Chapter 6 Wetland trackways and communication Chapter 7 Barrow alignments as clues to Bronze Age routes Chapter 8 Trackways in later prehistoric agricultural landscapes Chapter 9 Maritime and riverine connectivity: the allure of the exotic Chapter 10 A case study of the Wealden District in South East England Chapter 11 Conclusions: why routes matter Bibliography Index
£45.00
Oxbow Books Current Approaches to Tells in the Prehistoric
Book SynopsisDeeply stratified settlements are a distinctive site type featuring prominently in diverse later prehistoric landscapes of the Old World. Their massive materiality has attracted the curiosity of lay people and archaeologists alike. Nowadays a wide variety of archaeological projects are tracking the lifestyles and social practices that led to the building-up of such superimposed artificial hills. However, prehistoric tell-dwelling communities are too often approached from narrow local perspectives or discussed within strict time- and culture-specific debates. There is a great potential to learn from such ubiquitous archaeological manifestations as the physical outcome of cross-cutting dynamics and comparable underlying forces irrespective of time and space. This volume tackles tells and tell-like sites as a transversal phenomenon whose commonalities and divergences are poorly understood yet may benefit from cross-cultural comparison. Thus, the book intends to assemble a representative range of ongoing theory – and science –based fieldwork projects targeting this kind of sites. With the aim of encompassing a variety of social and material dynamics, the volume’s scope is diachronic – from the Earliest Neolithic up to the Iron Age–, and covers a very large region, from Iberia in Western Europe to Syria in the Middle East. The core of the volume comprises a selection of the most remarkable contributions to the session with a similar title celebrated in the European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting held at Barcelona in 2018. In addition, the book includes invited chapters to round out underrepresented areas and periods in the EAA session with relevant research programmes in the Old World. To accomplish such a cross-cultural course, the book takes a case-based approach, with contributions disparate both in their theoretical foundations – from household archaeology, social agency and formation theory – and their research strategies – including geophysical survey, microarchaeology and high-resolution excavation and dating.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction: Learning from Prehistoric Tells by Antonio Blanco-González and Tobias L. Kienlin Chapter 2. Architectural Phases, Use-life Episodes and Taphonomic Processes in Tell Formation: An Approach to Neolithic Tell Halula (Syria) by Miquel M. Molist, Quim Sisa, Julia Wattez and Anna Gómez-Bach Chapter 3. Re-discovering the Neolithic Landscapes of Western Thessaly, Central Greece by Athanasia Krahtopoulou, Charles Frederick, Hector, A. Orengo, Anastasia Dimoula, Niki Saridaki, Stella Kyrillidou, Alexandra Livarda and Arnau Garcia-Molsosa Chapter 4. The Old Becomes New: Material Culture and Architectural Continuity on an Anatolian Höyük by Sharon R. Steadman & Jennifer C. Ross Chapter 5. Moving Bottom-up: The Case Study of Kakucs-Turján (Hungary) and its Implications for Studies of Multi-layered Bronze Age Settlements in the Carpathian Basin by Robert Staniuk, Mateusz Jaeger, Gabriella Kulcsár, Nicole Taylor, Jakub Niebieszczański and Johannes Müller Chapter 6. Exploring the Bronze Age Tells and Tell-like Settlements from the Eastern Carpathian Basin. Results of a Research Project by Florin Gogâltan, Alexandra Găvan, Marian A. Lie, Gruia Fazecaș, Cristina Cordoș and Tobias L. Kienlin Chapter 7. Talking Trash. Reconstructing Activities, Discard and Abandonment at Late Bronze Age Tell Sabi Abyad (Syria) by Victor Klinkenberg Chapter 8. Domesticаtion of Tells: Settlements of the First Farmers in Pelagonia (Macedonia) by Goce Naumov Chapter 9. Tells (and Flat Sites) as Social Agents: A View from Neolithic Greece by Stella Souvatzi Chapter 10. Human Activities on a Late Neolithic Tell-like Settlement Complex of the Hungarian Plain (Öcsöd-Kováshalom) by András Füzesi, Knut Rassmann, Eszter Bánffy and Pál Raczky Chapter 11. The Practice of Everyday Life on a European Bronze Age tell: Reflections from Százhalombatta-Földvár (Hungary) by Joanna Sofaer, Marie Louise Stig Sørensen and Magdolna Vicze Chapter 12. Social Life on Bronze Age Tells. Outline of a Practice-oriented Approach by Tobias L. Kienlin Chapter 13. Architecture, Power and Everyday Life in the Iron Age of North-eastern Iberia. Research from 1985 to 2019 on the Tell-like Fortress of Els Vilars (Arbeca, Lleida, Spain) by Joan B. López, Emili Junyent and Natàlia Alonso Chapter 14. Then, Now, to Come – A Commentary by John Chapman
£34.20
Oxbow Books The Early Neolithic of the Eastern Fertile
Book SynopsisThe Eastern Fertile Crescent region of western Iran and eastern Iraq hosted major developments in the transition from hunter-forager to farmer-herder lifestyles through the Early Neolithic period, 10,000-7000 BC. Within the scope of the Central Zagros Archaeological Project, excavations have been conducted since 2012 at two Early Neolithic sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq: Bestansur and Shimshara. Bestansur represents an early stage in the transition to sedentary, farming life, where the inhabitants pursued a mixed strategy of hunting, foraging, herding and cultivating, maximising the new opportunities afforded by the warmer, wetter climate of the Early Holocene. They also constructed substantial buildings of mudbrick, including a major building with a minimum of 65 human individuals, mainly infants, buried under its floor in association with hundreds of beads. These human remains provide new insights into mortuary practices, demography, diet and disease during the early stages of sedentarisation. The material culture of Bestansur and Shimshara is rich in imported items such as obsidian, carnelian and sea-shells, indicating the extent to which Early Neolithic communities were networked across the Eastern Fertile Crescent and beyond. This volume includes final reports by a large-scale interdisciplinary team on all aspects of the results from excavations at Bestansur and Shimshara, through application of state-of-the-art scientific techniques, methods and analyses. The net result is to re-emphasise the enormous significance of the Eastern Fertile Crescent in one of the most important episodes in human history: the Neolithic transition.Table of ContentsContributors Preface and acknowledgements 1. The Neolithic transition in the Eastern Fertile Crescent: project themes, aims and objectives Roger Matthews, Wendy Matthews, Amy Richardson and Kamal Rasheed Raheem 2. Excavation, recording, and sampling methodologies Amy Richardson, Roger Matthews and Wendy Matthews 3. Palaeoclimate and environment of the Iraqi Central Zagros Matt Bosomworth, Dominik Fleitmann and Maria Rabbani 4. Intensive field survey in the Zarzi Region Roger Matthews, Wendy Matthews, Amy Richardson and Kamal Raeuf Aziz 5. Fluxgate gradiometry survey at Bestansur David Thornley 6. Geoarchaeological borehole, sediment and microfossil analyses at Bestansur Chris Green, Rob