Search results for ""Archaeopress""
Archaeopress The Romano-British Villa and Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Eccles, Kent: A Summary of the Excavations by Alex Detsicas with a Consideration of the Archaeological, Historical and Linguistic Context
The Romano-British Villa and Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Eccles, Kent presents a study of the central and lower Medway valley during the 1st millennium AD. It takes as its focus the Eccles Roman villa and Anglo-Saxon cemetery, excavated between 1962–1976 and directed by Alec Detsicas. An account of this important villa throughout its long history is outlined, and a re-assessment of the architectural evidence which Detsicas presented, with fresh interpretations, is provided. In the middle of the 7th century, a large Anglo-Saxon cemetery was established south of the villa. It started as a typical ‘Final Phase’ cemetery but continued into the late Saxon period. The evidence from the cemetery is presented as a site report, with a burial catalogue, a discussion of the grave goods and a study of the wider aspects of mortuary practice. The monograph also includes a chapter on some fragmentary Iron Age evidence and a discussion of an Anglo-Saxon timber building and its relationship to the cemetery. The evidence from the villa and Anglo-Saxon cemetery is discussed within the context of the Medway valley, which highlights the important contribution that Eccles makes to archaeological knowledge. The significance of the area is further investigated by studies devoted to the pre-English place-names of the valley and the documentary evidence of the area during the Anglo-Saxon period. The volume concludes with a general discussion, which draws together all the strands of evidence and evaluates the significance of the Medway valley during the 1st millennium AD.
£76.95
Archaeopress Building between the Two Rivers: An Introduction to the Building Archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia
Building between the Two Rivers aims to supply university students and scholars of Near Eastern archaeology with an introduction to 'Building archaeology' methods as applied to the context of Ancient Mesopotamia. It helps the reader understand the principles underlying the discipline, which deals with the registration and analysis of all building materials and techniques involved in the assembly and erection of a construction, and to outline what knowledge and skills are needed, beyond those that are specific to archaeologists. The in-depth registration and analysis of building materials and techniques requires professional skills and experience, which cannot be achieved with only a standard university training in archaeology. However, archaeologists need to know the basics of the classification of building materials, their physical properties, the main techniques of their finishing, as well as the basic principles of statics. They should also be able to let architects understand how to better tune the registration of data to ensure a fruitful archaeological interpretation. Due to the introductory nature of the book, contents are organised in didactic chapters, trying to cover all the main topics and displaying them by means of selected examples. Particular attention is given to the methods of the 'stratigraphic reading', which are discussed in a dedicated appendix authored by Piero Gilento. A thematic bibliography and a technical glossary complete the book, helping readers enhance their understanding of the subject.
£56.69
Archaeopress ‘For My Descendants and Myself, a Nice and Pleasant Abode’ – Agency, Micro-history and Built Environment: Buildings in Society International BISI III, Stockholm 2017
Agency, Micro-History and Built Environment examines how people have been making, using and transforming buildings and built environments in general, and how the buildings have been perceived. It also considers a diversity of built constructions – including dwellings and public buildings, sheds and manor houses, secular and sacral structures. Comparisons between different regions and parts of the globe, important when addressing buildings from a social perspective, are presented with studies from the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Mexico. The chronological framework spans from the classical Byzantine period, over the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period and ends in 20th century Belfast.
£57.36
Archaeopress Archaeology: What It Is, Where It Is, and How to Do It
Archaeology: What It Is, Where It Is, and How to Do It has been written as a practical introduction on the investigation of the material remains of the past which can be interpreted with contemporary historical and literary evidence. The book also explains where to find this evidence and what to do next. Many aspects of archaeological investigation are discussed, including aerial and ground survey, excavation and fieldwork, recording methods, soil sampling and small finds.
£28.14
Archaeopress Pottery of Manqabad: A Selected Catalogue of the Ceramic Assemblage from the Monastery of ‘Abba Nefer’ at Asuyt (Egypt)
Pottery of Manqabad presents a catalogue of selected pottery from the monastic site of Manqabad (Asyut, Egypt), which has, since 2011, been the object of an ongoing study and conservation project at the University of Naples ‘L’Orientale’ (UNIOR). The ceramic material, dated to the Late Antique Period, derives mostly from the SCA warehouse of el-Ashmunein, where it was kept soon after its accidental discovery in 1965. About 40 items derive from the surface collection and survey conducted on the site during the last fieldwork season (2018). The typologies identified include the most relevant Byzantine classes and a particular link with production from the Middle Egypt region. Part of the field survey was devoted to the analysis of the pottery material still in situ, found in the Northern Sector of the site where a 230m long row of monastic housing units is located. Further investigations will hopefully support the hypothesis of a local pottery production area, which could be identified in a large ‘dump’ at the southern end of the site. More generally, the analysis of the ceramics from Manqabad has underlined the undoubtedly high cultural level of the local monastic community, which can be deduced also from the textual, architectural and wall depiction evidence from the site. Manqabad was largely unknown to the scientific community, but since the first season of work by the Italian-Egyptian project, it has emerged as an important venue for the religious development of Coptic culture between the second half of the Vth to the end of the VIII- early IXth century AD.
£48.30
Archaeopress The Maltese Archipelago at the Dawn of History: Reassessment of the 1909 and 1959 Excavations at Qlejgħa tal-Baħrija and Other Essays
The Maltese Archipelago at the Dawn of History. Reassessment of the 1909 and 1959 excavations at Qlejgħa tal-Baħrija and other essays is a collection of essays focusing on the reassessment of the multifaceted evidence which emerged by excavations carried out in 1909 and 1959 in the settlement of Bahrija, a key site for the understanding of the later stages of Maltese prehistory before the beginning of the Phoenician colonial period. The two excavations, largely unpublished, produced a large quantity of ceramic, stone and metal artefacts together with skeletal remains. The reappraisal of the material will shed light on critical moments of central Mediterranean prehistory. Main topics such as the Aegean-Sicily-Malta trade network, mass migration movements from the Balkans towards the Central Mediterranean and the colonial dynamics of the Phoenicians operating in the West are addressed in the light of new data and with the support of an array of archaeometric analyses.
£57.24
Archaeopress Proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the Association of Ground Stone Tools Research
Ground Stone Tools and Past Foodways brings together a selection of papers presented at the 3rd meeting of the Association of Ground Stone Tools Research, which was held at the University of Copenhagen in 2019. Ground stone artefacts are one of the most enduring classes of material culture: first used by Palaeolithic gatherer-hunters, they are still used regularly by people in many parts of the world to grind, mash and pulverize plants, meat and minerals. As such, ground stone artefacts provide a well preserved record at the nexus of interaction between humans, plants and animals. The papers in this volume focus especially on the relationship between ground stone artefacts and foodways and include archaeological and ethnographic case studies ranging from the Palaeolithic to the current era, and geographically from Africa to Europe and Asia. They reflect the current state of the art in ground stone tool research and highlight the many ways in which foodways can be studied through holistic examinations of ground stone artefacts.
£73.78
Archaeopress St Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire: Archaeological Investigations and Historical Context
St Gregory’s Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire: Archaeological Investigations and Historical Context is the result of c.20 years of work on and around the Anglo-Saxon church of St Gregory’s Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire. It is primarily concerned with material relating to approximately the late 8th century onwards, detailing the fabric as well as excavations around the church and in the fields immediately adjacent. A succession of three church buildings are linked to a putative focus on the north side of the church, to which, it is argued, pre-Conquest elite burials were orientated. A pre-Conquest ‘building site’ to the north of the churchyard overlay an area of earlier burials. While the building is best-known for its mid-11th century inscription, the report extends the time-period of this isolated site, particularly for the post-Roman to middle Saxon period, but also as an earlier probably religious landscape. The volume integrates archaeological, landscape, place-name and historical approaches to consider the church in its wider setting, exploring the changing character of lordship from post-Roman to Anglo-Saxon and proposing an explanation for the long use of this non-settlement locale.
