Best of
Archaeology

2004

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs: Official Companion Book to the Exhibition sponsored by National Geographic


Zahi A. Hawass - 2004
    Captured in lavish detail and sumptuous color, here are scores of objects dating back to the reigns and tombs of such fabled kings and queens as Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and, of course, Tutankhamun, the richest trove of all. From superbly sculpted life-sized statues to elegantly inlaid furniture to funerary urns and myriad implements that guarantee safe passage to the Afterlife, they offer vivid insights into the skillful workmanship and astonishing sophistication of Egyptian culture in the golden age of the pharaohs. Intricate golden jewelry glitters with precious gems, while bas-relief panels depict great events and religious ceremonies. Each photograph is accompanied by a precise description of materials, subject, and significance.

Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City


Marisa Ranieri Panetta - 2004
    It investigates public life, religious life, the economy, and the private arena. A special section is devoted to the eruption of 79 AD, described based on the most recent discoveries, and another section takes a look at Oplontis, the most celebrated villa in the suburbs of Pompeii - and legendarily owned by Poppea Sabina, Neros second wife. An updated bibliography and a chronological outline conclude this journey back in time.This book was done with the collaboration of the Archaeological Superintendency of Pompeii and the Superintendency for Archaeological Heritage of Naples and Caserta.

Dress Accessories, C.1150-C.1450


Geoff Egan - 2004
    This text provides descriptions and discussions of over 2000 brooches, rings, buckles, pendants, buttons, purses and other accessories found in archaeological digs in London, and dating from the period 1150-1450.

Hidden Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Unearthing the Masterpieces of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo


Zahi A. Hawass - 2004
    A world famous Egyptologist presents the stories of the fabulous ancient treasures contained within Cairo's Egyptian Museum, many of which have never been seen outside of Egypt, complete with beautiful color photographs of the masterpieces.

The Art of the Picts: Sculpture and Metalwork in Early Medieval Scotland


George Henderson - 2004
    Tribal Celtic-speaking warriors and farmers in what is now Scotland, the Picts were one of the major peoples of early medieval Britain, but their culture and their beautiful art have puzzled historians for centuries.George and Isabel Henderson’s acute analysis reveals an art form that both interacted with the currents of “Insular” art and was produced by a sophisticated society capable of sustaining large-scale art programs. The illustrations include specially commissioned drawings that help one understand the mysterious symbols found in the art.

Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South


Richard F. Townsend - 2004
    and A.D. 1500. This fascinating book presents exciting new information on the art and cultures of these ancient peoples and features hundreds of gorgeous photographs of important artworks, artifacts, and ritual objects excavated from Amerindian archaeological sites.Drawing on excavation findings and extensive research, the contributors to the book document a succession of distinct ancient populations in the pre-Columbian world of the American Midwest and Southeast. A team of interdisciplinary scholars examines the connections between archaeological remains of different regions and the themes, forms, and rituals that continue in specific tribes of today. The book also includes the personal reflections of contemporary Native Americans who discuss their perspectives on the significance of the fascinating and beautiful prehistoric artifacts as well as their own cultural practices today.

Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya


Marry Miller - 2004
    This well illustrated book, written by Mary Miller and Simon Martin, sheds new light on royal life at the court of the ancient Maya.

Murder In Mesopotamia: A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation


Agatha Christie - 2004
    As hired nurse to a paranoid and isolated new patient, Amy wonders what to make of the woman's "nervous terrors," of her bizarre stories of a vengeful but dead husband, of the dire warnings...or for that matter, of her charge's sudden, brutal murder.

Byzantine Monuments Of Istanbul


John Freely - 2004
    The remains of the land and sea walls, the Hippodrome, imperial palaces, commemorative columns, reservoirs and cisterns, an aqueduct, a triumphal archway, a fortified port, and twenty churches are also described in chronological order in the context of their times. These monuments are viewed in relationship to the political, religious, social, economic, intellectual and artistic developments of the Byzantine dynasties.

The Archaeology of Syria: From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban Societies (C.16,000-300 Bc)


Peter M.M.G. Akkermans - 2004
    Although Syria has been the focus of intensive excavations for decades, no large-scale review of the results of these excavations has ever appeared until now. Syria is one of the prime areas of excavation and archaeological field work in the Middle East, and Peter Akkermans and Glenn Schwartz outline the many important finds yielded by Syria, before providing their own perspectives and conclusions.