Batchelor, Maria Rabbani, Alessandro Guaggenti and Wendy Matthews 7. Ethnoarchaeological research in Bestansur: insights into vegetation, land-use, animals and animal dung Sarah Elliott, Robin Bendrey, Jade Whitlam and Kamal Raeuf Aziz 8. Conservation Jessica S. Johnson 9. Excavations and contextual analyses: Bestansur Amy Richardson, Roger Matthews, Wendy Matthews, Sam Walsh, Kamal Raeuf Aziz and Adam Stone 10. Excavations and contextual analyses: Shimshara Wendy Matthews, Roger Matthews, Kamal Raeuf Aziz and Amy Richardson 11. Radiocarbon dating of Bestansur and shimshara Pascal Flohr, Roger Matthews, Wendy Matthews, Amy Richardson and Dominik Fleitmann 12. Sustainability of early sedentary agricultural communities: new insights from high-resolution microstratigraphic and micromorphological analyses Wendy Matthews 13.integrated micro-analysis of the built environment and resource use: high-resolution microscopy and geochemical, mineralogical and biomolecular approaches Wendy Matthews, Aroa Garcia-Suarez, Marta Portillo, Chris Speed, Georgia Allistone, Ian Bull, Jessica Godleman and Matthew Almond 14. Microarchaeology: the small traces of neolithic activities Ingrid Iversen 15. Animal remains and human-animal-environment relationships at Early Neolithic Bestansur and Shimshara Robin Bendrey, Wim Van Neer, Salvador Bailon, Juan Rofes, Jeremy Herman, Mel Morlin and Tom Moore 16. Early Neolithic animal management and ecology: integrated analysis of faecal material Sarah Elliott with contributions from Wendy Matthews and Ian Bull 17. Bestansur molluscs: regional context and local activities Ingrid Iversen 18. The charred plant remains from Early Neolithic levels at Bestansur and Shimshara Jade Whitlam, Charlotte Diffey, Amy Bogaard and Mike Charles 19. Human remains from Bestansur: demography, diet and health Sam Walsh 20. Early Neolithic chipped stone worlds of Bestansur and Shimshara Roger Matthews, Amy Richardson and Osamu Maeda 21. Material culture and networks of Bestansur and Shimshara Amy Richardson 22. Ground stone tools and technologies David Mudd 23. Public archaeology at Bestansur Rhi Smith, Othman Fattah, Hero Salih, Hawar Hawas, Mathew Britten and Wendy Matthews 24. The Neolithic transition in the eastern Fertile Crescent: thematic synthesis and discussion Wendy Matthews, Roger Matthews, Amy Richardson and Kamal Rasheed Raheem Bibliography
£80.52
Oxbow Books Archaeology of the Ionian Sea: Landscapes,
Book SynopsisPresents a thematic collection of papers dealing with the Stone Age and Bronze Age archaeology of the Ionian Sea, situated off the south western Balkan peninsula. It is based on an international conference held in Athens, Greece in January 2020.The eastern Ionian occupies a geographically complex area, which since the Pleistocene has undergone significant alterations due to tectonic activity and sea-level fluctuations. This dynamic environment, where islands, mainland, and sea intertwined to present different landscapes and seascapes to the human communities exploring the region at different times in the past, provides an ideal setting for their study from a diachronic perspective.This book deals thematically with the processes of circulation of people, materials, artefacts and ideas by examining patterns of settlement, burial and multi-layered interconnections between the different communities via land and sea. It investigates aspects of regional and interregional communication, isolation, collective memory and the creation of distinct identities within and between different cultural and social groups. It focuses on the islands of the Central Ionian Sea, offering new data from excavations and surveys on Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Ithaki and the smaller islands of the Inner Ionian Archipelago between Lefkada and Akarnania. The cultural interchange between the islands and the continental coasts is reflected in the volume with the addition of chapters dealing with contemporary sites in west Greece and southeast Italy.The Ionian, often regarded as 'at the fringes' of the Aegean, the Balkan and the central Mediterranean archaeological discourse, has lately offered new and exciting data that not only enrich but also alter our perceptions of mobility, settlement and interaction. The collection of papers in this book enhances theoretical discussions by offering a geographically and culturally comparative approach, ranging from the earliest Palaeolithic evidence of human presence in the region to the end of the Bronze Age.Table of ContentsContributors Preface Introduction Part A. Island Archaeology Comparative perspectives in ‘island archaeology’: a view from the Ionian Sea Helen Dawson Part B. Prehistory 1. Lithics as diachronic proxies for the circulation of people and ideas in the dynamic Ionian landscape Christina Papoulia 2. Prehistoric settlement in the Inner Ionian Sea Archipelago and its Ionian island connections Nena Galanidou, Maria Gatsi, Olympia Vikatou, Antonis Vasilakis, Catherine Morgan, Jeannette Forsén, Vivian Staikou, Christina Papoulia and Panagiotis Zervoudakis 3. Palaeolithic chipped stone industries from Zakynthos, Ionian islands, Greece. Interpreting the new evidence within the western Greek and Adriatic context Stefanos Ligkovanlis and Georgia Kourtessi-Philippakis 4. Beyond the horizon. Stone artefacts and social networks in Late Neolithic Drakaina Cave, Kefalonia island, western Greece Georgia Stratouli, Tasos Bekiaris and Vasilios Melfos 5. Evidence of settlements on Kefalonia during the Final Neolithic and the Early Helladic period Andreas Sotiriou 6. The communal ceramic traditions of prehistoric Ithaca Areti Pentedeka, Catherine Morgan and Andreas Sotiriou 7. The Early and Middle Bronze Age in the Ionian Sea. New evidence from Zakynthos Gert Jan Van Wijngaarden, Ayla Krijnen, Nienke Pieters and Corien Wiersma 8. Aitoloakarnania and the Ionian Sea in the Εarly Bronze Age: a history of interaction Venediktos Lanaras Part C. The Late Bronze Age 9. Islands in the stream: a maritime perspective of the south-central Ionian islands in the Late Bronze Age Christina Souyoudzoglou-Haywood 10. The palaeo-geographic development of Livadi Marsh, Paliki: implications for the detection of an ancient harbour and anthropogenic settlement Peter Styles, George Apostolopoulos, John R. Underhill, John Crawshaw, Olympia Vikatou and Eleni Papafloratou 11. The Archaeological Shoreline Research Project on the cultural semantics of coasts: the promontory of Kapros, southeast Kefalonia, in the Bronze Age Evyenia Yiannouli 12. Diverging trajectories within the west Mycenaean koine: the evidence from Kefalonia Odysseas Metaxas 13. Migrants, refugees and social restructuring in Late Helladic Kefalonia Ioannis Voskos 14. The nature of warfare in western Greece and the Ionian islands during the Late Bronze Age Thanasis J. Papadopoulos 15. The Ionian-Adriatic interface as a landscape of mobility Francesco Iacono and Riccardo Guglielmino Appendix: Continuity in the material culture of Kefalonia: from the Late Bronze Age to the historical period in Drakaina cave by Agathi Karadima
£62.56
Oxbow Books Human Transformations of the Earth