£80.88
Archaeopress Heritage Management: The Natural and Cultural Divide
This timely collection of peer-reviewed papers and short essays seek to bridge the longstanding gap between natural and cultural heritage when it comes to landscape management. To this end, the editors foster a combined approach to both domains by promoting stronger internal cooperation and the systematic engagement of new forms of integrated heritage with the external world. The volume contributes to the debate on the new role of heritage in an ever-changing framework for land use, infrastructural investment and sustainable development at national and international levels. All contributions are based on the papers presented in two sessions at the EAA annual meeting in Maastricht 2017.
£79.73
Archaeopress Arqueología de la Edad Moderna en el País Vasco y su entorno
Post-medieval archaeology is currently going through a critical phase of consolidation and disciplinary redefinition across Europe, where mere proposals or ambitions are becoming tangible scientific and disciplinary realities. This renovation is most evident in Southern Europe, where, until recently, these studies have been treated as somewhat marginal. The convergence of new actors and disciplines (historical archaeology, archaeology of the post-medieval centuries, professional archaeology, ethnoarchaeology or archaeological sciences), the promotion of new patrimonialization initiatives, and the creation of new action frameworks as a result of the deep economic crisis of the years 2007-2008 are some of the factors that have shaped current approaches to the archaeology of the Modern Age. Focussing on archaeological studies of the Modern Age located in the Basque Country, Arqueología de la Edad Moderna en el País Vasco y su entorno recognises the main themes investigated (cities, rural spaces, funeral spaces, consumption and production, communications systems, maritime archaeology), detects some of the strengths and weaknesses, and proposes new lines of action and disciplinary consolidation. In short, this volume aims to provide a summary of the current archaeological framework for investigations of the Modern Age in the Basque Country, and to make proposals for developing these practices in the future.
£82.18
Archaeopress The Archaeology of Medieval Towns: Case Studies from Japan and Europe
In recent years, major new archaeological discoveries have redefined the development of towns and cities in the Japanese archipelago. The uncovering of the plans of major port towns such as Sakai, Kusado Sengen and Ichijōdani, and the revealing of early phases in the development of cities such as Kamakura and Hakata provide an important new resource in understanding the cultural and economic processes which shaped medieval Japan. This fully illustrated book provides a sampler of these findings for a western audience. The new discoveries from Japan are set in context of medieval archaeology beyond Japan by accompanying essays from leading European specialists. The global significance of Japanese medieval archaeology is assessed through comparing the development of towns in Japan and northern Europe. The medieval period in Japan and northwest Europe saw urban growth with towns not only providing centres of administration but also fostering economic development. The pressures which led to such growth, however, be they political or social, were universal in character. following basic requirements of food, shelter, security and spiritual nourishment, towns provided commercial infrastructures, transport and storage facilities, and the setting for trade, craft specialists and art. Chapters include ‘The archaeology of medieval towns in Japan and europe: an introduction’ (Brian Ayers and Simon Kaner); ‘Permanent urban frameworks (‘armature’) and economic networks in northern France c.700 – c.1000’ (Henri Galinié); ‘Medieval urbanism and culture in the cities of the Baltic: with a comparison between Lübeck, Germany, and Sakai, Japan’ (Manfred Gläser); ‘The development of Hakata as a medieval port town’ (Ōba Kōji); ‘The establishment and transformation of Japan’s medieval capital, Kamakura’ (Oka Yōichirō); ‘Ichijōdani: the archaeology of a Japanese medieval castle town’ (Ono Masatoshi); ‘Japanese medieval trading towns: Sakai and Tosaminato’ (Richard Pearson); and ‘Medieval ceramic production in the aegean, 1100 – 1600 AD: some considerations in an east-west perspective’ (Joanita Vroom).
£52.79
Archaeopress Redonner vie à une collection: les terres cuites communes du fort La Tour
Research on common earthenware from the first half of the 17th century is very elementary, when it exists at all. This study seeks to bring back to life the ceramics, the inhabitants and the site where the objects were used. The collection includes 1602 fragments from 277 common earthenware objects coming from the period of occupation of Fort La Tour (1631-1645) in Portland Point, New Brunswick. These pieces were mostly made in France, but some are probably of English origin. Mostly through the visual identification of the features included in the ceramic body, a classification system was developed with four main groups, 28 types, and 10 variations. With this classification system, earthenware objects were able to be grouped based on the activities for which they were used and related to their uses and functions. This process enabled links to be established with the daily use of the earthenware objects on a French site in the first half of the 17th century.
£87.25
Archaeopress Excavation, Analysis and Interpretation of Early Bronze Age Barrows at Guiting Power, Gloucestershire
Excavation, 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.
£83.38
Archaeopress Architectures of Fire: Processes, Space and Agency in Pyrotechnologies
Architectures of Fire attempts to present the entanglement between the physical phenomenon of fire, the pyro-technological instrument that it is, its material supports, and the human being. In this perspective, the physical process of combustion, material culture, as well as the development of human action in space, are addressed together. Fire is located at the centre of all pre-modern architecture. It creates the living or technological space. Fire creates architectures since it imposes geometry, from the simple circles of stone or clay, which control its spread (and which are the geometrical figures of its optimal efficiency), to cone trunks, cylinders, half-spheres, half-cylinders or parallelepipeds, circular geometric figures that efficiently control the air-draught process required for combustion. All these forms involving the circle are determined by the control and conservation of thermal energy. We should not imagine that the term ‘architecture’ evokes only constructed objects that delimit human action. Architecture means not only the built space, but also the experienced space, in the present case around the pyro-instruments. Pyro-instruments involve an ergonomic, kinesthetic and visual relationship, as well as the rhythmic actions of feeding or maintaining fire at a certain technological tempo. The technological agency is structured both by the physics of the combustion phenomenon, and by the type of operation to be performed.
£49.54
Archaeopress KOINON II, 2019: The International Journal of Classical Numismatic Studies
As the name indicates, KOINON is a journal that encourages contributions to the study of classical numismatics from a wide variety of perspectives. The journal includes papers concerning iconography, die studies, provenance research, forgery analysis, translations of excerpts from antiquarian works, specialized bibliographies, corpora of rare varieties and types, ethical questions on laws and collecting, book reviews, and more. The editorial advisory board is made up of members from all over the world, with a broad range of expertise covering virtually all the major categories of classical numismatics from archaic Greek coinage to late Medieval coinage.
£79.59
Archaeopress Ceramics and Atlantic Connections: Late Roman and Early Medieval Imported Pottery on the Atlantic Seaboard: Proceedings of an International Symposium at Newcastle University, March 2014
The Atlantic Seaboard has attracted increasing interest as a zone of economic complexity and social connection during Late Antiquity and the early medieval period. A surge in archaeological and, in particular, ceramic research emerging from this region over the last decade has demonstrated the need for new models of exchange between the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and for new understandings of links between sites along the Western littoral of Europe. Ceramics and Atlantic Connections: Late Roman and Early Medieval Imported Pottery on the Atlantic Seaboard stems from the Ceramics and Atlantic Connections symposium, hosted by the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle University, in March 2014. This represents the first international workshop to consider late Roman to early medieval pottery from across the Atlantic Seaboard. Reflecting the wide geographical scope of the original presentations by the invited speakers, these nine articles from ceramic specialists and archaeologists working across the Atlantic region, cover western Britain, Ireland, western France, north-west Spain and Portugal. The principal focus is the pottery of Mediterranean origin which was imported into the Atlantic, particularly East Mediterranean and North African amphorae and red-slipped finewares (African Red Slip and Late Roman C and D), as well as ceramics of Atlantic production which had widespread distributions, including Gaulish Dérivées-de-Sigillées Paléochrétiennes Atlantique/DSPA, céramique à l’éponge’ and ‘E-ware’. Following the aims of the Newcastle symposium, the papers examine the chronologies and relative distributions of these wares and associated products, and consider the compositions of key Atlantic assemblages, revealing new insights into the networks of exchange linking these regions between c. 400-700 AD. This broad-scale exploration of ceramic patterns, together with an examination of associated artefactual, archaeological and textual evidence for maritime exchange, provides a window into the political, economic, cultural and ecclesiastical ties that linked the disparate regions of the Late Antique and early medieval Atlantic. In this way, this volume presents a benchmark for current understandings of ceramic exchange in the Atlantic Seaboard and provides a foundation for future research on connectivity in this zone.