The Early Human World


Peter Robertshaw - 2004
    Big Mama, who used a tree branch to escape from a zoo in Holland, is found sipping chocolate milk at a local restaurant. Nandy, a 50,000-year-old skeleton surrounded by flower pollen inIraq, casts doubt on the beastly reputation of an early hominid. Found frozen in the Alps, �tzi reveals what people in Europe ate 5,000 years ago. Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba, a chimpanzee, a Neandertal, and the Iceman are just some of the characters who make up The Early Human World.Peter Robertshaw and Jill Rubalcaba tell the story of early human life using an incredible variety of primary sources: 3.5-million-year-old footprints preserved by a volcano provide evidence of our ancestors' walking on two legs. Stone flakes fashioned 2 million years ago prove early hominids usedtools. Bears, lions, and rhinoceroses painted in a cave 30,000 years ago reveal our ancestors' artistic side. An 8,500-year-old dog grave shows the extraordinarily long history of man's best friend. This evidence helps archaeologists decipher not just how we came to be the Homo sapiens we are today, but also what life may have been like for our earliest ancestors. The first Australians encountered freakishly gigantic beasts: kangaroos as big as houses and tortoises the size of cars. The Sahara Desert was once a fertile land, supporting herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. The Early Human Worldtakes readers to sites around the world as archaeologists piece together the clues to our past.

Sand Buried Ruins Of Khotan: Personal Narrative Of A Journey Of Archaeological And Geographical Exploration In Chinese Turkestan


Aurel Stein - 2004
    Fisher Unwin, London.

Ancient Puebloan Southwest


John Kantner - 2004
    Based on a diverse range of archaeological data, historical accounts, oral history and ethnographic records, this introduction for students of the Pueblo Southwest is vital reading for any archaeologist concerned with the origins of early civilizations.

Early Riders: The Beginnings of Mounted Warfare in Asia and Europe


Robert Drews - 2004
    After establishing when, where, and most importantly why good riding began, Drews goes on to show how riding raiders terrorized the civilized world in the seventh century BC, and how central cavalry was to the success of the Median and Persian empires.Drawing on archaeological, iconographic and textual evidence, this is the first book devoted to the question of when horseback riders became important in combat. Comprehensively illustrated, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the origins of civilization in Eurasia, and the development of man's military relationship with the horse.

Fish into Wine: The Newfoundland Plantation in the Seventeenth Century


Peter E. Pope - 2004
    Pope examines the way of life that developed in seventeenth-century Newfoundland, where settlement was sustained by seasonal migration to North America's oldest industry, the cod fishery. The unregulated English settlements that grew up around the exchange of fish for wine served the fishery by catering to nascent consumer demand. The English Shore became a hub of transatlantic trade, linking Newfoundland with the Chesapeake, New and old England, southern Europe, and the Atlantic islands. Pope gives special attention to Ferryland, the proprietary colony founded by Sir George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, in 1621, but later taken over by the London merchant Sir David Kirke and his remarkable family. The saga of the Kirkes provides a narrative line connecting social and economic developments on the English Shore with metropolitan merchants, proprietary rivalries, and international competition.Employing a rich variety of evidence to place the fisheries in the context of transatlantic commerce, Pope makes Newfoundland a fresh point of view for understanding the demographic, economic, and cultural history of the expanding North Atlantic world.

A Companion to the Ancient Near East


Daniel C. Snell - 2004
     Covers the civilizations of the Sumerians, Hittites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Israelites and Persians Places particular emphasis on social and cultural history Covers the legacy of the Ancient Near East in the medieval and modern worlds Provides a useful bibliographical guide to this field of study

National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City


Adriana Konzevik - 2004
    & 450 color illus. folio.

