Beginning with the first settlements in the Paleolithic, and ending with the Roman period, this book brings together in a single volume the latest research in Sardinian studies. This Festschrift includes discussions over the nature of Paleolithic settlement on Sardinia, and presents new data on Neolithic chronology, architecture, religion, settlement patterns and metallurgy. The relations between Phoenician, Punic, Greek and Roman colonists and the indigenous Sards in the Iron Age are also treated.

For humans the sea is, and always has been, an alien environment. Ever moving and ever changing in mood, it is a place without time, in contrast to the land which is fixed and scarred by human activity giving it a visible history. While the land is familiar, even reassuring, the sea is unknown and threatening. By taking to the sea humans put themselves at its mercy. It has often been perceived to be an alien power teasing and cajoling. The sea may give but it takes. Why, then, did humans become seafarers? Part of the answer is that we are conditioned by our genetics to be acquisitive animals: we like to acquire rare materials and we are eager for esoteric knowledge, and society rewards us well for both. Looking out to sea most will be curious as to what is out there - a mysterious island perhaps but what lies beyond? Our innate inquisitiveness drives us to explore. Barry Cunliffe looks at the development of seafaring on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, two contrasting seas — the Mediterranean without a significant tide, enclosed and soon to become familiar, the Atlantic with its frightening tidal ranges, an ocean without end. We begin with the Middle Palaeolithic hunter gatherers in the eastern Mediterranean building simple vessels to make their remarkable crossing to Crete and we end in the early years of the sixteenth century with sailors from Spain, Portugal and England establishing the limits of the ocean from Labrador to Patagonia. The message is that the contest between humans and the sea has been a driving force, perhaps the driving force, in human history.

With one of the richest archaeological records and most complicated histories in the Mediterranean, Sardinia provides an important laboratory for studying the interaction of indigenous societies and outside forces in a partly isolated geographical context. Stephen L. Dyson and Robert J. Rowland, Jr. use both material culture and written documents to reconstruct the social and economic processes of an island society that showed both cultural creativity and continuity but responded to invasions from the Phoenicians through the Romans to the Aragonese. This first accessible reconstruction of island archaeology provides a balanced picture of the sweep of Sardinian history.

The story of the contest between humans and the sea, played out in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic from early prehistory until AD 1500.

The application of chemistry within archaeology is an important and fascinating area. It allows the archaeologist to answer such questions as "what is this artefact made of?", "where did it come from?" and "how has it been changed through burial in the ground?", providing pointers to the earliest history of mankind. Archaeological Chemistry begins with a brief description of the goals and history of archaeological science, and the place of chemistry within it. It sets out the most widely used analytical techniques in archaeology and compares them in the light of relevant applications. The book includes an analysis of several specific archaeological investigations in which chemistry has been employed in tracing the origins of or in preserving artefacts. The choice of these investigations conforms to themes based on analytical techniques, and includes chapters on obsidian, ceramics, glass, metals and resins. Finally, it suggests a future role for chemical and biochemical applications in archaeology. Archaeological Chemistry enables scientists to tackle the fundamental issues of chemical change in the archaeological materials, in order to advance the study of the past. It will prove an essential companion to students in archaeological science and chemistry, field and museum archaeologists, and all those involved in conserving human artefacts.

The Rough Guide to Sardinia is the ultimate travel guide to this astonishing and varied Italian island. Discover Sardinia's highlights from the exceptional seafood restaurants of Alghero to the remarkable prehistoric, Carthaginian and Roman monuments and authentic fishing villages inspired by dozens of photos. Rely on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, campsites, bars, clubs, shops, restaurants and resorts for all budgets and insider information on the wide array of outdoor pursuits on offer from walking to climbing to diving. The Rough Guide to Sardinia is loaded with practical information and insider tips from the best ways to travel around the island to enjoying superb food and wine, spectacular and melodramatic religious and folk festivals and unwinding on the multitude of unspoilt sandy beaches. Explore all corners of Sardinia with authoritative background on everything from the ubiquitous remains to Sardinia's fasinating rituals and festivals, with handy language tips and the clearest maps of any guide. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Sardinia

In this book, a diverse collection of case studies reveal how archaeology can contribute to a better understanding of humans' relation to the environment. The Archaeology of Environmental Change shows that the environmental challenges facing humanity today can be better approached through an attempt to understand how past societies dealt with similar circumstances.