Best of
Archaeology

1987

The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus


Paul Zanker - 1987
    They reflect the state of its values, especially in times of crisis or transition." Upon this premise Paul Zanker builds an interpretation of Augustan art as a visual language that both expressed and furthered the transformation of Roman society during the rule of Augustus Caesar. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus illustrates how the establishment of monarchy under Augustus Caesar led to the creation of a new system of visual imagery that reflects the consciousness of this transitional age.

The History of the Countryside: The Classic History of Britain's Landscape, Flora and Fauna


Oliver Rackham - 1987
    Going right up to the present day, and including both natural and man-made features, it demonstrates the sometimes subtle, sometimes radical ways in which people, flora, fauna, climate, soils, and other physical conditions have played a role in shaping the landscape. "...quirky and rewarding...full of answers to questions that others have not had the wit to ask."--Economist. "One thing is certain: no one would be wise to write further on our natural history...without thinking very hard about what is contained in these authoritative pages."--Country Life.

The First Eden: The Mediterranean World and Man


David Attenborough - 1987
    In this book, David Attenborough not only describes the natural history of the Mediterranean, but also tells the fascinating story of mankind's changing attitudes to the natural world and gives a new insight into the communities of animals and plants that live today in this lovely Sea and the lands around it.

Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook


Prudence M. Rice - 1987
    Prudence M. Rice uses pottery as a starting point for insights into people and culture and examines in detail the methods for studying these fired clay vessels that have been used worldwide from prehistoric times to the present. Pottery Analysis is a classic in its field as well as an invaluable reference for all students of archaeology and ancient culture.

The Lost Notebooks


Loren Eiseley - 1987
    Also included are poems, short stories, an array of Eiseley's absorbing observations on the natural world, and his always startling reflections on the nature and future of humankind and the universe.

Hagia Sophia


Rowland J. Mainstone - 1987
    The examination of the structure enables Mainstone to disentangle the various rebuildings and restorations, lots of discussion of the design of this most massive of constrcuctions but he is equally concerned with the ways in which it was used, elements of symbolism and the influence of liturgy and the Emperors.

Vertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution


Robert Lynn Carroll - 1987
    "Carroll has to his credit an immense amount of useful labour in writing the book and will probably corner the market for a vertebrate paleontology text for the rest of this century." Nature

Formation Processes of the Archaeological Record


Michael Brian Schiffer - 1987
    It shows how the past is accessible in practice by identifying variability introduced by the diverse effects of people and nature that in some sum, form the archaeological record.For students, it is intended as both an introduction and guide in method and theory, field work, and analysis. Practicing archaeologists will find it a valuable checklist of sources of variability when observations on the archaeological record are used to justify inferences.

The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology


José Argüelles - 1987
    In it, Jose Arguelles revealed three revolutionary ideas: that a great moment of human transformation awaited us as we approached 2012: that there are galactic "seasons" and that the Maya accurately recorded them; and that each person had the capability to connect directly with the energy of a beam emanating from the galactic center that contains the power to awaken the higher mind.

Proto-Indo-European: The Archaeology of a Linguistic Problem: Studies in Honor of Marija Gimbutas


Marija Gimbutas - 1987
    

Medieval European Coinage: Volume 1, the Early Middle Ages


Philip Grierson - 1987
    It starts with the Vandals, Visigoths, Burgundians and other Germanic invaders of the Empire, whose coins were modelled on contemporary issues of the Western or Eastern emperors. The coinage of the Franks is followed from early Merovingian times through to the establishment and subsequent fragmentation of the Carolingian empire. Italy is represented by the coinages of the Ostrogoths, Lombards, Carolingians and popes down to the Ottoman conquest in the mid-tenth century. The coinage of the Anglo-Saxons is traced from the introduction of minting in the early seventh century to the emergence of a united kingdom during the first half of the tenth century, including the aberrant coinages of Northumbria and the Anglo-Viking coinages of the Danelaw.