Breaking Ground: Pioneering Women Archaeologists


Getzel M. Cohen - 2004
    Breaking Ground highlights the remarkable careers of twelve pioneers-a compelling narrative of personal, social, intellectual, and historical achievement."-Claire Lyons, The Getty Museum"Behind these pioneering women lie a wide range of fascinating and inspiring life stories. Though each of their tales is unique, they were all formidable scholars whose important contributions changed the field of archaeology. Kudos to the authors for making their stories and accomplishments known to us all!"-Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillThis book presents twelve fascinating women whose contributions to the development and progress of Old World archaeology---in an area ranging from Italy to Mesopotamia---have been immeasurable. Each essay in this collection examines the life of a pioneer archaeologist in the early days of the discipline, tracing her path from education in the classics to travel and exploration and eventual international recognition in the field of archaeology. The lives of these women may serve as models both for those interested in gender studies and the history of archaeology because in fact, they broke ground both as women and as archaeologists. The interest inherent in these biographies will reach well beyond defined disciplines and subdisciplines, for the life of each of these exciting and accomplished individuals is an adventure story in itself

Touring Gotham’s Archaeological Past: 8 Self-Guided Walking Tours through New York City


Diana diZerega Wall - 2004
    Generously illustrated and replete with maps, the tours are designed to explore both ancient times and modern space. On these tours, readers will see where archaeologists have discovered evidence of the earliest New Yorkers, the Native Americans who arrived at least 11,000 years ago. They will learn about thousand-year-old trading routes, sacred burial grounds, and seventeenth-century villages. They will also see sites that reveal details of the lives of colonial farmers and merchants, enslaved Africans, Revolutionary War soldiers, and nineteenth-century hotel keepers, grocers, and housewives. Some tours bring readers to popular tourist attractions (the Statue of Liberty and the Wall Street district, for example) and present them in a new light. Others center on places that even the most seasoned New Yorker has never seen—colonial houses, a working farm, out-of-the-way parks, and remote beaches—often providing beautiful and unexpected views from the city’s vast shoreline. A celebration of New York City’s past and its present, this unique book will intrigue everyone interested in the city and its history.

The Rash Adventurer: A Life of John Pendlebury


Imogen Grundon - 2004
    He was selected as resistance leader because of his knowledge of Crete and its people, acquired through his years of archaeological experience on the island.

Ancient Jomon of Japan


Junko Habu - 2004
    This text presents an overview of the archaeology of the Jomon Period between 10,000 and 300 BC within the context of more recent complex hunter-gatherer societies. It bridges the gap between academic traditions in Japanese and Anglo-American archaeology and represents an invaluable source of reflection on the development of human complexity.

First Farmers: The Origins of Agricultural Societies


Peter Bellwood - 2004
    First Farmers: the Origins of Agricultural Societies offers readers an understanding of the origins and histories of early agricultural populations in all parts of the world.Uses data from archaeology, comparative linguistics, and biological anthropology to cover developments over the past 12,000 yearsExamines the reasons for the multiple primary origins of agricultureFocuses on agricultural origins in and dispersals out of the Middle East, central Africa, China, New Guinea, Mesoamerica and the northern AndesCovers the origins and dispersals of major language families such as Indo-European, Austronesian, Sino-Tibetan, Niger-Congo and Uto-Aztecan

In Darkness and Secrecy: The Anthropology of Assault Sorcery and Witchcraft in Amazonia


Neil L. Whitehead - 2004
    This collection challenges that assumption by showing that dark shamans are, in many Amazonian cultures, quite different from shamanic healers and prophets. Assault sorcery, in particular, involves violence resulting in physical harm or even death. While highlighting the distinctiveness of such practices, In Darkness and Secrecy reveals them as no less relevant to the continuation of culture and society than curing and prophecy. The contributors suggest that the persistence of dark shamanism can be understood as a form of engagement with modernity.These essays, by leading anthropologists of South American shamanism, consider assault sorcery as it is practiced in parts of Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, and Peru. They analyze the social and political dynamics of witchcraft and sorcery and their relation to cosmology, mythology, ritual, and other forms of symbolic violence and aggression in each society studied. They also discuss the relations of witchcraft and sorcery to interethnic contact and the ways that shamanic power may be co-opted by the state. In Darkness and Secrecy includes reflections on the ethical and practical implications of ethnographic investigation of violent cultural practices.Contributors. Dominique Buchillet, Carlos Fausto, Michael Heckenberger, Elsje Lagrou, E. Jean Langdon, George Mentore, Donald Pollock, Fernando Santos-Granero, Pamela J. Stewart, Andrew Strathern, Márnio Teixeira-Pinto, Silvia Vidal, Neil L. Whitehead, Johannes Wilbert, Robin Wright

Medieval Tiles


Hans Van Lemmen - 2004
    Many medieval tiles disappeared during nineteenth-century restorations but the designs lived on in the copies made by Victorian tile manufacturers. The British Museum has a collection of these tiles.