Book SynopsisThis book charts and explains how human activities have shaped and altered the development of soils in many parts of the world, taking advantage of five decades of soil analytical work in many archaeological landscapes from around the globe. The core of this volume describes and illustrates major transformations of soils and the processes involved in these that have occurred during the Holocene and how these relate to human activities as much as natural causes and trajectories of development, right up to the present day. This is done in two ways: first by examining a number of major processes and impacts on the landscape such as Holocene warming and the development of woodland, clearance and agricultural activities, and second by examining the trajectories of these changes in soil systems in different palaeo-environmental situations in several diverse parts of the world. The transformations identified are relevant to prevalent themes of today such as over-development and soil, land and environmental degradation and resilience. The studies articulated relate to Britain, southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean basin, East Africa, northern India and Peru in South America.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: Geoarchaeological approaches in archaeology 1.1 Endeavour 1.2 Development of the discipline of geoarchaeology as part of archaeological investigations 1.3 Importance to archaeology 2. Methodological approaches 2.1 Approaches in the field 2.1.1 Landscape to soil-scape 2.1.2 Soils and palaeosols 2.1.3 Formulating research designs 2.2 Basic characterisation techniques 2.2.1 Field prospection and soil/sediment profile description 2.2.2 pH and water quality 2.2.3 Loss-on ignition 2.2.4 Magnetic susceptibility 2.3 More involved techniques 2.3.1 Phosphorus (or phosphate) content 2.3.2 Multi-element analysis 2.3.3 Soil nutrient and fertility status 2.3.4 Micromorphology 2.3.5FTIR, XRF, EDAX, XRD and SEM 2.4 Establishing chronologies: Radiocarbon, OSL and Bayesian statistics 2.5 Scales of resolution 2.6 Soil nomenclature and classification 3. Soil transformation trajectories in temperate European landscapes 3.1 The beginnings to woodland soil development 3.2 Disturbance and degradation of woodland soils 3.3 Agricultural soil development 3.4 Woodland to pasture soils 3.5 Acidification and podzolisation 3.6 Erosion and colluviation 3.7 Alluviation, floodplains and waterlogging 3.8 Wetland soils 3.9 Cumulative soils 4. Soil transformation trajectories in southern Mediterranean landscape systems 4.1 Brown to red Mediterranean soils 4.2 Xeric calcitic soils and soil erosion 4.3 Erosion, alluviation and wadi development 5. Soil transformation trajectories in arid/semi-arid soil systems 5.1 Aridisols 5.2 Colluvial/alluvial systems 5.2.1 The Burj-Masadpur area of the Indus valley, northern India 5.2.2 The central Rio Puerco, New Mexico 5.2.3 The lower Ica valley, southern Peru 5.2.4 The Kerio-Embobut valleys in Marakwet, north-central Kenya 5.3 Terracing and irrigation 5.3.1 Aksum, northern Ethiopia 5.3.2 Konso, southern Ethiopia, 5.3.3 Engaruka, northern Tanzania 5.3.4 Sangayaico in the upper Ica valley, southern Peru 6. Timescales and longevity of soil processes 6.1 Timescales and longevity of soil properties 6.2 Soil horizonation and structural development 6.3 Within-soil illuviation and textural changes: stability, disturbance and erosion 7. Understanding long-term resilience in transformed soils Bibliography Appendices 1. Site gazeteer
£36.00
Oxbow Books The Drowning of a Cornish Prehistoric Landscape:
Book SynopsisBetween 2018 and 2019, Cornwall Archaeological Unit undertook two projects at Mount’s Bay, Penwith. The first involved the excavation of a Bronze Age barrow and the second, environmental augur core sampling in Marazion Marsh. Both sites lie within an area of coastal hinterland, which has been subject to incursions by rising sea levels. Since the Mesolithic, an area of approximately 1 kilometre in extent between the current shoreline and St Michael’s Mount has been lost to gradually rising sea levels. With current climate change, this process is likely to occur at an increasing rate. Given their proximity, the opportunity was taken to draw the results from the two projects together along with all available existing environmental data from the area.For the first time, the results from all previous palaeoenvironmental projects in the Mount’s Bay area have been brought together. Evidence for coastal change and sea level rise is discussed and a model for the drowning landscape presented. In addition to modelling the loss of land and describing the environment over time, social responses including the wider context of the Bronze Age barrow and later Bronze Age metalwork deposition in the Mount’s Bay environs are considered. The effects of the gradual loss of land are discussed in terms of how change is perceived, its effects on community resilience, and the construction of social memory and narratives of place.The volume presents the potential for nationally significant environmental data to survive, which demonstrates the long-term effects of climate change and rising sea levels, and peoples’ responses to these over time.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Summary Section 1: Background Chapter 1: Introduction (Andy M. Jones) Section 2: Excavations at the Penzance Heliport barrow Chapter 2: Results from the 2018 fieldwork (Andy M. Jones, Anna Lawson-Jones & Michael J. Allen) Chapter 3: The pottery and worked stone (Henrietta Quinnell & Christina Tsoraki with petrographic comment by Roger Taylor) Chapter 4: The flint and pebbles (Anna Lawson-Jones) Chapter 5: The copper alloy ingot (Anna Tyacke with comment from Jens Andersen) Chapter 6: The palaeoenvironmental evidence (Michael J. Allen, with A.J. Clapham, C.T. Langdon & R.G. Scaife) Chapter 7: Results from radiocarbon dating of the Heliport (Michael J. Allen & Andy M. Jones) Section 3: Fieldwork at Marazion Marsh Chapter 8: Background and methodology (Michael J. Allen & Andy M. Jones) Chapter 9: The paleoenvironmental sequence from the core (Michael J. Allen, with N Cameron, A.J. Clapham & C.T. Langdon) Chapter 10: The changing environmental and land-use history of the Marsh environs (Michael J. Allen) Section 4: The environmental, economic and cultural setting of the Penzance and south Cornwall landscape: excavated sites and their wider landscape context Chapter 11: The submerging landscape from Prehistory into the Anthropocene (Michael J Allen) Chapter 12: A landscape of deposition (Andy M. Jones & Matthew G. Knight) Chapter 13: The Bronze Age engagements with a liminal space (Andy M. Jones) Chapter 14: The results from the project: Inhabiting a changing landscape (Andy M. Jones & Michael J. Allen) Chapter 15: A drowned landscape reimagined (Emma Smith) Appendices Appendix 1: The conservation of the copper alloy ingot fragment (Laura Ratcliffe- Warren) Appendix 2: The borehole logs (Michael J. Allen)
£33.25
Oxbow Books Landscapes of Ritual Performance in Eastern North
