Description
Book SynopsisIn the Beginning describes the basic methods and theoretical approaches of archaeology. This is a book about fundamental principles written in a clear, flowing style, with minimal use of technical jargon, which approaches archaeology from a global perspective.
Starting with a broad-based introduction to the field, this book surveys the highlights of archaeology's colorful history, then covers the basics of preservation, dating the past, and the context of archaeological finds. Descriptions of field surveys, including the latest remote-sensing methods, excavation, and artifact analysis lead into the study of ancient environments, landscapes and settlement patterns, and the people of the past. Two chapters cover cultural resource management, public archaeology, and the important role of archaeology in contemporary society. There is also a chapter on archaeology as a potential career. In the Beginning takes the reader on an evenly balanced journe
Trade Review
"In the Beginning offers an expansive yet accessible explanation of what archaeologists do. The experience of finding and excavating sites is revealed, and we learn the strategies and skills archaeologists employ to recover and interpret evidence. The book places archaeological thinking and practices in contemporary social contexts, and provides compelling guidance to readers intrigued by the subject."
Peter Hiscock, University of Sydney, Australia
Table of ContentsPART I BACKGROUND TO ARCHAEOLOGY; 1 Introducing Archaeology; 2 The Beginnings of Scientific Archaeology: Sixth Century B.C. to the 1950s; 3 The Many-Voiced Past: Archaeological Thought from the 1950s to Now; PART II THE BASICS; 4 Matrix and Preservation; 5 Doing Archaeological Research; 6 Culture, Data, and Context; 7 Dating the Past; PART III RECOVERING THE DATA; 8 They Sought It Here, They Sought It There: Finding the Past; 9 Excavation; PART IV ANALYZING THE PAST: ARTIFACTS AND TECHNOLOGY; 10 Classifying Artifacts; 11 Technologies of the Ancients; PART V STUDYING ENVIRONMENTS AND PEOPLE; 12 Ancient Environments; 13 Studying Subsistence; 14 The Living Past; 15 Landscape and Settlement; 16 Interactions: People of the Past; 17 Archaeology and the Intangible; PART VI MANAGING THE PAST; 18 Cultural Resource Management (CRM) and Public Archaeology; 19 Archaeology and Contemporary Society; PART VII CAREERS AND RESOURCES; 20 So You Want to Become an Archaeologist?; Useful Addresses; Glossary; Bibliography; Index