Sheela-na-Gigs: Unravelling an Enigma


Barbara Freitag - 2004
    By considering the Sheela-na-gigs in their medieval social context, she suggests that they were folk deities with particular responsibility for assistance in childbirth.This fascinating survey sheds new light on a controversial phenomenon, and also contains a complete catalogue of all known Sheela-na-gigs, including hitherto unrecorded or unpublished figures.

Household Chores and Household Choices: Theorizing the Domestic Sphere in Historical Archaeology


Kerri S. BarileLeslie C. Stewart-Abernathy - 2004
    Yet they can be the most elusive of ideas. Are they the space occupied by a nuclear family or by an extended one? Is it a built structure or the sum of its contents? Is it a shelter against the elements, a gendered space, or an ephemeral place tied to emotion? We somehow believe that the household is a basic unit of culture but have failed to develop a theory for understanding the diversity of households in the historic (and prehistoric) periods.In an effort to clarify these questions, this volume examines a broad range of households—a Spanish colonial rancho along the Rio Grande, Andrew Jackson's Hermitage in Tennessee, plantations in South Carolina and the Bahamas, a Colorado coal camp, a frontier Arkansas farm, a Freedman's Town eventually swallowed by Dallas, and plantations across the South—to define and theorize domestic space. The essays devolve from many disciplines, but all approach households from an archaeological perspective, looking at landscape analysis, excavations, reanalyzed collections, or archival records. Together, the essays present a body of knowledge that takes the identification, analysis, and interpretation of households far beyond current conceptions.

The Roman Banquet: Images of Conviviality


Katherine M.D. Dunbabin - 2004
    She discusses the history of dining practices and the evolution of the iconography of dining. By highlighting the artistic and archaeological evidence, Dunbabin offers a more well-rounded picture of the role of the Roman banquet than can be found in literary sources alone.

The Figured Landscapes of Rock-Art: Looking at Pictures in Place


Christopher Chippindale - 2004
    The book draws together the work of many well-known scholars from key regions of the world known for rock-art and rock-art research. It provides insight into the location and structure of rock-art and its role within the landscapes of ancient worlds.

Egypt: The World of the Pharaohs


Matthias SeidelRita E. Freed - 2004
    It covers everything from architecture, sculpture and painting to everyday life, statecraft, society and religion.

Archaeology and Colonialism: Cultural Contact from 5000 BC to the Present


Chris Gosden - 2004
    (Archaeology is the only discipline that permits such a long-term view across all forms of colonialism.) Gosden argues that modern colonialism, by giving rise to settler societies, is historically unusual and represents an important area for the long-term study of power and material culture.

Andean Archaeology


Helaine Silverman - 2004
     Explores the rise of civilization in the Central Andes from the time of the region's earliest inhabitants to the emergence of the Inca state many thousands of years later. Comprised of 13 newly commissioned chapters written by leading archaeologists representing current thinking in the field. Presents the central debates in contemporary Inca and Andean archaeology. Progresses chronologically and culturally to reveal the processes by which multiple Andean societies became increasingly complex.

The Archaeology of Time


Gavin Lucas - 2004
    However, the issue of time is complicated and often problematic, and although we take it very much for granted, our understanding of time affects the way we do archaeology.This book is an introduction not just to the issues of chronology and dating, but time as a theoretical concept and how this is understood and employed in contemporary archaeology. It provides a full discussion of chronology and change, time and the nature of the archaeological record, and the perception of time and history in past societies. Drawing on a wide range of archaeological examples from a variety of regions and periods, The Archaeology of Time provides students with a crucial source book on one of the key themes of archaeology.

The Medieval Household: Daily Living C. 1150 C. 1450


Geoff Egan - 2004
    One of a series of publications based on the Museum of London's collection of domestic objects used by people of the Middle Ages in their everyday life.