£50.50
Archaeopress Les pratiques funéraires en Pannonie de l’époque augustéenne à la fin du 3e siècle
Les pratiques funéraires en Pannonie de l’époque augustéenne à la fin du 3e siècle aims to give an overview of Roman burial practices in Pannonia during the Early Roman period. Among the different approaches proposed by R. Reece for the study of Roman cemeteries, this work focuses on the grave treatment and grave furnishing. The funerary practices are thus apprehended through the study of tomb structure, the selection and treatment of grave goods and human remains. The book proposes a synthesis of the published finds to serve as a base for future research. The analysis consists of a documentary review (presented in the catalogue and numerous tables) as complete as possible from the published data, accompanied by a detailed analysis of the information available today to highlight the trends regarding the entire province but also the peculiarities that can be distinguished at the regional level. The analysis is supported by many graphics and maps. Many general trends, common to the western provinces of the Roman Empire, were detected but also many particularities linked to the economic and social situation of the communities, the different components of the population of Pannonia and the political and military history of the province.
£114.46
Archaeopress Mobile Peoples – Permanent Places: Nomadic Landscapes and Stone Architecture from the Hellenistic to Early Islamic Periods in North-Eastern Jordan
Mobile 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.
£99.15
Archaeopress Dating Urban Classical Deposits: Approaches and Problems in Using Finds to Date Strata
Dating Urban Classical Deposits: Approaches and problems in using finds to date strata considers the issues surrounding the dating of archaeological strata on the basis of the assemblages recovered from them. This process is one of the most common processes in archaeology, yet it is still poorly structured theoretically, methodologically and operatively. No manuals specifically tackle the issue as a whole and consideration of useful theoretical and methodological tools is fragmentary. This book has been developed to try to correct this failing; it is based on the idea that for dating a given layer through the materials recovered from it, the embedding process of the materials must be modelled. The book reviews the present state of archaeological practice and follows this with a theoretical discussion of the key concepts involved in the issue of dating deposits; the main methodological tools which can be employed (quantitative, qualitative and comparative) are then discussed in detail. The text presents a problem-oriented taxonomy of deposits, with depositional models for assessing how different assemblages can be analysed for dating; each type of deposit is accompanied by case studies where the methodological tools used are explained. Finally, a structured working method is proposed. The topic of dating deposits crosses the chronological and spatial borders of many archaeologies, but the book focusses on Classical cities (particularly Roman), as they present specific traits (continuous occupation, high rates of residuality, high impact architecture, waste management etc.) making them unique fields for study.
£108.20
Archaeopress En Sofía mathitéfsantes: Essays in Byzantine Material Culture and Society in Honour of Sophia Kalopissi-Verti
En Sofía mathitéfsantes: Essays in Byzantine Material Culture and Society in Honour of Sophia Kalopissi-Verti contains a collection of thirty studies dedicated to Sophia Kalopissi-Verti by her students which celebrate the multifaceted academic and teaching career of Professor Kalopissi-Verti, Emerita of Byzantine Archaeology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The contributions cover a large variety of topics presenting unpublished archaeological material, suggesting new approaches to various aspects of Byzantine archaeology, material culture and art history. Geographically topics span a vast area from Constantinople to South Sinai and from Cyprus and Antiocheia to the Aegean Islands, continental Greece and Italy. Covering the period from the Early Byzantine to the Post-Byzantine period, they are organised in seven thematic sections: Urbanism and Architecture; Painting and Iconography; Stone Carving and Sculpture; Ceramics; Bone, Metal and Textiles; Coinage and Sigillography; Inscriptions, Portraits and Patronage. The broad thematic, chronological and geographic scope of the volume’s essays reflects the wide range of Kalopissi-Verti’s pioneering research and her own interests, to which she introduced her students and with which she inspired them.
£101.73
Archaeopress Porti e approdi fluviali in Italia peninsulare: dall’età romana all’anno mille
In the Imperial Age, many ports in Italy had been built in opus coementicium. The most important ones were in Latium (eg. Portus Romae, Antium and Centumcellae), in the Phlegrean Fields (portus Iulius, Misenum, Puteoli and Baiae) and along the northern-Adriatic coast (Classis-Ravenna, Aquileia and Altino). The military fleets of Augustus, in particular, were quartered in the ports of Classis and Misenum. Most Roman ports were located at river mouths and/or in lagoon areas and were connected with inland areas by rivers or artificial canals. For this reason, port structures (piers and warehouses) were set at some distance from the sea, as in Rome (Emporium of Testaccio along the Tiber), in Pisa-San Rossore and in the Po valley. In Late Antiquity many of the Roman ports gradually fell into disuse while others continued until the 7th century. In Ravenna, however, a new port settlement, known as Civitas Classis, came into being in the 5th century, after the creation of the suburb of Portus Romae. In the Early Middle Ages, the northern-Adriatic coast became very important in connection with trade with Constantinople. New settlements equipped with timber port structures were created at Comacchio, Cittanova and in the Venetian lagoon. If maritime trade in the Tyrrhenian Sea decreased (although to a lesser extent in Byzantine towns like Naples), river-borne traade was still dynamic and often managed by abbeys and other ecclesiastical institutions. According to historical sources, many river wharves were located along the Po while San Vincenzo abbey managed the Volturno river. The Carolingian river wharves of San Vincenzo were composed of timber, stone and, according to the Roman tradition, concrete structures. A slow recovery of maritime trades is already evident in the Carolingian Age. This book analyses the Roman and early medieval ports of Italy and the building techniques used in their structures; it displays the elements of continuity and discontinuity revealed during these centuries.
£47.00
Archaeopress The Buckley Potteries: Recent Research and Excavation
The small town of Buckley, in Flintshire, was the focus for a regional pottery industry for at least 600 years, from the medieval period to the mid-20th century. However, despite Buckley’s impressive industrial past, a visit to the town today reveals little evidence to suggest the extent and importance of what was once a major industry supplying traditional earthenware. This book is based on the results of recent research and excavation which has enhanced our understanding of the Buckley potteries, identifying over 30 individual production sites from documentary and cartographic sources. It considers the factors which influenced the siting and development of the industry, how it changed through time and the reasons for its eventual demise. Few of the potteries have been the subject of archaeological excavation, and of those none have previously been published in detail. The book presents the results from excavations on the sites of four potteries, and includes a review of the evidence for others, including a gazetteer detailing the evidence for all of the potteries currently known. This volume contains contributions from Peter Davey, Leigh Dodd, Richard Hankinson, Bob Silvester and Sophie Watson.
£47.24
Archaeopress Tracing Pottery-Making Recipes in the Prehistoric Balkans 6th–4th Millennia BC
Tracing Pottery-Making Recipes in the Prehistoric Balkans 6th–4th Millennia BC is a collection of twelve chapters that capture the variety of current archaeological, ethnographic, experimental and scientific studies on Balkan prehistoric ceramic production, distribution and use. The Balkans is a culturally rich area at the present day as it was in the past. Pottery and other ceramics represent an ideal tool with which to examine this diversity and interpret its human and environmental origins. Consequently, Balkan ceramic studies is an emerging field within archaeology that serves as a testing ground for theories on topics such as technological know-how, innovation, craft tradition, cultural transmission, interaction, trade and exchange. This book brings together diverse studies by leading researchers and upcoming scholars on material from numerous Balkan countries and chronological periods that tackle these and other topics for the first time. It is a valuable resource for anyone working on Balkan archaeology and also of interest to those working on archaeological pottery from other parts of the world.