Book SynopsisIn the long history of documenting the material culture of the archaeological record, meaning and actions of makers and users of these items is often overlooked. The authors in this book focus on rituals exploring the natural and made landscape stages, the ritual directors, including their progression from shaman to priesthood, and meaning of the rites. They also provide comments on the end or failure of rites and cults from Paleoindian into post-DeSoto years.Chapters examine the archaeological records of Cahokia, the lower Ohio Valley, Aztalan Wisconsin, Vermont, Florida, and Georgia, and others scan the Eastern US, investigating tobacco/datura, colour symbolism, deer symbolism, mound stratigraphy, flintknapping, stone caching, cults and their organisation, and red ochre. These authors collectively query the beliefs that can be gleaned from mortuary practices and their variation, from mound construction, from imagery, from the choice of landscape setting. While some rituals were short-lived, others can be shown to span millennia as the ritual specialists modified their interpretations and introduced innovations.Table of ContentsList of contributors 1 The Ritual Complex Cheryl Claassen Part 1: Cults and Rituals 2 The Old Fire-Deer Spirits cult in the Archaic Period of eastern North America Cheryl Claassen 3 Priestesses and priests, temples and goddesses: structuring and centering ritual in early Cahokian religious landscapes Thomas E. Emerson 4 Continuity, resilience, and transformation in Choctaw ritual practice David H. Dye 5 Places of stone and skill: an exploration of Paleoindian and Early Archaic rituals and ritual practitioners in northeastern North America Francis “Jess” Robinson 6 Watchfires above the wetwoods: late Middle Archaic mortuary ritual and landscape in the Falls of the Ohio region Anne Tobbe Bader 7 Persons of the Directions: ontology and ethics meet cosmology in understanding the world views and rituals of Adena, Hopewell, and Postcontact eastern Woodland Indian societies Christopher Carr 8 Set, setting, and sacra: eastern North America’s tobacco shamans and the New World narcotic complex Bobi Deere 9 Figured practices: the material heritage of ritual in the Great Lakes region William Fox and Neal Ferris Part 2: Landscape, Shrines, and Pilgrimage 10 Portals through the spirit world: precontact ceremonial cave use in the American Southeast Jan F. Simek, Beau Duke Carroll, and Alan Cressler 11 Rituals of stone: Native American use of stone in the southeastern US James R. Wettstaed and Johannes H. N. Loubser 12 Revisiting Aztalan: looking at ritual from several perspectives Lynne Goldstein, Sissel Schroeder, and Donald Gaff 13 Sacred journeys in the greater Cahokia region B. Jacob Skousen 14 Paths of the lightning arrow: the Apalachee ballgame and the persistence of landscapes Jesse C. Nowak and Charles T. Rainville
£40.50
Oxbow Books Broken Pots, Mending Lives: The Archaeology of
Book SynopsisFor those that survive, the traumas of military conflict can be long lasting. It might seem astonishing that archaeology, with its uncovering of the traces of the long-dead, of battlefields, of skeletal remains, could provide solace, and yet there is something magical about the subject. In archaeology there is a job for everyone; from surveying and drawing, to examining the finds, to digging itself. Often this is in some of the most beautiful and restful of landscapes and with talks around a campfire at the end of the day.Operation Nightingale is a programme which was set up in 2011 within the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom to help facilitate the recovery of armed forces personnel recently engaged in armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, using the archaeology of the British Training Areas. Over the following decade, the project has expanded to include veterans of older conflicts and of other nations – from the United States, from Poland, from Australia and elsewhere.This book is the story of those veterans, of their incredible discoveries, of their own journeys of recovery – sometimes one which can lead to a lifetime of studying archaeology. It has taken them to the crash sites of Spitfires and trenches of the Western Front in the First World War, through to burial grounds of Convicts, camp sites of Hessian mercenaries, and Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. Lavishly illustrated, this work shows the reader how the discovery of our shared past – of long-forgotten houses, of glinting gold jewellery, of broken pots, can be restorative and help people mend otherwise damaged lives.The book features a foreword and illustrations by Professor Alice Roberts, presenter on BBC's The Big Dig, Digging for Britain and Coast, alongside superb photography by Harvey Mills.Trade ReviewUplifting and inspirational, it is a book we need to keep returning to, to remind us all of those who serve and the damage they endure. Heroes – one and all. * Professor Dame Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome *Richard Osgood’s superb book is the story of the healing power of archaeology – of compassion, team-building and self-discovery gained in pursuit of a common goal. Broken Pots, Mending Lives is a thought-provoking celebration of our humanity and a reminder of what a remarkable profession archaeology will always be. * Barry Cunliffe *I’m in awe of Richard Osgood. His passion is infectious. He believes in exploring the past as much as he believes in living healthy, happy lives; and he shows how the two are linked. * Dan Snow *It’s been a privilege to work with Operation Nightingale over the years and witness the positive impact that getting your hands dirty on a dig can have on mental health. Talking with veterans has really brought the power of archaeology to heal home to me. * Sir Tony Robinson *Table of ContentsForeword by Professor Alice Roberts Introduction Chapter 1: Origins at the Midden: The beginnings of Operation Nightingale at an Iron Age feasting site Chapter 2: The Phoenix and the Eagle: Searching for Hessians and the Band of Brothers Chapter 3: Legends: The convict burials of Rat Island Chapter 4: Mud, Blood and Green Fields Beyond: Digging for Tank 796 and the traces of the First World War Chapter 5: Tally Ho!: archaeology and the Battle of Britain Chapter 6: Facing Beowulf – excavating remains of Anglo Saxon England Chapter 7: Locking the House: finding and reconstructing a Bronze Age roundhouse Chapter 8: Homes of the Dead: discoveries at a burial mound on Salisbury Plain Chapter 9: Conclusions Index Acknowledgements Further Reading
£23.75
Oxbow Books Excavations on Wether Hill, Ingram,
