Ancient Lives

Ancient Lives provides new perspectives on objects, people and place in early Scotland and beyond.This scholarly and accessible volume provides a show-case of new information and new perspectives on material culture linked, but not limited to, Scotland.

More than 3000 years ago, a village was established at Thebes, on the west bank of the Nile, to house the workers who created the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. This book relates their quarrels and rivalries, sickness and health, marriages and deaths, and the effects of flood, pillage and war.

Focusing on sites of key significance and the world’s first civilizations, Ancient Lives is an accessible and engaging textbook which introduces complete beginners to the fascinating worlds of archaeology and prehistory. Drawing on their impressive combined experience of the field and the classroom, the authors use a jargon-free narrative style to enliven the major developments of more than three million years of human life. First introducing the basic principles, methods and theoretical approaches of archaeology, the book then provides a summary of world prehistory from a global perspective, exploring human origins and the reality of life in the archaic world. Later chapters describe the development of agriculture and animal domestication and the emergence of cities, states, and pre-industrial civilizations in widely separated parts of the world. With this new edition updated to reflect the latest discoveries and research in the discipline, Ancient Lives continues to be a comprehensive and essential introduction to archaeology.

General Adult. An anthropological report on gender roles in prehistoric times draws on a wealth of recent studies that offers insight into the history of sexual identity as it developed hundreds of thousands of years ago, challenging modern stereotypes and assumptions to explain the different ways in which ancient people defined themselves.

Describes the daily life of washermen, goat herders, fishermen, craftsmen, and other laborers three thousand years ago in an Egyptian village

Theory and Methods in Archaeology and Prehistory Written for complete beginners in a narrative style, Ancient Lives is aimed at introductory courses in archaeology and prehistory that cover archaeological methods and theory, as well as world prehistory. The first half of Ancient Lives covers the basic principles, methods, and theoretical approaches of archaeology. The second half is devoted to a summary of the major developments of human prehistory: the origins of humankind and the archaic world, the origins and spread of modern humans, the emergence of food production, and the beginnings of civilization. Learning Goals Upon completing this book, readers should be able to: Understand the basic principles of archaeology Summarize the major developments of human prehistory

In Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives, anthropologist Wenda Trevathan explores a range of women's health issues, with a specific focus on reproduction, that may be viewed through an evolutionary lens. Trevathan illustrates the power and potential of examining the human life cycle from an evolutionary perspective, and how such an approach could help improve both our understanding of women's health and our ability to respond to health challenges in creative and effective ways.

In recent years, British Museum curators have collaborated with scientists and medical experts to explore non-invasive imaging techniques and other scientific approaches to further study Egyptian mummies. Piecing together key biographical data and information, it has been possible for the first time to discover more about who these people were in ancient Egyptian society. Mummies draws on cutting-edge research to reveal the actual experience of living and dying in the ancient Nile Valley. Eight significant mummies are explored, each carefully selected to tell a different story, covering a period of over 4000 years. They include a young female temple singer, an unknown man of high status, and a child from the Roman era. Funerary objects are also highlighted for context: for example, non-invasive imaging of the contents of canopic jars; analyses of embalming substances, and identification of wood species and pigment types used in coffins. The majority of the material is drawn from the British Museum_s extensive Egypt and Sudan collections, but the book includes a number of mummies from other museums to physically reunite individuals originally buried together in family or communal tombs. This allows fascinating comparisons to be made. With over 200 specially commissioned photographs, Mummies sets out to shine a new light on the past.