£61.50
Archaeopress Early Neolithic, Iron Age and Roman settlement at Monksmoor Farm, Daventry, Northamptonshire
Includes contributions from Rob Atkins, Andy Chapman, Mary Ellen Crothers, Val Fryer, Rebecca Gordon, Tora Hylton, Rob Perrin and Yvonne Wolframm-Murray; illustrations by Olly Dindol and Rob Reed. MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) has undertaken archaeological work at Monksmoor Farm on the north-eastern edge of Daventry in six different areas. The earliest archaeological features lay in Area 6 at the southern end of the development area, where two pits were radiocarbon dated to the early Neolithic. They contained a moderate assemblage of worked flints along with sherds of early Neolithic pottery. In the middle Iron Age a settlement was established in the same location comprising a roundhouse and several enclosures. Two other contemporary settlements are thought to have originated in the late Iron Age/ early 1st century BC and were identified in Areas 1 and 2 between c0.2km and 0.5km apart and 500m to the north of Area 6. Area 1 contained evidence for a cluster of eight roundhouses with associated enclosures clearly showing sequential activity, while in Area 2, a large ditched enclosure defined as a Wootton Hill type, within which another roundhouse was present. It is possible that the Wootton Hill type enclosure in particular may have a slighter earlier origin than the limited pottery assemblage suggests. Sparse early Roman features were also found in Areas 3, 4 and 5. This settlement continued in use through the later 1st to 2nd century AD. During the early Roman period the settlement in Area 6 was greatly expanded with large rectilinear ditched enclosures along with smaller enclosures and paddocks being established on either side of a routeway indicating movement of livestock was important.
£55.71
Archaeopress The Geography of Gandhāran Art: Proceedings of the Second International Workshop of the Gandhāra Connections Project, University of Oxford, 22nd-23rd March, 2018
Gandhāran art is usually regarded as a single phenomenon – a unified regional artistic tradition or ‘school’. Indeed it has distinctive visual characteristics, materials, and functions, and is characterized by its extensive borrowings from the Graeco-Roman world. Yet this tradition is also highly varied. Even the superficial homogeneity of Gandhāran sculpture, which constitutes the bulk of documented artistic material from this region in the early centuries AD, belies a considerable range of styles, technical approaches, iconographic choices, and levels of artistic skill. The geographical variations in Gandhāran art have received less attention than they deserve. Many surviving Gandhāran artefacts are unprovenanced and the difficulty of tracing substantial assemblages of sculpture to particular sites has obscured the fine-grained picture of its artistic geography. Well documented modern excavations at particular sites and areas, such as the projects of the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Swat Valley, have demonstrated the value of looking at sculptures in context and considering distinctive aspects of their production, use, and reuse within a specific locality. However, insights of this kind have been harder to gain for other areas, including the Gandhāran heartland of the Peshawar basin. Even where large collections of artworks can be related to individual sites, the exercise of comparing material within and between these places is still at an early stage. The relationship between the Gandhāran artists or ‘workshops’, particular stone sources, and specific sites is still unclear. Addressing these and other questions, this second volume of the Gandhāra Connections project at Oxford University’s Classical Art Research Centre presents the proceedings of a workshop held in March 2018. Its aim is to pick apart the regional geography of Gandhāran art, presenting new discoveries at particular sites, textual evidence, and the challenges and opportunities of exploring Gandhāra’s artistic geography.
£68.64
Archaeopress TephroArchaeology in the North Pacific
‘TephroArchaeology’ is a translation of the Japanese word kazanbai kōkogaku (lit. volcanic ash archaeology), referring to a sub-discipline of archaeology that has developed in Japan in the last few decades. The first book compilation using the term, edited by the doyen of tephroarchaeology, geologist ARAI Fusao, appeared in 1993; chapters were written by 5 geologists, 3 archaeologists, 3 geographers, an engineer, and a historian. From its beginning, this subdiscipline has been interdisciplinary in approach and applied to all time periods throughout the Japanese Islands. Honouring this tradition, a panel on TephroArchaeology was organized by Barnes & Soda at the World Archaeology Congress 8 meetings in Kyoto (August–September 2016). The scope of concern was broadened to include other parts of the world and further disciplines. Several of the papers presented at WAC8 are included here together with other invited papers that complete the North Pacific focus. Most of the chapters are case-studies written by their excavators in Japan, Canada, and the United States, but a historian and a behavioural psychologist contribute important perspectives and add world-wide content. The volume is rounded out by an extensive Preface, Introduction and Appendices by co-editor Barnes, and a historic contextualization of TephroArchaeology by co-editor Soda. A final appendix consists of a translation of the techniques of tephra identification by MACHIDA Hiroshi & ARAI Fusao, to whom the volume is dedicated. The strengths of this book are many. It was primarily designed to bring into the English-speaking world the work being done by local archaeologists in Japan whose results are usually only accessible in Japanese. In addition to the meticulous excavation methodologies, innovative analytical techniques and interpretive analyses represented herein by all the authors are the variety of problems in human history that can be addressed through tephroarchaeological investigation. This subdiscipline may spawn a more general Volcanic Archaeology or Archaeological Volcanology as adherents grow and as volcanologists themselves take heed of the archaeological record to inform on eruption processes and products.
£109.58
Archaeopress Artistic Practices and Archaeological Research
‘Artistic Practices and Archaeological Research’ aims to expand the field of archaeological research with an anthropological understanding of practices which include artistic methods. The project has come about through a collaborative venture between Dragos Gheorghiu (archaeologist and professional visual artist) and Theodor Barth (anthropologist). This anthology contains articles from professional archaeologists, artists and designers. The contributions cover a scale ranging from theoretical reflections on pre-existing archaeological finds/documentation, to reflective field-practices where acts of ‘making’ are used to interface with the site. These acts feature a manufacturing range from ceramics, painting, drawing, type-setting and augmented reality (AR). The scope of the anthology – as a book or edited whole – has accordingly been to determine a comparative approach resulting in an identifiable set of common concerns. Accordingly, the book proceeds from a comparative approach to research ontologies, extending the experimental ventures of the contributors, to the hatching of artistic propositions that demonstrably overlap with academic research traditions, of epistemic claims in the making. This comparative approach relies on the notion of transposition: that is an idea of the makeshift relocation of methodological issues – research ontologies at the brink of epistemic claims – and accumulates depth from one article to the next as the reader makes her way through the volume. However, instead of proposing a set method, the book offers a lighter touch in highlighting the role of operators between research and writing, rather entailing a duplication of practice, in moving from artistic ideas to epistemic claims. This, in the lingo of artistic research, is known as exposition. Emphasising the construct of the ‘learning theatre’ the volume provides a support structure for the contributions to book-project, in the tradition of viewing from natural history. The contributions are hands-on and concrete, while building an agenda for a broader contemporary archaeological discussion.
£72.84
Archaeopress Country in the City: Agricultural Functions of Protohistoric Urban Settlements (Aegean and Western Mediterranean)
The existence of an opposition between rural and urban spaces is an important question for our societies, and one that has been posed since the radical transformations of the 20th century and the so-called ‘end of the peasants’. In this context it becomes also a question for archaeologists and historians. This book assembles contributions on the place of agricultural production in the context of urbanization in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Mediterranean. The contributions concentrate on the second-millennium Aegean and the protohistoric northwestern Mediterranean. They offer a reflection on the nature of urbanization and its consequences for rural spaces near cities and on the many ways in which rural spaces and agricultural activities may be intertwined with urban spaces – a reconsideration of the very nature of urbanism. A deliberate accent is laid on the comparative perspectives between different regions and periods of Mediterranean protohistory, and on the integration of all kinds of sources and research methods, from texts to survey to environmental archaeology. Highlighted throughout are the original paths followed in the Peloponnese or in the Troad with regard to the Minoan model of urbanization, and the many aspects and periods of Minoan urbanization (as in development in Languedoc vis-à-vis Catalonia). Thus a new perspective on Mediterranean urbanization is offered.