Book SynopsisThe Northumberland Archaeological Group’s (NAG) Wether Hill project spanned the years 1994–2015 and was located on the eponymous hilltop overlooking the mouth of the Breamish Valley in the Northumberland Cheviots. The project had been inspired by the RCHME’s ‘Southeast Cheviots Project’ that had discovered and recorded extensive prehistoric and later landscapes.The NAG project investigated several sites. Over the 11 seasons of excavation, NAG recorded evidence of residual Mesolithic activity (microliths), a burial cairn containing two Beakers in an oak coffin, which was superseded by a stone-built cist containing three Food Vessels, Iron Age cord rig cultivation and clearance cairns, a series of Middle/Late Iron Age timber-built palisaded enclosures, a cross-ridge dyke, which protected the southern approach to the Wether Hill fort, and sampled the multi-period bivallate hillfort.The hillfort sequence on Wether Hill began with a succession of palisaded enclosures, which were later replaced by bivallate earth and stone defenses; both phases appear to have been associated with timber-built houses. Eventually the fort was abandoned, and three stone-built roundhouses were constructed in the fort. The 18 radiocarbon dates obtained from various contexts in the hillfort makes this site one of the better dated forts in the Borders.The chronology of the Wether Hill fort spanned the Middle/Late Iron Age, which corresponds with dates from palisaded enclosures excavated elsewhere on the hilltop spur. Taken together, this evidence provides a snapshot of settlement hierarchies and agricultural practices during the later Iron Age in this part of the Northumberland Cheviots. The excavations also help contextualise some of the RCHME survey evidence, providing data to model chronology, potential prehistoric settlement density and land-use patterns at different time periods in the well-preserved archaeological landscapes of the Cheviots.Table of ContentsAuthor details Abstract Acknowledgements Editorial 1 Introduction 2 A geoarchaeology of Wether Hill, and summary of the palaeo-environmental history Michael J. Allen 3 Area 1: the cross-ridge dyke 4 Area 2: the field system 5 Area 3: the Beaker/Food Vessel pit and palisaded enclosures 6 Area 4: the round cairn 7 Area 5: the hillfort 8 The stone implement assemblages John Davies, David Field and Peter Topping 9 The pottery assemblages Alex Gibson, Andrew Sage and Peter Topping 10 Wether Hill hillfort and its context – a discussion David McOmish Bibliography
£40.50
Oxbow Books Limited Landscape and Society in Dumnonia
Book Synopsis
£75.60
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Scenes from Prehistoric Life: From the Ice Age to
Book SynopsisAn invigorating journey through Britain's prehistoric landscape, and an insight into the lives of its inhabitants. 'Highly compelling' Spectator, Books of the Year 'An evocative foray into the prehistoric past' BBC Countryfile Magazine 'Vividly relating what life was like in pre-Roman Britain' Choice Magazine 'Makes life in Britain BC often sound rather more appealing than the frenetic and anxious 21st century!' Daily Mail In Scenes from Prehistoric Life, the distinguished archaeologist Francis Pryor paints a vivid picture of British and Irish prehistory, from the Old Stone Age (about one million years ago) to the arrival of the Romans in AD 43, in a sequence of fifteen profiles of ancient landscapes. Whether writing about the early human family who trod the estuarine muds of Happisburgh in Norfolk c.900,000 BC, the craftsmen who built a wooden trackway in the Somerset Levels early in the fourth millennium BC, or the Iron Age denizens of Britain's first towns, Pryor uses excavations and surveys to uncover the daily routines of our ancient ancestors. By revealing how our prehistoric forebears coped with both simple practical problems and more existential challenges, Francis Pryor offers remarkable insights into the long and unrecorded centuries of our early history, and a convincing, well-attested and movingly human portrait of prehistoric life as it was really lived.Trade ReviewDecades worth of communicating archaeology on TV and a recent foray into crime fiction writing help make this book a highly compelling read * Spectator *An evocative foray into the prehistoric past... Pryor recreates [the prehistoric world] with an effortless narrative style' * BBC Countryfile Magazine *Brings almost impossibly distant times into brilliant focus * Eastern Daily Press Norfolk *Pryor's colourful book makes life in Britain BC often sound rather more appealing than the frenetic and anxious 21st century! * Daily Mail *Vividly relating what life was like in pre-Roman Britain * Choice Magazine *Our prehistoric cousins lie on the other side of a vast expanse of time... Francis Pryor bridges that gap, showing how excavation and analysis can bring their stories to life. Of course, the gap between us and them is matched by the prehistoric era's epic sweep, and Pryor charts the changes witnessed across that time' * BBC History Magazine *Francis Pryor is always good value... He cherrypicks the most interesting recent discoveries about Britain's past before the Romans' * Spectator, Books of the Year *Archaeologists, enthusiasts, and novices alike can turn the page and enter scenes from prehistory, learning what it meant to live in and experience the past * The Past *Such personal insights, alongside the fascinating and wonderfully detailed archaeological narrative, make this book an essential – and hugely enjoyable – read for any enthusiast of British prehistory with an interest in how and why our landscape appears as it does today * Archaeology Worldwide *
£10.44
Liverpool University Press Planning in the Early Medieval Landscape
Book SynopsisThe extent to which Anglo-Saxon society was capable of large-scale transformations of the landscape is hotly disputed. This interdisciplinary book – embracing archaeological and historical sources – explores this important period in our landscape history and the extent to which buildings, settlements and field systems were laid out using sophisticated surveying techniques. In particular, recent research has found new and unexpected evidence for the construction of building complexes and settlements on geometrically precise grids, suggesting a revival of the techniques of the Roman land-surveyors (Agrimensores). Two units of measurement appear to have been used: the ‘short perch’ of 15 feet in central and eastern England, where most cases occur, and the ‘long perch’ of 18 feet at the small number of examples identified in Wessex. This technically advanced planning is evident during two periods: c.600–800, when it may have been a mostly monastic practice, and c.940–1020, when it appears to have been revived in a monastic context but then spread to a wider range of lay settlements.Planning in the Early Medieval Landscape is a completely new perspective on how villages and other settlement were formed. It combines map and field evidence with manuscript treatises on land-surveying to show that the methods described in the treatises were not just theoretical, but were put into practice. In doing so it reveals a major aspect of previously unrecognised early medieval technology.Trade Review'Planning in the Early Medieval Landscape – the title of both the book and the research project on which it is based – is a major contribution to the long-running and much-debated question as to when and how the English medieval countryside took shape. [...] These and many other insights are presented clearly and concisely in a compact volume that is likely to become an essential reference text for all Anglo-Saxonists.'Neil Faulkner, Current Archaeology'This fascinating book... introduces us to disparate and intriguing pieces of evidence... It has implications for historical transitions, including the impact of the Norman Conquest.' Thomas Pickles, English Historical Review‘I would strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in medieval settlement... the authors here offer a thesis which many readers may find compelling and will provide widespread inspiration to look at known sites in a new light.’ Carenza Lewis, Medieval Settlement ResearchTable of Contents1. Introduction2. Early medieval settlements and field systems3. Identifying planning in the early medieval landscape4. Planning technologies in post-Roman Europe and their impact on English practice5. Higher-status settlements in England, c.600-10506. Rural settlements in England, c.600-10507. ConclusionsAppendix A: Perches, post-holes and gridsAppendix B: Anglo-Saxon grids and the designing of buildings, with special reference to churches and the square root of twoAppendix C: Catalogue of Grid-Planned SitesBibliography