Kings and Warriors, Craftsmen and Priests in Northern Britain, AD 550 - 850


Leslie Alcock - 2004
    It interweaves history and archaeology to create a picture of the period.

Life And Death In London's East End: 2000 Years At Spitalfields


Christopher Thomas - 2004
    This superb book tells the story of the excavation and the 2000-year history of the area from the Roman period to the present day. Details on the finds recovered, and the methods and recording systems used, are interspersed with a narrative history of the site. The book begins with the Roman burial ground and the remains of a wealthy Roman woman and her sarcophagus which became the focus of a memorable episode of Meet the Ancestors . The book then moves on to the medieval period and the 12th-century hospital which was founded at Spitalfields along with its church, infirmaries and other buildings, and burials. Finds from this period are supplemented with broader discussion of life in medieval London, such as disease and medicine, and the changing landscape around the site. During the Reformation, the hospital and priory were closed but the story of the site continued. The land was taken by the Crown, parts of the site were leased, most notably as artillery ground, with new housing and cottage industries to follow. Finds dating to the English Civil War, evidence relating to the transformation of the site from an aristocractic enclave to a suburb of immigrants, the redevelopment of the area in the 17th and 18th centuries, through to the opening of Spitalfields Market in 1682, brings us full circle.

Soils in Archaeological Research


Vance T. Holliday - 2004
    Not only are they primary reservoirs for artifacts, they often encase entire sites. And soil-forming processes in themselves are an important component of site formation, influencing which artifacts, features, and environmental indicators (floral, faunal, and geological) will be destroyed and to what extent and which will be preserved and how well. In this book, Holliday will address each of these issues in terms of fundamentals as well as in field case histories from all over the world. The focus will be on principles of soil geomorphology, soil stratigraphy, and soil chemistry and their applications in archaeological research.

History, Buddhism, and New Religious Movements in Cambodia


John Marston - 2004
    The different contributors examine in some manner the relationship between religion and the ideas and institutions that have given shape to Cambodia as a social and political body, or nation. Although they do not share the same approach to the idea of nation, all are concerned with the processes of religion that give meaning to social interaction, which in some way includes Cambodian identity. Chapters touch on such far-reaching theoretical issues as the relation to religion of Southeast Asian polity; the nature of colonial religious transformation; syncretism in Southeast Asian Buddhism; the relation of religious icon to national identity, religion, and gender; transnationalism and social movements; and identity among diaspora communities.While much has been published on Cambodia's recent civil war and the Pol Pot period and its aftermath, few English language works are available on Cambodian religion. This book takes a major step in filling that gap, offering a broad overview of the subject that is relevant not only for the field of Cambodian studies, but also for students and scholars of Southeast Asian history, Buddhism, comparative religion, and anthropology.Contributors: Didier Bertrand, Penny Edwards, Elizabeth Guthrie, Hang Chan Sophea, Anne Hansen, John Marston, Kathryn Poethig, Ashley Thompson, Teri Shaffer Yamada.

The Skull of Australopithecus Afarensis


William H. Kimbel - 2004
    Knowledge of this species is pivotal to understanding early human evolution, because 1) the sample of fossil remains of A. afarensis is among the most extensive for any early human species, and the majority of remains are of taxonomically inormative skulls and teeth; 2) the wealth of material makes A. afarensis an indispensable point of reference for the interpretation of other fossil discoveries; 3) the species occupies a time period that is the focus of current research to determine when, where, and why the human lineage first diversified into separate contemporaneous lines of descent.Upon publication of this book, this species will be among the most thoroughly documented extinct ancestors of humankind. The main focus of the book - its organizing principle - is the first complete skull of A. afarensis (specimen number A.L. 444-2) at the Hadar site, Ethiopia, the home of the remarkably complete 3.18 million year old skeleton known as Lucy, found at Hadar by third author D. Johanson in 1974. Lucy and other fossils from Hadar, together with those from the site of Laetoli in Tanzania, were controversially attributed to the then brand new species A. afarensis by Johanson, T. White and Y. Coppens in 1978. However, a complete skull, which would have quickly resolved much of the early debate over the species, proved elusive until second author Y. Rak's discovery of the 444 skull in 1992. The book details the comparative anatomy of the new skull (and the cast of its brain, analyzed by R. Holloway and M. Huan), as well as of other skull and dental finds recovered during the latest, ongoing field work at Hadar, and analyzes the evolutionary significance of A. afarensis in the context of other critically important discoveries of earliest humans made in recent years. In essence, it summarizes the state of knowledge about one of the central subjects of current paleoanthropological investigation.