£65.71
Archaeopress Understanding Lithic Recycling at the Late Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave, Israel: A functional and chemical investigation of small flakes
Flakes, and small flakes in particular, are usually seen as by-products or debris of the knapping process, rather than as desired end-products with a specific potential use. In recent years, this particular category of small tools has attracted increasing interest among researchers, especially when focusing on technological aspects in Lower Palaeolithic contexts, while the functional role of these tools is still poorly investigated. ‘Understanding Lithic Recycling at the Late Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave, Israel: A functional and chemical investigation of small flakes’ examines Late Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave, Israel, where a particular lithic trajectory directed towards the production of small flakes by means of recycling and exploiting old discarded flakes as cores has been recognised. The high density of this production throughout the stratigraphic sequence of the cave demonstrates that this was a conscious and planned technological choice aimed at providing small and sharp items to meet specific functional behaviours, and that this lithic behaviour persisted for some 200 kyr of human use of the cave. The exceptional conservation of use-wear signs and residues has made it possible to reconstruct the functional role of this specific production system, highlighting its specialised nature mostly related to the processing of the animal carcasses through accurate and careful actions and in a very specific way. The application of functional analysis based on the determination of wear on artefacts by means of optical light microscope, scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis (FTIR and EDX), provides a useful and effective approach for understanding the adaptive strategies of the Qesem Cave hominins while facing various situations and solving different needs.
£64.74
Archaeopress Rome and Barbaricum: Contributions to the Archaeology and History of Interaction in European Protohistory
Rome and Barbaricum: Contributions to the archaeology and history of interaction in European protohistory asks the following questions: How did the ‘Barbarians’ influence Roman culture? What did ‘Roman-ness’ mean in the context of Empire? What did it mean to be Roman and/or ‘Barbarian’ in different contexts? The papers presented here explore the concepts of Romanisation and of Barbaricum from a multi-disciplinary and comparative standpoint, covering Germania, Dacia, Moesia Inferior, Hispania, and other regions of the Roman Empire. They deal with issues such as conceptual analysis of the term ‘barbarian’, military and administrative organization, inter-cultural and linguistic relations, numismatics, religion, economy, prosopographic investigations, constructing identities; and they present reflections on the theoretical framework for a new model of Romanisation.
£52.08
Archaeopress Thurrock’s Deeper Past: A Confluence of Time: The archaeology of the borough of Thurrock, Essex, from the last Ice Age to the establishment of the English kingdoms
Thurrock’s Deeper Past: A Confluence of Time' looks at the evidence for human activity in Thurrock and this part of the Thames estuary since the last Ice Age, and how the river crossing point here has been of great importance to the development of human settlement and trade in the British Isles. It is a book about the archaeology of Thurrock. It takes in all periods and most of the sites which have been excavated in the borough of Thurrock over the last sixty or more years. The account opens at a time when Britain is still joined to the continent and the inhabitants are using flint tools and weapons. The author follows through the impact of the succeeding ages on the locality: the melting of the ice, the Neolithic period bringing the farming of crops and stockholding, the first appearance of worked metal in the Bronze Age, through the widespread use of iron in the Iron Age; and then the dramatic impact of Rome and its gradual dissolution to the English kingdoms whose traces are still recognisable today. All is set in the context of the author’s lasting interest in the subject, first nurtured at his Tilbury school.
£46.73
Archaeopress Pottery Production, Landscape and Economy of Roman Dalmatia: Interdisciplinary approaches
Pottery Production, Landscape and Economy of Roman Dalmatia: Interdisciplinary approaches' offers results of work undertaken as part of the RED project - Roman Economy in Dalmatia: production, distribution and demand in the light of pottery workshops (IP-11-2013-3973). It presents interdisciplinary research carried out on the Roman sites of pottery workshops active within the coastal area of the province of Dalmatia as well as on material recovered during the excavations. The presentation revolves around three thematic units: workshops and their products together with their role in the local provincial economy, location of workshops within the landscape, and archaeometric research which connects the two. These combined approaches contribute to the study of ceramic production in the area whereas new methodological approaches to the subject allow for the placement of pottery workshops in the broader context of Roman economy and landscape and natural resources of the eastern Adriatic.
£55.54
Archaeopress Profane Death in Burial Practices of a Pre-Industrial Society: A study from Silesia
‘Profane Death in Burial Practices of a Pre-Industrial Society: A study from Silesia’ discusses phenomena characteristic of the funeral practices of the pre-industrial society of Silesia (Poland). The author explores specific groups of people: unbaptised children, women who died in childbirth, suicides, convicts and those who perished in epidemics, who were refused an honorary burial in consecrated land or had ceremonies conducted on special terms. Also discussed are the places where the bodies of these excluded individuals were interred. The study is supplemented by an analysis of the results of archaeological research, which mainly involved fieldwork carried out at former execution sites. The skeletal remains of numerous convicts were discovered during these investigations, together with the remnants of stonebuilt gallows. This analysis is especially relevant for interpreting selected funeral finds, socalled ‘vampire burials’, and the general question of atypical treatment of bodies perceived as unworthy, badly-deceased or ‘unclean’. The research subject is novel, as no similar synthetic studies on unusual funerary practices have yet been conducted in Polish archaeology for this particular era and territory. The author is primarily concerned with cases mentioned in historical and archaeological sources from the region of Silesia, but evidence from beyond this area is also presented. Chronologically the study covers the period between the 15th and early 19th centuries.
£52.34
Archaeopress Hellenistic Alexandria: Celebrating 24 Centuries – Papers presented at the conference held on December 13–15 2017 at Acropolis Museum, Athens
Hellenistic Alexandria: Celebrating 24 Centuries' presents the proceedings of a conference held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, on December 13–15, 2017, and includes high-level dialogues and philosophical discussions between international experts on Hellenistic Alexandria. The goal was to celebrate the 24 centuries which have elapsed since its foundation and the beginning of the Library and the Museum of Alexandria. The conference was divided into two parts, to include in the first part archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, art, culture and legal issues and in the second part science, medicine, technology and environment. A total of 28 original and peer-reviewed articles point to the importance of the brilliantly-original ideas that emerged during the Hellenistic age and the curious modernity of the whole atmosphere of the time. The range of presented topics covers a variety of new data on the foundation of Alexandria to comparison between Ptolemaic Alexandria and Ptolemaic Greece through philosophy, culture and drama to the forgotten revolution of science, medicine and the prevailing climatological and geophysical conditions throughout the Hellenistic Period. The conference and its proceedings were co-sponsored by the Μarianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation, the Acropolis Museum, the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies at Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences. The Publication also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies, a joint collaboration between the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Vardinoyannis Foundation and the University of Alexandria. Scholars from around the world follow the Center’s programme in various specialisations, ranging from historyliterature- art, to archaeology and architecture-philosophy, and science.
£126.50
Archaeopress De la provincia Celtiberia a la qūrā de Santabariyya: Arqueología de la Antigüedad tardía en la provincia de Cuenca (siglos V-VIII d.C.)
