Product Description
Egyptian Archaeology explores ancient Egypt using a uniquely archaeological approach, drawing on original research to both synthesize and challenge existing scholarship.

• Written by leading Egyptologists, based on original research and fieldwork
• Illustrates how practical research is a vital component of any theory-based discussion about the ancient world
• Examines the cultural and historical processes of ancient Egypt from a global perspective
• Visually engaging with over 80 illustrations
• Chapters explore fundamental issues and themes, but focus on specific periods and key archaeological sites

Customer Reviews (1)

A basic book on Egyptian archaeology
Interesting enough, archaeology is not considered by students as one of their favorite subjects.They have in mind pottery, field excavations, geometrical instruments, after all something not as much as spectacular as other sciences related to history. There are only a couple of books with such a subject from Egyptological point of view.One which call attention is the "Egyptian Archaeology", edited by Prof. W. Wendrich from the University of California. Through 15 chapters, high qualified scientists, tried and succeeded to convince us about the usefulness of the archeological researches to reconstruct the Ancient Egyptian mode of life. "Egyptian Archaeology" is a book that should be read. For the beginner, it offers an easy point of entry into the vast world of the Ancient Egyptian archaeology.It provides quick access to a wealth of information about some of the more important subjects related to this topic. The helpful bibliographies, numerous plans and photographs, and affordable price made a worthy book even more appealing. It can be of great value for students, archaeology professors, archaeologists, museum staff, archaeology volunteers, and general readers. ... Read more

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This reference tool shows how archaeological discoveries in Bible lands have helped to confirm the accuracy of Scripture and give understanding to it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Archaeology and Bible History
I am happy with the book I ordered and the speed in which it was shipped. ... Read more

Product Description
This book provides an introduction to one of the most fascinating and well-known centers of ancient civilization.

• 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.

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Product Description
The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology provides an overview of the international field of historical archaeology (c. AD 1500 to the present) through seventeen specially-commissioned essays from leading researchers in the field. The volume explores key themes in historical archaeology including documentary archaeology, the writing of historical archaeology, colonialism, capitalism, industrial archaeology, maritime archaeology, cultural resource management and urban archaeology. Three special sections explore the distinctive contributions of material culture studies, landscape archaeology and the archaeology of buildings and the household. Drawing on case studies from North America, Europe, Australasia, Africa and around the world, the volume captures the breadth and diversity of contemporary historical archaeology, considers archaeology's relationship with history, cultural anthropology and other periods of archaeological study, and provides clear introductions to alternative conceptions of the field.This book is essential reading for anyone studying or researching the material remains of the recent past. ... Read more

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A compelling examination of gender, sexuality, and the family in ancient societies.

What was it like to be a woman in prehistoric times? Did the sexual identities and gender roles found in modern society exist hundreds of thousands of years ago? Were age and other social distinctions as important then as now? And how can we ever hope to know, when little evidence survives except for fragments of bone, pottery, and jewelry?

Rosemary Joyce draws on a wealth of recent studies that reveal the history of sexual identities to be a diverse and compelling one, offering profound challenges to modern stereotypes and assumptions. 35 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Amazing work
This is a really amazing work, going outside its field of archaeology and showing why this field is important for research and society at large. Agree or disagree, the author lifts the whole sex/gender argument to a new level.

As a sociologist working with the variability of gender issues even in our own society, I find myself thinking: at last, someone out there from the "harder" sciences who have understood the complexity of the subject.

I am reading the book now, and sure, I will have critical comments also, but I write this is in order to bring it to notice. Here is a work that is head and shoulders beyond the average "what I think about sex/gender with some select findings" kind. A good read for all, and a must read for gender researchers.

An engaging book
Archaeology is not my field, but from the first page on, that did not seem to matter.Rosemary Joyce writes with both scholarly depth and engaging accessibility; I could hardly put the book down.