The Amarna Age: A Study of the Crisis of the Ancient World


James Baikie - 2004
    The author reproduces this age, to show the intensely human interest that lies in the story of religion and art, of decadence and reform, of hectic policies and subtle intrigues, of widespread social and political unrest, and of movement leading to permanent social and political changes. James Baikie (1866-1931) was also the author of Egyptian Wonder Tales of the Ancient World and Sea-Kings of Crete.

Public Archaeology


Nick Merriman - 2004
    Scrutinizing, in detail, the relationship between archaeology, heritage and the public, this much-needed volume explores public interest and participation in archaeology as a subject worthy of academic attention in its own right.Examining case studies from throughout the world; from North America, Britain, Egypt and Brazil to East Africa, China and beyond, Nick Merriman focuses on two key areas: communication and interpretation, and stakeholders.Constant reports of new discoveries, protests over the destruction of sites and debates over the return of artefacts such as the Elgin marbles or indigenous remains testify to an increasing public interest in archaeology.For students and scholars of this archaeology, and of its relationship with the public, this will prove essential reading.

An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by the Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation


Mogens Herman Hansen - 2004
    During this time, the eastern Mediterranean was dominated by Greeks who shared an identity based on language, religion, and traditions; however, the Greek world was divided politically into some 1,500 city states, each consisting of an urban center with its immediate hinterland. This book contains descriptions of 1,035 of these city states, organized region by region.

Envisioning the Past: Archaeology an the Image


Sam Smiles - 2004
     Covers a wide variety of time periods and topics, from the Renaissance and the 18th century to the engravings, photography, and virtual realities of today Questions what we can learn from considering the use of images in the past and present that might guide our responsible use of them in the future Available within the prestigious New Interventions in Art History series, published in connection with the Association of Art Historians.

Iron Industry and Metallurgy: A Study of Ancient Technology


B. Sasisekaran - 2004
    The most important part of Sasisekaran’s thesis pertains to metallurgical study of iron objects found in the sites excavated in Tamil Nadu. His study also reveals “the maturity of ancient Indian metallurgist to obtain various categories of steel for different purposes” and expounds “on the basis of level of mineral transformation of iron artefacts, a hypothesis to relatively date the excavations”. This project was funded by the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi and the research was co-ordinated by the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, IIT – Madras. The University of Madras has awarded the post-doctoral degree (D.Sc) for this work of Sasisekaran. The Author, Dr. B. Sasisekaran was a Scientist in the National Institute of Ocean Technology. He participated in two marine archaeological expeditions undertaken by this institute and exposed ancient settlements spread over 100 sq.km in the Gulf of Cambay. This monograph illustrated with a map, ten line drawings which includes two graphs, twelve tables and 102 multi colour photographs in 40 pages is bound to be useful to archaeologists, metallurgists, historians and the general public interested in the development of ancient metallurgical science in India.

A Corpus of Late Celtic Hanging-Bowls: With an Account of the Bowls Found in Scandinavia


Rupert Bruce-Mitford - 2004
    It also includes new research by Dr Bruce-Mitford's co-author, Sheila Raven, on the little-known collection of bowls found in rich Viking burials abroad

Tang China And The Collapse Of The Uighur Empire: A Documentary History


Michael R. Drompp - 2004
    the collapse of the Uighur steppe empire in 840 C.E., and the subsequent fleeing of large numbers of Uighur refugees to China s northern frontier. Through a translation of seventy relevant documents the author analyzes the rhetoric of the crisis, as well as its aftermath. The extant writings of Li Deyu uniquely allow an in-depth look into Chinese-Inner Asian relations, very unusual for such an early period. This volume permits us a close look at the workings of the late Tang government, particularly in terms of policy formation and implementation, as well as the rhetoric surrounding such activities."