£104.02
Archaeopress Paisajes de la campaña pampeana (siglos XIX y
Book SynopsisThis volume presents a series of papers designed to offer a summary of ongoing research across Argentina that can come under the broad heading of Rural Archaeology.Table of ContentsEditorial – by C. Landa, V. Pineau, E. Montanari y J. Doval; Introducción – by F. Brittez; La vida cotidiana y su materialidad en Alexandra Colony. Alejandra, Santa Fe, Argentina – by I. Dosztal; "La 26 al fondo": historias de un lugar – by S. Lanzelotti y G. Acuña; Los estancieros y/o hacendados en el San Vicente de mediados del siglo XIX a principios del siglo XX – by M. López, M. Torres Núñez y M. Vommaro; Entre estancias ganaderas y comercios rurales: Arqueología histórica en Magdalena (Buenos Aires). Los sitios El Santuario I y Estancia Bertón. – by M. S. García Lerena; Excavando la casa del juez: arqueología histórica en el sitio “Estancia el Rosario” Ayacucho, Buenos Aires – by F. Gómez Romero; El espacio fronterizo y el poblamiento rural del sur bonaerense desde una perspectiva arqueológica (segunda mitad del siglo XIX) – by V. Bagaloni; A través de una década de arqueología rural en el norte pampeano: pulperías, caminos, puestos y poblados (fines del siglo XIX y principios del XX – by C. Landa, V. Pineau, J. Doval, L. Coll, E. Montanari, A. Andrade, F. Caretti y A. Rearte
£45.60
Archaeopress Conflict Landscapes: An Archaeology of the
Book SynopsisThis book is an archaeological exploration of a conflict landscape encountered by the volunteers of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. A great deal is known about the Brigades in terms of inter-world war geopolitics, their history and make-up, but less is known about the materiality of the landscapes in which they lived, fought, and died. The Spanish Civil War was a relatively static conflict. As in the First World War, it consisted of entrenched Republican government lines facing similarly entrenched Nationalist (rebel) lines, and these ran north to south across Spain. Fighting was intermittent, so the front line soldiers had to settle in, and make what was an attritional war-scape, a place to live in and survive. This research examines one such war-scape as a place of ‘settlement’, where soldiers lived their daily lives as well as confronting the rigours of war – and these were the volunteers of the International Brigades, both foreign and Spanish, who occupied a section of lines southeast of Zaragoza in Aragón in 1937 and 1938. This research draws, not only on the techniques of landscape archaeology, but also on the writings of international volunteers in Spain – in particular, George Orwell – and it incorporates historical photography as a uniquely analytical, archaeological resource. Trade Review'Salvatore Garfi's book is one of the most compelling accounts by far of a bloody 20th-century conflict. It provides the reader with an all-important historic context to the war, and records the archaeology associated with the trench positions of the International Brigades and Republican forces, where both civilians and combatants bore the brunt of the evils of civil war.' – George Nash (2020): Current World Archaeology #99 -- George Nash * Current World Archaeology #99 *'This is an expert, informative, and often intriguing investigation of a historically recent battle-zone landscape by an archaeologist whose innovatory approach deploys photographs, maps, and historical (and literary) background context to make a powerful contribution to modern conflict archaeology.' – Nicholas Saunders (2020): Military History Matters, Issue 116 -- Nicholas Saunders * Military History Matters *'Garfi’s volume is novel and challenges the traditional presentation of war as a grand narrative, exploring instead the harsh and visceral experience of a war lived on the battlefield.' – Claire Nesbitt (2020): Antiquity Vol. 94 -- Claire Nesbitt * Antiquity 2020 Vol. 94 *'... this volume is an essential contribution to archaeology studies of the Spanish Civil War... Garfi’s application of nonintrusive archaeological survey techniques is praiseworthy, and the multiplicity of the sources used, beyond the fieldwork, makes this volume pertinent for anyone interested in the history of the Spanish conflict of 1936–1939.' – Luis Antonio Ruiz Casero (2020): Historical Archaeology, Volume 54 -- Luis Antonio Ruiz Casero * Historical Archaeology *'In conclusion, Garfi's monograph is a remarkable work detailing a war zone that has been neglected by scholars until now. Although it represents a valid case study on Spain, it also perfectly fits into the wider discipline of combat and landscape archaeology. The variety of sources used by Garfi (including survey data, literary sources, and archival records), supported by rigorous methodology, are points of strength in this book, which makes a valuable contribution to the field of European archaeology. – Antonino Crisa (2022): Landscape Journal Volume 40 #1Table of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements PART ONE Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Spanish Civil War PART TWO Chapter 3 On Trenches and Field Fortifications Chapter 4 Trench Systems as Settlement Archaeology: The Salient at Mediana de Aragón PART THREE Chapter 5 Experiencing the Mediana Lines Chapter 6 An Archaeology From Photographs: Imaging the Aragón Front Chapter 7 History in ‘Three Dimensions’ Bibliography Appendix Tables
£33.25
Archaeopress Mediterranean Landscapes in Post Antiquity: New
Book SynopsisMediterranean Landscapes in Post Antiquity: New frontiers and new perspectives highlights the fact that the study of landscape has in recent years been a field for considerable analytical archaeological experimentation. This new situation has made it possible to rethink the orientation of some theoretical approaches to the subject; equally these methods have been profitably used for the formation of a new theoretical and conceptual framework. These analytical trends have also featured in the Mediterranean area. Although the Mediterranean is the home of classicism (which also defines a particular archaeological methodology), it has seen the implementation of projects of this new kind, and in regions of Spain and Italy, after some delay, the proliferation of landscape archaeology studies. There are examples of more-or-less sophisticated postcolonial archaeological work, albeit conducted at the same time as examples of unreconstructed colonial archaeology. It is not easy to resolve a situation like this which requires the full integration of the different national archaeological cultures into a truly global forum. But some reflection on the cultural differences between the various landscape archaeologies, at least in the West is required. These considerations have given rise to the idea of this book which examines these themes in the framework of the Mediterranean area.Table of ContentsMediterranean landscapes