The central position of the province of Cuenca, Spain, was a decisive factor in its relationship with Toledo, the capital of the Visigothic kingdom. Also, its location meant that, from the middle of the 6th Century, it was directly affected by some of the most relevant historical episodes of those times: the foundation of the royal city of Reccopoli, the establishment of the Servitanus monastery, the transformation of Toledo as the metropolitan seat of the Carthaginian province and the military campaigns against the imperial forces. Parallel to this, archaeological excavations document a process of disrupting the old urban centres in favour of small populations within their municipal territory. This process was resolved with a shift of power centres towards other cities supported by the political power of Toledo: Toledo itself in the case of Segobriga, Reccopoli in the Arcavica’s case and Illunum to the detriment of Valeria. In this way, the ancient Roman cities were reduced to serve as a symbolic reference of the small villages that developed in the shadow of the old urban centres. This volume presents a historical and archaeological study of the province of Cuenca in Late Antiquity. The study concludes with an examination of the archaeological collection from the province, which has been divided into three large groups: monumental sculpture and epigraphic items, ceramic productions and metalwork arts. The first group is mainly constituted by the findings made in the excavations of Cabeza de Griego (Segobriga). Most of the pottery productions correspond to vessels placed as funerary deposits. Due to the absence of excavations, the ceramics for kitchen and storage use are hardly represented, whereas there is an overrepresentation of types destined for use as libations or offerings. Finally, most of the elements of industrial arts correspond to elements of the Latin-Mediterranean fashion or Byzantine style of the 7th Century. The almost total absence of materials corresponding to the Pontic-Danubian fashion also should be noted. | La posición central de la provincia de Cuenca ha sido el factor determinante en su relación con Toledo, la capital del reino visigodo. Esta situación fue la causa también de que, desde mediados del siglo VI, se viera directamente afectada por algunos de los episodios históricos más relevantes del momento: la fundación de la ciudad regia de Recópolis, el establecimiento del monasterio Servitano, la transformación de Toledo en sede metropolitana de la provincia cartaginesa y las campañas militares contra los ejércitos imperiales. De forma paralela, las excavaciones arqueológicas documentan un proceso de desestructuración de los antiguos centros urbanos a favor de pequeñas poblaciones de su territorio. Este proceso se resolvió con un cambio de centros de poder hacia otras ciudades apoyadas por el poder político de Toledo: Toledo mismo en el caso de Segóbriga, Recópolis en el caso de Arcávica e Illunum en detrimento de Valeria. De este modo, las ciudades romanas quedaron reducidas servir como referentes simbólicos de las pequeñas poblaciones que se desarrollaron a la sombra de los antiguos centros urbanos. El presente trabajo se completa con el estudio de la colección arqueológica procedente de la provincia, que se ha dividido en tres grandes grupos: escultura monumental y epigrafía, producciones cerámicas y artes industriales. El primer grupo está constituido principalmente por los hallazgos realizados en las excavaciones de Cabeza de Griego (Segóbriga). Por otro lado, la mayoría de las producciones de cerámica corresponden a vasijas colocadas como depósitos funerarios. Debido a la ausencia de excavaciones, la cerámica de cocina y de almacenamiento apenas aparece representada, mientras que hay una sobrerrepresentación de tipos destinados a libaciones u ofrendas. Finalmente, la mayoría de los materiales de las artes industriales corresponden a elementos de la moda latino-mediterránea o del estilo bizantino del siglo VII. La ausencia casi total de materiales correspondientes a la moda póntico-danubiana es sumamente significativa.
£137.86
Archaeopress Technologie du harponnage sur la côte Pacifique du désert d’Atacama (nord du Chili)
These objects do not have a single purpose. This is the central premise that guides the research within this book. Throughout the volume the reader will follow a representation of a marine hunter-gatherer society, a projection deriving from one of its iconic and most important material assets, the harpoon. This very technical object will be studied not only for its most evident function - hunting at sea – and the work delves into the structural, symbolic, technological and world-building aspects of the human societies that used them. To achieve this goal the text begins with a judgment about the role of marine hunting, its prey, and the agents involved in different coastal societies on the American continent, in order to create a comprehensive framework of reference for the subject. It continues by focussing on clarifying, defining and discussing the concept of harponage from technology compared with other historical and ethnographic cases of marine hunters across the globe. A typology of harpoon points from the Atacama Desert is presented, with classification based on their technical attributes, constituent units, composition features and articulation mechanisms, in order to evaluate the chronological scope and geographical distribution of each one of the types of harpoon heads from the last 7000 years of coastal history. The text then explores the multiple values and meanings of the harpoons of the Atacama Desert. The book finally examines the social reasons that influenced the development of an incredibly sophisticated and complex technology of marine hunting. Inferences that take it out of the sea and away from hunting, towards hypotheses that seek answers in the cultural determinism stemming from technical decisions, to utilise technology as another mechanism to establish and strengthen social bonds in the construction of worlds between different agents and collectives, and no longer as a simple tool to satisfy subsistence needs. | Les objets n’ont pas un seul objectif. Prémisse centrale qui guide le dénouement de ce livre. Dans les pages suivantes le lecteur trouvera une réflexion sur une société des chasseurs-collecteurs marins à partir d’un de ces biens matériaux iconiques et un des plus importantes, le harpon. Cet objet technique sera étudié hors de sa fonction la plus évidente, au-delà de la chasse marine, pour pénétrer les aspects structurels, symboliques, technologiques et de construction du monde de ces collectifs humains. Pour entreprendre ce défi, le texte nous submerge dans un premier temps dans une révision critique sur le rôle de la chasse marine, leurs proies et les agents impliqués dans ces activités et dans différentes sociétés côtières du continent américain, afin de pourvoir un cadre de référence adéquate sur cette thématique. Dans un deuxième moment, nous nous centrons dans l’éclaircissement, la définition et la concrétisation du concept de harponnage depuis la technologie comparée avec d’autres cas historiques et ethnographiques de chasseurs-cueilleurs du monde. Une typologie de têtes de harpon pour le désert d’Atacama est ensuite présentée, fondée sur leurs solutions techniques, leurs unités constitutives, leurs normes de composition et leurs mécanismes d’articulation, pour évaluer ensuite la portée chronologique et la distribution géographique de chaque type au cours des dernières 7000 années d’histoire littorale. Par la suite, le texte tente d’explorer les multiples valeurs et significations des harpons du désert d’Atacama. Dans sa partie finale, notre récit aborde les raisons sociales qui ont permis le développement d’une technologie de chasse marine aussi sophistiquée et complexe. Interprétations qui nous emmènent hors de la mer et loin de la chasse, vers des hypothèses qui cherchent des réponses sur les contraintes culturelles qui se trouvent derrière les décisions techniques, pour concevoir à la technologie comme un mécanisme employé afin d’établir les liens sociaux dans la construction des mondes et rapprocher différents agents sociaux et collectifs, plus que comme un simple outil destiné à satisfaire des besoins de subsistance. | Los objetos no tienen un solo objetivo. Esta es la premisa central que guía el desenlace de este libro. A lo largo de sus páginas el lector conocerá una reflexión acerca de una sociedad cazadora-recolectora marina a partir de uno de sus bienes materiales icónicos y más importantes, el arpón. Este objeto técnico será estudiado fuera de su función más evidente, más allá de la caza en el mar, para adentrarse en aspectos estructurales, simbólicos, tecnológicos y de construcción de mundo de estos colectivos humanos. Para llevar a cabo este programa, el texto se sumerge en una primera instancia en un juicio acerca del rol de la caza marina, sus presas y los agentes involucrados en diferentes sociedades costeras del continente americano, con tal de crear un marco de referencia comprensivo y adecuado sobre el tema. En segundo lugar, se aboca a clarificar, definir y concretizar el concepto de arponaje desde la tecnología comparada con otros casos históricos y etnográficos de cazadores marinos del planeta. Se presenta una tipología de cabezales para el desierto de Atacama fundada en sus soluciones técnicas, unidades constitutivas, normas de composición y mecanismos de articulación, para luego evaluar el alcance cronológico y la distribución geográfica de cada uno de los tipos de cabezales de arpón definidos para los últimos 7000 años de historia litoral. Posteriormente, el texto intenta explorar en torno a los múltiples valores y significados de los arpones del desierto de Atacama. El libro indaga en su desenlace final acerca de las razones sociales que dieron cabida al desarrollo de una tecnología de caza marina tan sofisticada y compleja. Inferencias que lo llevan fuera del mar y lejos de la caza, hacia hipótesis que buscan respuestas en las condicionantes culturales tras las decisiones técnicas, para concebir a la tecnología como un mecanismo más para entablar y estrechar lazos sociales en la construcción de mundos entre distintos agentes y colectivos, y ya no como una simple herramienta para satisfacer necesidades de subsistencia.