Contemporary Theory of Conservation


Salvador Muñoz Viñas - 2004
    Contemporary Theory of Conservation brings together current ideas in conservation theory, presenting a structured, coherent analysis of the subject for the first time.This engaging and readable text is split into 3 parts. The first, Fundamentals of conservation, addresses the identity of conservation itself, and problems arising when classical conservation theories are applied. The second part, Questioning classical theories, delves deeper into the criticism of classical ideas such as reversibility. This leads on to the creation of new paradigms such as sustainability, which are covered in the final part of the book, Conservation ethics.

Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel


Eric H. Cline - 2004
    Cline guides us through the baffling, but always bloody, array of Jewish, Roman, Moslem, Crusader, Ottoman, Western, Arab, and Israeli fights for possession of such a symbolic prize in a manner that is both scholarly and engaging."-Victor Davis Hanson, Stanford University; author of The Other Greeks and Carnage and Culture"A beautifully lucid presentation of four thousand years of history in a single volume. Cline writes primarily as an archaeologist-avoiding polemic and offering evidence for any religious claims-yet he has also incorporated much journalistic material into this study. Jerusalem Besieged will enlighten anyone interested in the history of military conflict in and around Jerusalem."-Col. Rose Mary Sheldon, Virginia Military Institute"This groundbreaking study offers a fascinating synthesis of Jerusalem's military history from its first occupation into the modern era. Cline amply deploys primary source material to investigate assaults on Jerusalem of every sort, starting at the dawn of recorded history. Jerusalem Besieged is invaluable for framing the contemporary situation in the Middle East in the context of a very long and pertinent history."-Baruch Halpern, Pennsylvania State UniversityA sweeping history of four thousand years of struggle for control of one city"[An] absorbing account of archaeological history, from the ancient Israelites' first conquest to today's second intifada. Cline clearly lays out the fascinating history behind the conflicts."-USA Today"A pleasure to read, this work makes this important but complicated subject fascinating."-Jewish Book World"Jerusalem Besieged is a fascinating account of how and why a baffling array of peoples, ideologies, and religions have fought for some four thousand years over a city without either great wealth, size, or strategic importance. Cline guides us through the baffling, but always bloody, array of Jewish, Roman, Moslem, Crusader, Ottoman, Western, Arab, and Israeli fights for possession of such a symbolic prize in a manner that is both scholarly and engaging."-Victor Davis Hanson, Stanford University; author of The Other Greeks and Carnage and Culture

Journey to the Ice Age: Discovering an Ancient World


Peter L. Storck - 2004
    Many left little or no trace. But one group--the Early Paleo-Indians--exploded suddenly on the archaeological record about 11,500 years ago and expanded rapidly throughout North America and, eventually, into South America.Journey to the Ice Age focuses on the Early Paleo-Indians of northeastern North America. A revealing, autobiographical account, it is at once a captivating record of Storck's archaeological discoveries, as well as an introduction to the practice, challenges, and spirit of archaeology.

The Materiality of Stone: Explorations in Landscape Phenomenology


Christopher Tilley - 2004
    Tactile sensations, sonorous qualities, color, and visual impressions are all shown to play a previously unrecognized yet vital part in understanding the power of prehistoric monuments, from Neolithic temples to Bronze Age rock carvings, in relation to their landscapes. Tilley breaks new ground in interpreting human experience in a sensuous way, rather than through an abstract analytical gaze. He leaves no stone unturned as he also considers how spaces and settings are interpreted in relation to artifacts and places that were deeply meaningful to the people who inhabited them and remain no less evocative today. In its innovative approach to understanding human experience, The Materiality of Stone is a major contribution to the field of material culture studies and the study of prehistory.

The Archaeology of Personhood: An Anthropological Approach


Chris Fowler - 2004
    Bringing together a wealth of research in social and cultural anthropology, philosophy and related fields, this is the first book to address the contribution that an understanding of personhood can make to our interpretations of the pastApplying an anthropological approach to detailed case studies from European prehistoric archaeology, the book explores the connection between people, animals, objects, their societies and environments and investigates the relationship that jointly produces bodies, persons, communities and artefacts.The Archaeology of Personhood examines the characteristics that define a person as a category of being, highlights how definitions of personhood are culturally variable and explores how that variation is connected to human uses of material culture.

