This updated edition of Archaeological Research introduces the basic methods of archaeological research, including data collection, analysis, interpretation, as well as a consideration of the state of archaeology today. New to the Second Edition is updated information on geographic information systems and remote sensing strategies, and a greatly expanded discussion of practices in cultural resource management archaeology. This popular, concise textbook explores various research methods, analytical techniques, legal and ethical issues facing archaeologists; includes discussions of the archaeological process and record, sampling and research design, survey and excavation methods and strategies, recordkeeping, analysis, archaeological dating, presenting results, and research opportunities; is an excellent text for undergraduate students in basic archaeology courses, field methods courses, and field schools

Drawing its numerous examples from Britain and beyond, Archaeological Investigation explores the procedures used in field archaeology travelling over the whole process from discovery to publication. Divided into four parts, it argues for a set of principles in part one, describes work in the field in part two and how to write up in part three. Part four describes the modern world in which all types of archaeologist operate, academic and professional. The central chapter ‘Projects Galore’ takes the reader on a whirlwind tour through different kinds of investigation including in caves, gravel quarries, towns, historic buildings and underwater. Archaeological Investigation intends to be a companion for a newcomer to professional archaeology – from a student introduction (part one), to first practical work (part two) to the first responsibilities for producing reports (part three) and, in part four, to the tasks of project design and heritage curation that provide the meat and drink of the fully fledged professional. The book also proposes new ways of doing things, tried out over the author’s thirty years in the field and brought together here for the first time. This is no plodding manual but an inspiring, provocative, informative and entertaining book, urging that archaeological investigation is one of the most important things society does.

In AD 1438 a battle took place outside the city of Cuzco that changed the course of South American history. The Chanka, a powerful ethnic group from the Andahuaylas region, had begun an aggressive program of expansion. Conquering a host of smaller polities, their army had advanced well inside the territory of their traditional rival, the Inca. In a series of unusual maneuvers, the Inca defeated the invading Chanka forces and became the most powerful people in the Andes. Many scholars believe that the defeat of the Chanka represents a defining moment in the history of South America as the Inca then continued to expand and establish the largest empire of the Americas. Despite its critical position in South American history, until recently the Chanka heartland remained unexplored and the cultural processes that led to their rapid development and subsequent defeat by the Inca had not been investigated. From 2001 to 2004, Brian Bauer conducted an archaeological survey of the Andahuaylas region. This project represents an unparalleled opportunity to examine theoretical issues concerning the history and cultural development of late-prehistoric societies in this area of the Andes. The resulting book includes an archaeological analysis on the development of the Chanka and examines their ultimate defeat by the Inca.

An archaeological survey of Calling Lake, situated in the mixed wood forest zone approximately 225 km north of Edmonton, found an abundance of prehistoric material at sites on the east and southeast shore. Four prehistoric campsites were excavated in three field seasons from l966 to 1968. Comparison of projectile point styles with types dated elsewhere suggest that occupation of two of the sites began in the interval 3000 to 1000 B.C. with major occupation of the other two sites starting somewhat later. Cultural affiliations appear to be with the Taltheilei tradition and earlier, with the Plains area.

This book presents cutting-edge archaeological materials from Xinjiang, from the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age. Through a systematic topological study of major archaeological cemeteries and sites, it establishes chronologies and cultural sequences for three main regions in Xinjiang, namely the circum-Eastern Tianshan region, the circum-Dzungarian Basin region and the circum-Tarim Basin region. It also discusses the origins and local variants of prehistoric archaeological cultures in these regions and the mutual relationships between them and neighboring cultures. By doing so, the book offers a panoramic view of the socio-cultural changes that took place in prehistoric Xinjiang from pastoral-agricultural societies to the mobile nomadic-pastoralist states in the steppe regions and the agricultural states of the oasis, making it a must-read for researchers and general readers who are interested in the archaeology of Xinjiang.

This volume brings together for the first time a collection of papers that specifically describe laser ablation, methods for data quantification, and applications to archaeological questions.