in post antiquity: new frontier and new perspectives - by Sauro Gelichi and Lauro Olmo-Enciso The transformation of Medieval and Post-Medieval archaeology in Greece - by John Bintliff Post-antique settlement patterns in the central Balkans: use of Justinianic landscape in the early middle ages - by Vujadin Ivanišević and Ivan Bugarski Time travelling: multidisciplinary solutions reveal historical landscape and settlements (a case study of Sant’Ilario, Mira, VE) - by Elisa Corrò, Cecilia Moine and Sandra Primon Settlement dynamics in the rural Bolognese area between the late middle ages and the modern era - by Mauro Librenti ‘Emptyscapes’ and medieval landscapes: is a new wave of research changing content and understanding of the rural archaeological record? - by Stefano Campana Human-environmental interactions in the upper Ebro Valley (Spain): plant and animal husbandry in La Noguera (La Rioja) during the Roman and medieval periods - by Carlos López de Calle, Juan Manuel Tudanca, Leonor Peña-Chocarro, Guillem Pérez Jordà and Marta Moreno-García The construction and dynamics of Early Medieval landscapes in central Iberia - by Lauro Olmo-Enciso, Manuel Castro Priego, Blanca Ruiz Zapata, Mª José Gil García, Marian Galindo Pellicena, Joaquín Checa-Herráiz and Amaya de la Torre-Verdejo Archaeology of medieval peasantry in northwestern Iberia - by Juan Antonio Quirós Castillo and Alfonso Vigil-Escalera Guirado The rural and suburban landscape of Eio-Iyyuh (Tolmo de Minateda, Hellín, Spain): new methodological approaches to detect and interpret its main generating elements - by Julia Sarabia Bautista, Sonia Gutiérrez Lloret, and Victoria Amorós Ruiz Animal husbandry and saltworks in the Kingdom of Granada (13th-15th centuries): The dynamics of landscapes in a Mediterranean territory - by Antonio Malpica Cuello, Sonia Villar Mañas, Marcos García García and Guillermo García-Contreras Ruiz A Mediterranean mountain landscape: the transformation of the Frailes–Velillos Vall - by Alberto García Porras, Luca Mattei and Moisés Alonso Valladares Urban foundation and irrigated landscape construction in the medieval western Maghreb. Aġmāt (Morocco) - by Patrice Cressier and Ricardo González Villaescusa
£38.00
Archaeopress Mobile Peoples – Permanent Places: Nomadic
Book SynopsisMobile Peoples – Permanent Places explores the relationship between nomadic communities who resided in the Black Desert of north-eastern Jordan between c. 300 BC and 900 AD and the landscapes they inhabited and extensively modified. Although these communities were highly mobile, moving through the desert following seasonal variation in natural resources, they significantly invested in the landscapes they frequented by erecting highly durable stone architecture, and by carving rock art and inscriptions. Although these inscriptions, known as Safaitic, are relatively well studied, the archaeological remains had received little attention until recently. This book focuses on the architectural features, including enclosures and elaborate burial cairns, that were created in the landscape some 2000 years ago and which were used and revisited on multiple occasions. It explores how nomadic communities modified these landscapes by presenting new data from remote sensing, field surveys, and excavations. To better understand the purpose of these modifications and how this changed through time, the landscape is further analysed on various temporal and geographic scales. This book particularly deals with the archaeological landscapes of the Jebel Qurma region of north-eastern Jordan. It is part of the Landscapes of Survival project, a research programme based at Leiden University that has brought together both archaeologists and epigraphers to work on this fascinating region. Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1 – Introduction Chapter 2 – The Natural Environment of the Jebel Qurma Region Chapter 3 – Surface Surveys in the Jebel Qurma Region: Methods and Results Chapter 4 – Residential Spaces in the Jebel Qurma Region Chapter 5 – The Mortuary Landscape of the Jebel Qurma Region Chapter 6 – Discussion Chapter 7 – Conclusion Bibliography Appendix A – GIS procedures Appendix B – Description of find contexts of consulted ceramic parallels
£83.70
Archaeopress Early Medieval Settlement in Upland Perthshire:
Book SynopsisArchaeological evidence for settlement and land use in early medieval Scottish upland landscapes remains largely undiscovered. This study records only the second excavation of one important and distinctive house form, the Pitcarmicktype building, in the hills of north-east Perth and Kinross. Excavation of seven turf buildings at Lair in Glen Shee has confirmed the introduction of Pitcarmick buildings in the early 7th century AD. Clusters of these at Lair, and elsewhere in the hills, are interpreted as integrated, spatially organised farm complexes comprising byre-houses and outbuildings. Their form has more to do with contemporary traditions across the North Sea than with local styles. There is a close link between 7th-century climatic amelioration and their spread across the hills, and it is argued that this was a purposeful re-occupation of a neglected landscape. Pitcarmick buildings were constructed and lived in by precocious, knowledgeable, and prosperous farming communities. Pollen analysis has shown the upland economy to have been arable as well as pastoral, and comparable contemporary economic ‘recovery’ is suggested from similar analyses across Scotland. The farms at Lair were stable and productive until the 11th century when changes, poorly understood, saw their demise.Trade ReviewDevotees of upland field archaeology in Britain will be familiar with some of its eternal problems: inadequate chronological precision, few finds and often poor connectivity between structural data from settlement archaeology and landscape-level palaeoenvironmental studies. This attractively presented and sparingly written monograph shows that these issues can be substantially overcome with well-planned collaboration between field surveyors, excavators and palaeobotanists. -- David Griffiths * Medieval Settlement Research 36 *Table of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements List of Contributors Notes 1. Introduction (Strachan and Tipping) 1.1 Background to the project 1.2 North-west European turf and timber houses: an international context for the excavations at Lair 1.3 The archaeological setting 1.4 Pollen-analytical evidence for land-use change in and around Glen Shee 1.5 Historical and political contexts 1.6 The Pictish language and place-names in and around Glen Shee 1.7 The catchment of the Allt Corra-lairige: geology, topography, soils and climate 1.8 Mapping of the field remains 1.9 Key sites in the study area 1.10 Research objectives 2. Results of Archaeological Fieldwork, Radiocarbon Dating, Peat-Stratigraphic and Pollen Analyses (Sneddon, Strachan and Tipping) 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Topographic and geophysical survey 2.3 Excavation 2.4 Geo-archaeological analyses 2.5 Radiocarbon dating 2.6 Peat-stratigraphic and pollen-analytical evidence for environmental and land-use change 2.7 Charcoal analysis 3. The Small Finds (Strachan and Sneddon) 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Lithics 3.3 Stone tools 3.4 A decorated stone spindle whorl 3.5 The iron objects 3.6 The vitrified material 3.7 The pottery 3.8 The glass bead 3.9 Animal bone 4. Discussion (Strachan, Tipping and Sneddon) 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Archaeological and pollen-analytical evidence for later prehistoric settlement and use of the uplands 4.3. A Late Iron Age–early medieval settlement continuum? 