Anasazi Ruins of the Southwest in Color


William Ferguson - 1987
    The pueblos and cliff dwellings they built during their halcyon days between 1100 and 1500AD are the most spectacular ruins north of Mexico. In this book, all of the significant and accessible Anasazi ruins are photographed and described in detail. Special attention is paid to the magnificent sites of Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, and Kayenta. Also included are illustrations of rock art and examples of the delicate jewellery and beautiful ceramics that have survived.

Prehistoric Britain


Timothy Darvill - 1987
    This book, now in its second edition, examines the development of human societies in Britain from earliest times to the Roman conquest of AD 43, as revealed by archaeological evidence. Special attention is given to six themes which are traced through prehistory: subsistence, technology, ritual, trade, society, and population.Prehistoric Britain begins by introducing the background to prehistoric studies in Britain, presenting it in terms of the development of interest in the subject and the changes wrought by new techniques such as radiocarbon dating, and new theories, such as the emphasis on social archaeology. The central sections trace the development of society from the hunter-gatherer groups of the last Ice Age, through the adoption of farming, the introduction of metalworking, and on to the rise of highly organized societies living on the fringes of the mighty Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Throughout, emphasis is given to documenting and explaining changes within these prehistoric communities, and to exploring the regional variations found in Britain. In this way the wealth of evidence that can be seen in the countryside and in our museums is placed firmly in its proper context. It concludes with a review of the effects of prehistoric communities on life today.With over 120 illustrations, this is a unique review of Britain's ancient past as revealed by modern archaeology. The revisions and updates to Prehistoric Britain ensure that this will continue to be the most comprehensive and authoritative account of British prehistory for those students and interested readers studying the subject.

The Sea Remembers: Shipwrecks And Archaeology: From Homer's Greece To The Rediscovery Of The Titanic


Peter Throckmorton - 1987
    Focusing on shipwrecks and archaeology, this book includes detailed illustrations of a number of famous lost ships, including the Titanic.

The Prehistory of Orkney: BC 4000-1000 AD


Colin Renfrew - 1987
    

Kiva, Cross & Crown: The Pecos Indians and New Mexico, 1540-1840


John L. Kessell - 1987
    Richly illustrated with drawings from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth.

Doorways Through Time: The Romance of Archaeology


Stephen Bertman - 1987
    

Discoveries in Martin's Hundred (Colonial Williamsburg archaeological series)


Ivor Noël Hume - 1987
    

The Evolution of Human Societies: From Foraging Group to Agrarian State


Allen W. Johnson - 1987
    The authors show that the interconnected processes of technological change and population growth are the motor of social change, resulting in three related processes—intensification, integration, and stratification—that transform human societies over time. The validity of their theory rests on evidence drawn from 19 case studies that range widely over time and space.For this new edition, the authors have thoroughly rewritten the theoretical argument for greater clarity, updated the case materials to incorporate new research, and added a new chapter that applies their theoretical perspective to the problems of change since the industrial revolution and the globalization of trade and political influence.Reviews of the First Edition"In a book full of perceptive observations and persuasive arguments . . . Johnson and Earle show in masterly detail how societies articulate to their environments and . . . how they evolve."—Ethnohistory"A major contribution. . . . The book is a marvelous synthesis of ethnographic and historical data."—American Journal of Sociology"A large amount of research and thought has produced sensible and illuminating specific analyses of the mechanisms of evolutionary change. Another plus is that the writing is clear and the argument is neatly conceived."—American Anthropologist

The Use and Abuse of History


Moses I. Finley - 1987
    The book also considers what the classical tradition has to offer us. From the author of "The Ancient Greeks".

The Lenape or Delaware Indians: The Original People of New Jersey, Southeastern New York State, Eastern Pennsylvania, Northern Delaware and Parts of Western Connecticut


Herbert Kraft - 1987
    Endorsed by teachers and Native Americans as the best source of its kind, it describes the Lenape culture as it was when European explorers and colonists first discovered it.