I especially appreciated her nuanced navigation of the field of gender studies, which sometimes can be more political than scholarly.That was not at all the case in Ancient Bodies, Ancient Lives.Joyce did what the best authors do: inspire me to read more in her field(s) -- and more of her work. ... Read more

Product Description
Gender and Material Culture takes a fresh look at the lives of religious women, providing the first complete case study in the archaeology of gender. This comparison of monasteries for men and women reveals stark contrasts in the social and economic status of religious foundations.

Gender in medieval monasticism influenced landscape contexts and strategies of economic management, the form and development of buildings and their symbolic and iconographic content. Women's religious experience was often poorly documented, but their archaeology indicates a shared tradition which was closely linked with, and valued by, local communities. ... Read more

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A captivating, multidimensional collection of writings on the soul--from creation myths to beat poetry, religion to rock-n-roll. "Inspiring, often mind-blowing, sometimes even a little scary."--Los Angeles Times ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Soul -Undefinable but Essential
This highly assesable anthology shows through brief essays and
stories what it is in art, life, intellectual thought, and sensous moments, and the passing of everydaylife that makes some things so indispensible and so life giving.Life=Soul, same thing.Read this book like grooving with your favorite CD or being with your man or woman.You'll be the better for it. ... Read more

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"The first comprehensive, scholarly look at the artifactual evidence of real pirates, recovered at both shipwrecks and known pirate bases."--Archaeology Magazine

"The reader unused to digesting professional publications will, pardon the pun, sail through this book as if it were a collection of novellas!Not only will he/she learn about the realities of trade in the Caribbean and politics in the time of pirates, but will be treated to the most interesting bits of ephemera such as an inventory of the legendary Captain Morgan's estate.This is the definitive book on Pirates and the research being done to dispel all of the fables."--Dirtbrothers.org

"Articles in X Marks the Spot cover a wide range of pirate wrecks and legacies from the Golden Age of Piracy, and give the reader a glimpse into what might be the reality of pirate life and death."--Archaeology.about.com

"A serious attempt to determine, through examination of both terrestrial and shipwreck sites, if pirates left such unambiguous traces in the archaeological record that their presence can be recognized in future excavations. Fascinating!"--George F. Bass, founder, Insitute of Nautical Archaeology

"Piracy is one of the world's oldest professions on the water. In this volume, a group of leading scholars literally digs into the subject to offer the first comprehensive archaeological look at pirates. . . . The definitive book on the archaeology of piracy."--James P. Delgado, executive director, Vancouver Maritime Museum

This collection piques the imagination with historical evidence about the actual exploits of pirates as revealed in the archaeological record.The recent discovery of the wreck of Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge, off Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, has provoked scientists to ask, What is a pirate? Were pirates sea-going terrorists, lawless rogues who plundered, smuggled, and illegally transported slaves, or legitimate corsairs and privateers?Highlighting such pirate vessels as the Speaker, which sailed in the Indian Ocean, and the Whydah, the first pirate ship discovered in North America (near the tip of Cape Cod), the contributors analyze what constitutes a pirate ship and how it is different from a contemporary merchant or naval vessel.

Examining excavated underwater "treasure sites" and terrestrial pirate lairs found off the coast of Madagascar, throughout the Caribbean, and within the United States, the authors explore the romanticized "Golden Age of Piracy," a period brimming with the real-life exploits of Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Henry Morgan, and the "gentleman pirate" Jean Lafitte.This book will appeal to the general public, with special interest to anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and divers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Current status of pirate underwater archaeology
X Marks the Spot is a great overview of the current status of underwater archaeological investigations of pirate shipwrecks, based on a very limited number of known sites.The chapters provide true insight of the archaeology of pirate's ships, and discussion of what would be expected to identify such vessels from their merchant vessel counterparts.