4.4 Lair immediately prior to the construction of the Pitcarmick buildings 4.5 Chronology and sequence of the buildings at Lair 4.6 The buildings at Lair: form and function 4.7 The buildings at Lair: turf, stone, timber and thatch 4.8 The buildings at Lair: spatial patterning 4.9 Re-visiting the morphology of Pitcarmick buildings 4.10 Early medieval buildings in the North Sea area 4.11 The socio-political context and geographic patterns of Pitcarmick buildings in north-east Perthshire 4.12 The rural economy at Lair AD 600-660 to AD 975-1025: palynological evidence and implications 4.13 The wider context of 7th century AD agrarian expansion 4.14 The function of Pitcarmick buildings 4.15 The social status of ‘Pitcarmick’ communities 4.16 After the ‘Pitcarmicks’ 5. Conclusions 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Threats to the resource 5.3 The impact of the Glenshee Archaeology Project 5.4 Lessons learned 5.5 Potential for future research References Appendix A Index
£27.55
Archaeopress Excavation, Analysis and Interpretation of Early
Book SynopsisExcavation, Analysis and Interpretation of Early Bronze Age Barrows at Guiting Power, Gloucestershire covers the full excavation, analysis and interpretation of two early Bronze Age round barrows at Guiting Power in the Cotswolds, a region where investigation and protection of such sites have been extremely poor, with many barrows unnecessarily lost to erosion, and with most existing excavation partial, and of low quality. One monument, Guiting Power 1, typical of many others in the region in terms of general form, was investigated to assess how far surviving evidence could be used to indicate original structure, as a basis for discussion of function as a funerary and ritual site. The project is paired with the full excavation of a larger round barrow, of similar date, nearby, at Guiting Power 3 in the valley below. Both sites have been considered within their local environment and as part of the general pattern of settlement. The monuments have also provided data for a programme of experimental investigation of prehistoric cremation. Discovery of a post ring with well-preserved basal structures, sealed under an early bronze age round barrow at Guiting Power 3, enables detailed analysis of its structure, associations, and place in the sequence. This review of a sample of other post rings from southern and western Britain places the example from Guiting Power within its archaeological context.Table of ContentsAnalysis of an Early Bronze Age Round Barrow: A Case Study at Guiting Power 1, Glos. (UK) ; SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SITE ; SECTION 2: OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ; SECTION 3: METHODS FOR INVESTIGATION OF THE SITE ; SECTION 4: STRUCTURAL SEQUENCE AT THE SITE ; SECTION 5: GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE SITE ; SECTION 6: FINDS AND SAMPLES FROM THE SITE ; SECTION 7: SUPPLEMENTARY STUDIES ; SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY A: Round barrows in the northern Cotswolds: current state of preservation in a selected study area ; SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY B: Summary of published data on excavated round barrows from the Cotswold region ; SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY C: Other round barrows in the area: data from geophysical survey ; SECTION 8: APPENDICES ; SECTION 9: SUPPORTING INFORMATION/SOURCES ; SECTION 10: FIGURES AND PLATES ; Interpretation of an Early Bronze Age Round Barrow: Excavation of the Monument at Guiting Power 3, Glos. (UK) ; SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SITE ; SECTION 2: OBJECTIVES AND METHODS FOR INVESTIGATION OF THE SITE ; SECTION 3: STRUCTURAL SEQUENCE AT THE SITE ; SECTION 4: GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE SITE ; SECTION 5: FINDS AND SAMPLES FROM THE SITE ; SECTION 6: SUPPORTING INFORMATION/ SOURCES ; SECTION 7: FIGURES AND PLATES ; A Brief Review of Post Rings Associated With Earlier Bronze Age Round Barrows in Southern Britain: A Context for the Example at Guiting Power 3, Glos. (UK) ; SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ; SECTION 2: REVIEW OF PUBLISHED INFORMATION ; SECTION 3: SUMMARIES OF INDIVIDUAL POST RINGS ; SECTION 4: GENERAL DISCUSSION ; SECTION 5: SOURCES OF INFORMATION ; SECTION 6: FIGURES
£47.50
Archaeopress The Rock-Art Landscapes of Rombalds Moor, West
Book SynopsisThis landscape study of the rock-art of Rombalds Moor, West Yorkshire, considers views of and from the sites. In an attempt to understand the rock-art landscapes of prehistory the study considered the environment of the moor and its archaeology along with the ethnography from the whole circumpolar region. All the rock-art sites were visited, and the sites, motifs and views recorded. The data was analysed at four spatial scales, from the whole moor down to the individual rock. Several large prominent and impressive carved rocks, interpreted as natural monuments, were found to feature in the views from many much smaller rock-art sites. Several clusters of rock-art sites were identified. An alignment was also identified, composed of carved stones perhaps moved into position. Other perhaps-moved carved stones were also identified. The possibility that far-distant views might be significant was also indicated by some of the findings. The physicality of carving arose as a major theme. The natural monuments are all difficult or dangerous to carve; conversely, the more common, simple sites mostly required the carver to kneel or crouch down. This, unexpectedly for British rock-art, raises comparisons with some North American rock-art, where some highly visible sites were carved by religious specialists, and others, inconspicuous and much smaller, were carved by ordinary people.Trade Review‘Suffice to say, this publication makes yet another splendid addition to the already burgeoning bookcase of regional rock art studies in the UK.’ – Kenneth Lymer (2020): The Prehistoric Society'This book is essential reading for anyone interested in British rock art and the cup-and-ring art of England particularly.' – Robert Wallis (2021): Time and MindTable of ContentsPreface ; Chapter One: Background to the study ; Chapter Two: Encountering Rock-art ; Chapter Three: Landscapes of Rock-art ; Chapter Four: Rombalds Moor ; Chapter Five: Methodology ; Chapter Six: Results I - The Whole Moor ; Chapter Seven: Results II - Natural Monuments in their Large Locales ; Chapter Eight: Results III - Small Locales ; Chapter Nine: Results IV - The individual carved rock ; Chapter Ten: Discussion ; Appendices: Appendix 1. CSI locale abbreviations and full locale names ; Appendix 2. Removed Stones: carved stones in B&V and CSI databases, but excluded from the study database, with reasons ; Appendix 3: Conversion of Bannister’s dates in radiocarbon years BP to cal BC ; Appendix 4: Fieldwork Recording Sheets
£42.75