£52.19
Archaeopress Quebrando rocas, una aproximación metodológica para el estudio del cuarzo en contextos arqueológicos de Córdoba (Argentina)
This book offers a valuable contribution to the development of a methodology to address the study of archaeological quartz artifacts, combining various analytical tools to study these objects so that we might better understand the technological strategies of hunting societies who made use of this raw material. | La meta de este libro es aportar al desarrollo de una metodología para abordar el estudio de artefactos arqueológicos de cuarzo, focalizándose en la combinación de diversas herramientas analíticas que permitan estudiar estos utensilios y contribuir así a una mejor comprensión de las estrategias tecnológicas de las sociedades cazadoras recolectoras que hicieron uso de esta materia prima. Ello implica, por un lado, evaluar el potencial de dicha roca para la producción de instrumentos líticos, considerando las distintas técnicas de talla, así como analizar las propiedades y cualidades de los filos para la realización de diversas actividades de incidencia sobre la materia en general, considerando a las de corte y raspado, en particular. Con el fin de someter a prueba esta propuesta, es que se abordarán como caso de estudio las estrategias tecnológicas implementadas por los grupos cazadores-recolectores que habitaron en el Valle de Calamuchita (provincia de Córdoba) durante el Holoceno medio y tardío, estudiando allí el rol cumplido por el cuarzo como materia prima, así como el uso y manufactura de artefactos de cuarzo en dicho contexto particular. Consta de tres partes principales: la primera de ellas aborda el enfoque metodológico y consta de cinco capítulos; la segunda parte comprende los resultados obtenidos luego de la aplicación de estos desarrollos metodológicos a través de programas experimentales tanto de manufactura como de uso de instrumentos sobre cuarzo ; por último, la tercer parte incluye la aplicación de los resultados obtenidos en el análisis de un caso de estudio en sitios arqueológicos de Calamuchita.
£87.94
Archaeopress Funerary Archaeology and Changing Identities: Community Practices in Roman-Period Sardinia
Funerary Archaeology and Changing Identities: Community Practices in Roman-Period Sardinia examines three inter-woven research questions. The first one concerns a theoretical issue of how identities can be inferred from archaeology; the second asks what were the material relationships between communities of Sardinia and the Roman world’s power and culture when based on the burial evidence on the ground; third question asked was how can the interpretive frameworks of today’s world and symbolic structures affect our understanding of the past. These questions are approached through the detailed analysis of the funerary evidence from mostly unpublished burial sites from southern and central Sardinia that can become a key to an alternative interpretation of the island and of other Roman Provinces. The questions are answered throughout the book by drawing on social studies, particularly post-colonial approaches to the history of the past, interpretive frameworks on the Roman world, and semiotic theories. By in-depth look at the archaeological evidence from Sardinia’s burials, the book retrieves the active and creative role played by the local communities in shaping of the Roman world within the specific material and historical conditions they lived in.
£74.01
Archaeopress Grabados rupestres en La Mancha centro: documentación y estudio de un patrimonio desconocido: Rock engravings in La Mancha center: documentation and study of an unknown heritage
This book deals with the documentation and interpretation of the rock sites located in La Mancha center (Spain), from the detailed study of the symbols that have been engraved in the rock. These sites, from historical times, can provide valuable information for the study of the mentalities and beliefs of the popular classes during the Modern Age, strongly influenced by the atmosphere created after the Counter-Reformation. Crosses, calvaries, orbs, human and animal representations, letters, cup-marks and game boards make up an authentic symbolic universe, of clear Christian roots, whose understanding is possible to achieve even though it requires collaboration between multiple fields of knowledge such as archaeology, theology, numismatics, heraldry, architecture, sculpture, painting... Unfortunately, researchers have paid scant attention to the issue at hand, assuming paradigms that from our point of view should be reviewed, such as the authorship of the petroglyphs or their chrono-cultural affiliation. The study of the rock formations located in La Mancha center can shed light on these and other subjects, providing a good starting point in order to improve the documentation and interpretation of historical rock engravings in other parts of the world.
£65.40
Archaeopress The Archaeology of Prehistoric Burnt Mounds in Ireland
This book details the archaeology of burnt mounds (fulachtaí fia) in Ireland, one of the most frequent and under researched prehistoric site types in the country. It presents a re-evaluation of the pyrolithic phenomenon in light of some 1000 excavated burnt mounds. Charcoal-enriched soil, along with spreads and mounds of heat-affected stone, are one of the most common types of site found in Ireland, largely as a consequence of numerous discoveries made in the course of road building. They represent an accumulation of firing material associated with a prehistoric pyrolithic technology, which involved a process of heat transfer that centred on the use of hot stones immersed in water-filled troughs or placed in small, lined/unlined pits/ovens. During the Bronze Age, the use of this technology became widely adopted in Northern Europe, particularly Ireland, where the phenomenon is represented in the field as a low crescent-shaped mound. Even though burnt mounds are the most common prehistoric site type in Ireland, they have not received the same level of research as other prehistoric sites. This is primarily due to the paucity of artefact finds and the unspectacular nature of the archaeological remains, compounded by the absence of an appropriate research framework. This is the most comprehensive study undertaken on the use of pyrolithic technology in prehistoric Ireland, dealing with different aspects of site function, chronology, social role and cultural context.
£115.69
Archaeopress Giving the Past a Future: Essays in Archaeology and Rock Art Studies in Honour of Dr. Phil. h.c. Gerhard Milstreu
This volume celebrates the work of Dr. Phil. h.c. Gerhard Milstreu in his 40th year as director of Tanum Museum of Rock Carving and Rock Art Research Centre, Underslös, Sweden. Here, a feast of scholarly contributions from across Europe, at all levels of study have been collected. Each and every one of the chapters addresses aspects connected to the work Gerhard has done over the last 40 years. Through their words and images, these pay respect to and acknowledge Gerhard’s achievements in the fields of rock art documentation, research, international collaboration and outreach. Gerhard has striven from the outset to: promote the importance of the image within archaeology, increase public interest and involvement with prehistoric art, and to encourage the next generation to continue the work. Thus, many authors think very deeply about the images, how we interpret them and how we record them, particularly in light of recent advances in technology. Others explore how Gerhard has fostered dissemination and public involvement. The range of countries and subjects represented; France, Italy, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the UK; reflects the success of Gerhard’s focus on international collaboration and dialogue. Given Gerhard’s emphasis on giving the past a future, it is appropriate that leading up and coming scholars, from all levels of higher education, are also present and have the opportunity to present their latest research.
£84.10
Archaeopress The Law of Treasure
The importance of the Law of Treasure is largely the result of the spectacular growth in the activity of metal detecting which, starting in the 1960’s, has grown so much in popularity that it now brings to our knowledge each year more than a thousand objects of historical, cultural or archaeological interest. The nature and volume of these finds has in turn led to a greater public concern to ensure that measures exist which will be conducive to the retention and effective preservation of the more important of those objects. It is, of course, essential that facilities exist for the physical examination and conservation of finds and that those facilities should be accessible and adequate. But the law has an important part to play in this process by ensuring that finds of substantial value or importance should be preserved for the nation and made available to the public in museums. For many hundreds of years, the Law of Treasure was the common law of treasure trove. Today it is essentially based on the Treasure Act 1996. Although the Act is a great improvement on the common law it is nevertheless not always rational and the meaning of some of its provisions is sometimes obscure. This book aims to provide a reliable guide to the Law of Treasure in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and also to explain the role played by legal institutions, such as the Coroner, in that process. This book will be of interest to archaeologists, museums, coroner’s offices, finds liaison officers, farmers and landlords’ associations. It will also be of interest and utility to metal detectorists since, in addition to explaining what objects are considered to be treasure by the law, it explains the legal restrictions on searching for artefacts, the duty to report finds of treasure and the structure of the valuation process and rewards.