Serious archaeology yet readable
This book covers significant archaeological digs related to the golden age of piracy. It is well documented throughout and it is also very easy and enjoyable to read. ... Read more

Product Description
Field Methods in Archaeology has been the leading source for instructors and students in archaeology courses and field schools for 60 years since it was first authored in 1949 by the legendary Robert Heizer. Left Coast has arranged to put the most recent Seventh Edition back into print after a brief hiatus, making this classic textbook again available to the next generation of archaeology students. This comprehensive guide provides an authoritative overview of the variety of methods used in field archaeology, from research design, to survey and excavation strategies, to conservation of artifacts and record-keeping. Authored by three leading archaeologists, with specialized contributions by several other experts, this volume deals with current issues such as cultural resource management, relations with indigenous peoples, and database management as well as standard methods of archaeological data collection and analysis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

View from the field
I am a professional archaeologist. I had previously used Joukowsky for field schools in the past, but to be honest it is not as useful as it used to be. This book is now my replacement for Joukowsky. It is not for the casual reader and the writing style is not intended to entertain, but to educate. This book has everything you need for field schools, and certaily for the serious avocational archaeologist it will guide you well. It is long because modern methods are far more complex then they used to be and to cover all the essentials requires a book of this length.

If you are looking for an entertaining, easy read - this book is not for you. If you want to learn about the current best practices in field methodology, you would be hard-pressed to do better then this.

Is this the same version as from 1997?
Looking at this book there is a version printing in 1997, that sells for a a lot less(8 dollars for the used instead of 68) and is also the 7th edition, just a heads up if you need to get this book like I do for a class, Im not sure if anything at all is different about it besides an updated cover

Good book for a student
This is an excellent book for a student of archaeological methods.If you are looking for light reading, as some of the earlier reviews must have been, then look somewhere else.

Fantastic Book
Fantastic book! Very clear and very comprehensive. If you are serious about archaeology, you'll enjoy this book. If you're a hobbyist or have comprehension issues, you might not enjoy it. Highly recommended.

An archaeological field school in a book.
This is a comprehensive text book, not of the "Archaeology for Dummies" variety.More than a couple universities use this book as their standard text for senior level courses in archaeological field methods.Be prepared to learn rather than entertained...it's a serious work.As for the writing style, most text books could stand to be re-written by some best-selling author, but had to give this one five stars just to bring its score up from the absurd two and a half it is currently rated at. ... Read more

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Product Description

This updated edition of a textbook universally hailed as an indispensable guide, is a complete introduction to the methods and means of forensic archaeology.

Incorporating new advances in the field, new case studies, and charting the growth and development of the subject, Forensic Archaeology examines the four main fields of recovery, search, skeletal analysis and analytical science, and how the concepts and methods of traditional archaeology can by utilized within criminal investigations.

The authors provide in-depth chapters that discuss:

• search and location
• the various constraints and issues posed by an increasingly complex legal environment
• the archaeology of individual and mass graves
• how the subject has evolved to include international investigations of human rights
• links with forensic anthropology
• forensic geophysical survey.

This is an invaluable resource that will provide students, researchers, academics and the general reader alike with a fascinating introduction to this complex and crucial subject.

Product Description
It is from the discards of former civilizations that archaeologists have reconstructed most of what we know about the past, and it is through their examination of today's garbage that Rathje and Murphy inform us of our present.Rubbish! is their witty and erudite investigation into all aspects of the phenomenon of garbage. They show what the study of garbage tells us about a population's demographics and buying habits. Along the way, they dispel the common myths about our "garbage crisis"--about fast-food packaging and disposable diapers, about biodegradable garbage and the acceleration of the average family's garbage output.They alsosuggest methods for dealing with garbage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Bravo!
The book was in excellent condition and was delivered promptly. Thank you for the great book!

Enlightening.Needs an updated edition
This book is great for exploding the myths about garbage that people carry around.It is especially good at proving wrong the idea that the United States is a particularly wasteful society.

For instance, this book shows that disposable diapers are not a big problem in landfills -- they make up less than 2% of landfill garbage.The human waste in diapers should not even be of concern -- landfills accept sewer sludge and septic waste -- in other words: loose, uncontained liquid waste.Landfills are good for disposing of that stuff.

