This is the first memoir by an internationally known archaeological scientist, written with humour and a critical concern to understand the nature of his life and that of our species. It provides a very readable account of a life embracing field and laboratory work from Orkney to Egypt and Mongolia to Peru.

This is the first memoir by an internationally known archaeological scientist, written with humour and a critical concern to understand the nature of his life and that of our species. It provides a very readable account of a life embracing field and laboratory work from Orkney to Egypt and Mongolia to Peru.

HANDBOOK OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCES A modern and comprehensive introduction to methods and techniques in archaeology In the newly revised Second Edition of the Handbook of Archaeological Sciences, a team of more than 100 researchers delivers a comprehensive and accessible overview of modern methods used in the archaeological sciences. The book covers all relevant approaches to obtaining and analyzing archaeological data, including dating methods, quaternary paleoenvironments, human bioarchaeology, biomolecular archaeology and archaeogenetics, resource exploitation, archaeological prospection, and assessing the decay and conservation of specimens. Overview chapters introduce readers to the relevance of each area, followed by contributions from leading experts that provide detailed technical knowledge and application examples. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to human bioarchaeology, including hominin evolution and paleopathology The use of biomolecular analysis to characterize past environments Novel approaches to the analysis of archaeological materials that shed new light on early human lifestyles and societies In-depth explorations of the statistical and computational methods relevant to archaeology Perfect for graduate and advanced undergraduate students of archaeology, the Handbook of Archaeological Sciences will also earn a prominent place in the libraries of researchers and professionals with an interest in the geological, biological, and genetic basis of archaeological studies.

Life-writing is a vital part of the history of archaeology, and a growing field of scholarship within the discipline. The lives of archaeologists are entangled with histories of museums and collections, developments in science and scholarship, and narratives of nationalism and colonialism into the present. In recent years life-writing has played an important role in the surge of new research in the history of archaeology, including ground-breaking studies of discipline formation, institutionalisation, and social and intellectual networks. Sources such as diaries, wills, film, and the growing body of digital records are powerful tools for highlighting the contributions of hitherto marginalised archaeological lives including many pioneering women, hired labourers and other ‘hidden hands’. This book brings together critical perspectives on life-writing in the history of archaeology from leading figures in the field. These include studies of archive formation and use, the concept of ‘dig-writing’ as a distinctive genre of archaeological creativity, and reviews of new sources for already well-known lives. Several chapters reflect on the experience of life-writing, review the historiography of the field, and assess the intellectual value and significance of life-writing as a genre. Together, they work to problematise underlying assumptions about this genre, foregrounding methodology, social theory, ethics and other practice-focused frameworks in conscious tension with previous practices.

This expansive dictionary contains over 4,500 entries covering the essential vocabulary for everyday archaeological work in the English language, from about 3 million years ago down to about AD 1700. There is coverage of principles, theories, techniques, artefacts, materials, people, places, monuments, equipment, and descriptive terms - from amphora to ziggurat, and Beaker Culture to molluscan analysis. Now in its third edition, this in-depth A-Z has been updated with over 100 new entries, including actor-network theory, Alfred Marshall Cubbon, Dadiwan Culture, Amelia Edwards, Shangshan Culture, and Thera Eruption. This dictionary covers key archaeological sites around the world, with special focus placed on Europe, the Old World, and the Americas. In addition, the coverage of Near East and Asia has been expanded for this edition. Most entries are fully cross-referenced and it also includes a selection of eleven useful appendices. Written by a leading authority, the dictionary's detailed but clear entries provide an essential reference source for students, teachers, professionals, and enthusiasts alike.

This book 1. explores current methods and techniques employed by paleopathologists as means to highlight the range of data that can be generated. 2. introduces a range of diseases and conditions that have been noted in the fossil, archaeological, and historical record, offering readers a foundational understanding of pathological conditions, along with their potential etiologies. 3. will be indispensable for archaeologists, bioarchaeologists and historians, and those in medical fields, as it reflects current scholarship within paleopathology and the field’s impact on our understanding of health and disease in the past, the present, and implications for our future.