£51.11
Archaeopress Barrow Old Hall and Twiss Green: Investigations of two sub-manorial estate centres within the townships of Bold and Culcheth in the Hundred of Warrington 1982-87
Excavations were carried out at the moated sites of Barrow Old Hall and Twiss Green, in Warrington, North West England, in the 1980s. Sub-manorial estates were established at these two sites by the fourteenth century, located near the boundaries of their multi-moated townships. Townships with multiple moats were a feature of parts of North West England and may have been the result of medieval assarting and the expansion of agriculture on to fringe or marginal areas, on the boundaries of earlier manors. It also owed much to the unusual tenurial arrangements of the region, whereby lords granted small estates out of their holdings, often to family members, to construct moated homesteads. This report presents the results of the excavations at these two small moated sites, including evidence for possible aisled halls at both sites, as well as a significant assemblage of medieval and early post-medieval pottery. There is also a full account of the finding of the remains of a timber bridge at Twiss Green and its full reconstruction; an illustration of which was previously published in the Shire Archaeology series book on Moated Sites in 1985. The publication of these excavations contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the role and development of moated sites in this part of North West England and completes the outstanding analysis of moated sites excavated in the Warrington area.
£55.39
Archaeopress Papers in Italian Archaeology VII: The Archaeology of Death: Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of Italian Archaeology held at the National University of Ireland, Galway, April 16-18, 2016
The Archaeology of Death: Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of Italian Archaeology held at the National University of Ireland, Galway, April 16-18, 2016 includes more than 60 papers, with contributors from the British Isles, Italy and other parts of continental Europe, and North and South America, which consider recent developments in Italian archaeology from the Neolithic to the modern period. Each region of Italy is represented, with specific sections of the volume devoted to Etruria, South Italy, and Sicily. Other sections have a chronological focus, including Italian Prehistory, the Roman period, and Post Antiquity. Following the primary theme of the meeting, the majority of papers revolve around the archaeology of death; numerous contributions analyse the cultural significance of death through examinations of funerary rituals and mortuary practices, while others analyse burial data for evidence of wider social and political change. Various papers consider new and recent discoveries in Italian archaeology, while others ask fresh questions of older datasets. In addition, a number of contributions showcase their employment of new methodologies deriving from technological innovations. The volume opens with a dedicatory section to mark the achievements of the Accordia Research Institute, and to celebrate the careers of two of its founders, Ruth Whitehouse and John Wilkins. The following paper(s) are available to download in Open Access: Cremation structures and funerary dynamics in Roman Veneto. New perspectives from Padua/Patavium – Cecilia Rossi and Irene Marini: Download
£159.44
Archaeopress Walking with the Unicorn: Social Organization and Material Culture in Ancient South Asia: Jonathan Mark Kenoyer Felicitation Volume
Walking with the Unicorn – Jonathan Mark Kenoyer Felicitation Volume' is an important contribution highlighting recent developments in the archaeological research of ancient South Asia, with specific reference to the Indus Civilization. As suggested by the title, it is a compilation of original papers written to celebrate the outstanding contributions of Jonathan Mark Kenoyer to the archaeology of South Asia over the past forty years. Many interpretations now commonly accepted in the study of the Indus Civilization are the results of Kenoyer’s original insights, which combine his instinctive knowledge of the indigenous culture with the groundbreaking application of ethnoarchaeology, experimental studies and instrumental analyses. The numerous contributions from international specialists cover central aspects of the archaeological research on Bronze Age South Asia, as well as of the neighboring regions. They include socio-economic implications of craft productions, the still undeciphered Indus script and related administrative technologies and procedures. The inter-regional exchanges that allowed the rooting of the Indus culture over a vaste territory, as well as the subtle regional variations in this ‘Harappan veneer’ are also studied.
£191.05
Archaeopress Winifred Lamb: Aegean Prehistorian and Museum Curator
Winifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist in the Aegean and Anatolia. She studied classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, and subsequently served in naval intelligence alongside J. D. Beazley during the final stages of the First World War. As war drew to a close, Sydney Cockerell, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, invited Lamb to be the honorary keeper of Greek antiquities. Over the next 40 years she created a prehistoric gallery, marking the university’s contribution to excavations in the Aegean, and developed the museum’s holdings of classical bronzes and Athenian figure-decorated pottery. Lamb formed a parallel career excavating in the Aegean. She was admitted as a student of the British School at Athens and served as assistant director on the Mycenae excavations under Alan Wace and Carl Blegen. After further work at Sparta and on prehistoric mounds in Macedonia, Lamb identified and excavated a major Bronze Age site at Thermi on Lesbos. She conducted a brief excavation on Chios before directing a major project at Kusura in Turkey. She was recruited for the Turkish language section of the BBC during the Second World War, and after the cessation of hostilities took an active part in the creation of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.
£57.74
Archaeopress Reindeer hunters at Howburn Farm, South Lanarkshire: A Late Hamburgian settlement in southern Scotland – its lithic artefacts and natural environment
This volume presents the lithic assemblage from Howburn in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which at present is the oldest prehistoric settlement in Scotland (12,700-12,000 BC), and the only Hamburgian settlement in Britain. The site also included a scatter from the Late Upper Palaeolithic Federmesser- Gruppen period (12,000-10,800 BC), as well as lithics from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. The book focuses on the Hamburgian finds, which are mainly based on the exploitation of flint from Doggerland, the then dry bed of the North Sea. The Hamburgian tools include tanged arrowheads, scrapers, piercers, burins, and other implement forms which show similarities with tools of the same age on the European continent. The shape of one scatter suggests that the Palaeolithic settlers lived in tent-like structures. The Palaeolithic finds from Howburn shed light on several important general trends, such as the ‘acclimatization’ of pioneer settlers, as well as the development of regional differences following the initial Late Glacial recolonization of Scotland. Palaeo-environmental work focused on whether there was a small lake (‘Loch Howburn’) in front of the terrace on which the camp was situated, and it was concluded that there was indeed a lake there, but it was neither contemporary with the Hamburgian, nor the Federmesser-Gruppen settlement. Most likely, ‘Loch Howburn’ dates to the Loch Lomond stadial.
£59.15
Archaeopress New Approaches to Disease, Disability and Medicine in Medieval Europe
The majority of papers in this volume were originally presented at the eighth annual ‘Disease, Disability, and Medicine in Medieval Europe’ conference. The conference focused on infections, chronic illness, and the impact of infectious diseases on medieval society, including infection as a disability in the case of visible conditions, such as infected wounds, leprosy, syphilis, and tuberculosis. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this conference emphasised the importance of collaborative projects, novel avenues of research for treating infectious disease, and the value of considering medieval questions from the perspective of multiple disciplines. This volume aims to carry forward this interdisciplinary synergy by bringing together contributors from a variety of disciplines and from a diverse range of international institutions. Of note is the academic stage of the contributors in this volume. All the contributors were PhD candidates at the time of the conference, and the majority have completed or are in the final stages of completing their programmes at the time of this publication. The originality and calibre of research presented by these early career researchers demonstrates the promising future of the field, as well as the continued relevance of medieval studies for a wide range of disciplines and topics. Contributions by Stefanie Künzel, Marit Ronen, Cathrin Hähn, Rachel Welsh, Ninon Dubourg, Clara Jáuregui, Lucy Barnhouse, Cecilia Collins, Erin Connelly, and Christoph Wieselhuber.
£65.99