Another example: Nothing you throw away in a trash can is going to biodegrade.Landfills are dry places on purpose, and biodegradation is a wet process.If you want something to biodegrade, start composting it.

Last one: Recycling happens when recycling makes a profit.There are markets in everything, and recycling is by no means a new thing.Recycling is expensive and often produces toxic byproducts, so keep it all in mind.Also -- newspapers and construction debris are the big culprit in landfills.But there are no good-paying markets for recycling those items, so they sit.

Mostly, this book is great or showing how often IDEALISM equals IGNORANCE.Good iintentions don't yield good results.

Excellent Resource
I've owned this book for many years, but I had lent it out to a friend and it was lost to me. While conducting research for a recycling project in the Chicago condominium building I live in, I remembered many of its core concepts and decided to buy it again. Although it was originally written in the 1990's, there is a new introduction which updates the reader on what has changed. Sadly not much has changed and we all throw away far too much trash. This is however an excellent resource to become educated on what gets thrown away, common fallacies about what happens at a landfill (not much degrading happening) and a treatise on measuring actual waste on a day-to-day level. I highly recommend this book.

No Rubbish!
Rathje's and Murphy's RUBBISH! is insightful and engaging.Their anecdotes about the ironies of environmental movements rallying behind particular causes (like McDonald's styrofoam clam shells), and their analyses of popular misconceptions about waste provide, great food for thought for policy makers and for environmentally-minded individuals concerned about the problems with waste and its disposal.Along the way, the authors demonstrate the utility of archaeological knowledge for dealing with current social challenges.This book is a really great read!

A Classic
Great book. Rathje is a engaging figure that delivers a good story - the story of our garbage.

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the most wide-ranging, comprehensive, and up-to-date dictionary of archaeology available. Over 4,000 A-Z entries explain the terms encountered in academic and popular archaeological literature, in lectures, and on television. Topics covered include artifacts, techniques, terminology, people, sites, and periods, and specialist areas such as industrial and maritime archaeology. This second edition is fully revised and updated, with 150 new entries on archaeological sites, terms, movements, and people, plus extended coverage of archaeological resource management and archaeological theory. While the dictionary's primary focus is on Europe, the Old World, and the Americas, as these are the regions where archaeology has become best established, it also includes key archaeological sites around the world. A quick-reference section covers chronological periods, Egyptian rulers and dynasties, Roman rulers and dynasties, rulers of England to AD 1066, and principal international conventions and recommendations. New to this edition are recommended, up-to-date web links for over 100 entries on the Dictionary of Archaeology companion website, regularly updated to keep links completely current. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

helpful though
it helps me translating into french articles of scholars in the fields of archaeology and egyptology, I'm fond of.
though I must look elsewhere, for articles are very technical, and numbers of terms don't appear. ... Read more

Product Description

World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time integrates world prehistory with a discussion of archaeological methods and techniques—emphasizing the relevance of how we know what we know about our human prehistory, providing the tools to allow for a lifelong engagement with archaeology and drawing students into the process of archaeological research and discovery. 

Chazan brings students right up to the cutting edge of archaeological research by presenting the most recent discoveries and theoretical perspectives.  How we know the past is inseparable from what we know of the past. This new text allows students to see that archaeology is a dynamic field in which knowledge is continuously refined through scientific inquiry while providing a sense of the relevance of archaeology in the contemporary world. 

As the cornerstone of this book is to present an integrated picture of prehistory as an active process of discovery, we cannot relegate methodological issues to the opening chapters alone.  While the introduction to archaeological method in the first two chapters is necessary, the questions of how we know the past cannot be abandoned at that point.  A number of features have been developed to draw together an integrated presentation of prehistory throughout the entire text.