History's Shadow: Native Americans and Historical Consciousness in the Nineteenth Century


Steven Conn - 2004
    And for many Americans, such questions about the original inhabitants of their homeland inspired a flurry of historical investigation, scientific inquiry, and heated political debate.History's Shadow traces the struggle of Americans trying to understand the people who originally occupied the continent claimed as their own. Steven Conn considers how the question of the Indian compelled Americans to abandon older explanatory frameworks for sovereignty like the Bible and classical literature and instead develop new ones. Through their engagement with Native American language and culture, American intellectuals helped shape and define the emerging fields of archaeology, ethnology, linguistics, and art. But more important, the questions posed by the presence of the Indian in the United States forced Americans to confront the meaning of history itself, both that of Native Americans and their own: how it should be studied, what drove its processes, and where it might ultimately lead. The encounter with Native Americans, Conn argues, helped give rise to a distinctly American historical consciousness.A work of enormous scope and intellect, History's Shadow will speak to anyone interested in Native Americans and their profound influence on our cultural imagination. “History’s Shadow is an intelligent and comprehensive look at the place of Native Americans in Euro-American’s intellectual history. . . . Examining literature, painting, photography, ethnology, and anthropology, Conn mines the written record to discover how non-Native Americans thought about Indians.” —Joy S. Kasson, Los Angeles Times

The Future of Biblical Archaeology: Reassessing Methodologies and Assumptions: The Proceedings of a Symposium August 12-14, 2001 at Trinity International University


James K. Hoffmeier - 2004
    "Biblical minimalists," who believe that the Bible contains little of actual historical fact, today are challenging those who accept the historicity of Scripture. In this volume Jewish and evangelical Christian archaeologists, historians, and biblical scholars confront the minimalist critique and offer positive alternatives. Bringing a needed scientific approach to biblical archaeology, the contributors construct a new paradigm that reads the Bible critically but sympathetically. Their work covers the full range of subjects relevant to understanding the context of the Bible, including proper approaches to scriptural interpretation, recent archaeological evidence, and new studies of Near Eastern texts and inscriptions. Contributors: Richard E. Averbeck Thomas W. Davis Daniel E. Fleming William W. Hallo Richard S. Hess James K. Hoffmeier Harry A. Hoffner Jr. David Merling Alan Millard Cynthia L. Miller John M. Monson Steven M. Ortiz Benjamin Edidin Scolnic Andrew G. Vaughn David B. Weisberg Edwin Yamauchi K. Lawson Younger Jr. Randall W. Younker Ziony Zevit

Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook


Jeremy Green - 2004
    With new information about the use of computers and Global Positioning Systems, the second edition of this handbook shows how to extract as much information as possible from a site, how to record and document the data, and how to act ethically and responsibly wth the artifacts. Treating underwater archaeology as a discipline, the book demonstrates how archaeologists, "looters," academics, and governments interact and how the market for archaeological artifacts creates obstacles and opportunities for these groups. Well illustrated and comprehensive in its approach to the subject, this book provides an essential foundation for everybody interested in underwater environments, submerged land structures, and conditions created by sea level changes. * Covers five broad areas: searching for sites, recording sites, excavation, management of collections, and study, research and publication* Describes a variety of techniques and procedures in considerable detail, accessible to both professional and amateur archaeologists* More than 250 photographs, charts, and diagrams explain everything from how to operate a sextant and a hand-held GPS to how a swim line should be laid out by the dive team before excavation begins

Cyprus Before History: From the Earliest Settlers to the End of the Bronze Age


Louise Steel - 2004
    In antiquity the island was famed for its great wealth, not only from trade but also from its natural resources of copper as well as wine and olive oil. Recent excavations in Cyprus have radically altered our understanding of the earliest prehistory of the island. In this new appraisal Louise Steel explores the archaeological evidence for human occupation on Cyprus from the earliest hunter-gatherers and the first farming communities to the end of the Bronze Age. She examines major issues that dominate current research on Cypriot prehistory: island colonisation; population migrations; the interpretation of figured art; the emergence of social complexity; and the shift from isolation in earlier prehistory to a position at the centre of Mediterranean trade."Cyprus Before History" presents a social history of ancient Cyprus, exploring ways of life and death, changing farming practices and diet, social customs, early belief systems, and interaction with the Cypriot landscape and the wider Mediterranean.