Customer Reviews (2)

For World Prehistory, this book is very reliable
I got it within the weekend as I lived in the same state, so I didn't have to worry about falling behind in class.
Great condition
Great material

Intro to Archaeology
I used this book for my Intro to Archaeology class. The inside of the book was very clean and not written on. The outside front cover was folded at the top-right hand corner. I don't know if it was due to the shipping or if the seller had described that in the description. All in all, good purchase, good experience. ... Read more

Product Description
Oliver Dickinson has written a scholarly, accessible and up-to-date introduction to the prehistoric civilizations of Greece. The Aegean Bronze Age saw the rise and fall of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. The cultural history of the region emerges through a series of thematic chapters that treat settlement, economy, crafts, exchange and foreign contact, and religion and burial customs. Students and teachers will welcome this book, but it will also provide the ideal companion for amateur archaeologists visiting the Aegean. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Bronze Age
Dickinson has put together a wonderful and thorough text.It can be hard to read in some places and with references to miscellaneous materials inserted into the middle of sentences.All-in-all, wonderful research material or advanced text, but too extensive for a beginner text.

First rate
A well written book using up to date discoveries in archeology. Indeed the archeological evidence presented in this book is quite good focusing not only on man made artifacts but burial customs.
To my mind the subject of trade is key to this book.
It is written a scholarly fashion yet is approachable. From the archeological evidence theories are offered but the authors do not force any one position but offer them all in a level headed fashion.
You will find yourself reading it from cover to cover but cherishing it as a reference.

well documented review of Aegean Bronze Age archaeology
I found this book very helpfull while studing Aegean Prehistory in University. Comprehensive and well documented with some very helpfull plates gives a summary of Aegean Bronze Age archaeological data. Enters not so mutch in details but covers many aspects of the vast Bronze Age data of Aegean. I would strongly suggest this book for archaeology students interested in the Aegean region

Good Solid Survey Book
This was an excellent overall survey of the material, and a great reference work that can be return to again and again, to harden up on the facts, and to get titles of other books and journal articles on each of thespecific subject areas.It can at times get a little confusing, with theavalanche of place names and the vagueness with which he describes many ofthe artefacts, but you still come out knowing a heck of alot more than youdid before going in.Also, he has no particular axe to grind--no bigtheories that can be so annoying in this field.Overall, an excellentbook. ... Read more

Product Description
In this lavishly illustrated book some of Israel`s foremost archaeologists present a thorough, up-to-date, and readily accessible survey of early life in the land of the Bible, from the Neolithic era (eighth millennium B.C.E.) to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. It will be a delightful and informative resource for anyone who has ever wanted to know more about the religious, scientific, or historical background of the region. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Archeology of the Levant
This is a very informative study on the modern view of the archeology in the Levant.It compares the traditional Judeao/Christian account with the secular view acknowledging that scripture was formed from many traditions more ancient.I believe that scripture is accurate and the dating of the Bible is more trustworthy than carbon dating.However, that said, it gives you a very detailed, general explanation of contemporary scholarship.

A good introduction to biblical archaeology
This volume, which is an English translation of a Hebrew language university textbook, aims to overview and introduce the archaeology of the biblical period (the Bronze and Iron ages). Though completing this taskquite well, the main drawback of the book is the lack of uniformity of thevarious chapters, each written by scholars with very differentperspectives. Needless to say, due to its publication date, it is a bitoutdated (in light of more recent finds and discussions) but it still canprovide a better than average summary of this topic. ... Read more

Product Description
Relationships with indigenous peoples has become a key issue in the practice of archaeology worldwide. Collaborative projects, or projects directed and conducted by indigenous peoples themselves have become a standard feature of the archaeological landscape, community concerns are routinely addressed, oral histories incorporated into research. This reader of original and reprinted articles—many by indigenous authors-- is designed to display the array of writings around this subject from around the globe, many difficult to access in standard academic settings. Cases range from Australia to Arctic Russia, from Africa to North America. Editorial introductions to each piece serve to contextualize these works in the intersection of archaeology and indigenous studies. An ideal course text in both subjects. Sponsored by the World Archeaological Congress. ... Read more