In Pursuit Of Visibility Essays In Archaeology Ethnography And Text In Honor Of Beth Alpert Nakhai

Fifteen diverse essays honour the distinguished career of Beth Alpert Nakhai, a scholar of Canaan and ancient Israel; in this volume, Professor Nakhai’s students and colleagues celebrate her important contributions to the field of Near Eastern Archaeology and tireless efforts to acknowledge and support women in the profession.

This volume presents a collection of studies by international experts on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society, economy, religion, language, culture, and history, synthesizing archaeological remains and integrating them with discussions of ancient Near Eastern and biblical texts. Driven by theoretically and methodologically informed discussions of the archaeology of the Iron Age Levant, the 47 chapters in The Ancient Israelite World provide foundational, accessible, and detailed studies in their respective topics. The volume considers the history of interpretation of ancient Israel, studies on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society and history, and avenues for present and future approaches to the ancient Israelite world. Accompanied by over 150 maps and figures, it allows the reader to gain an understanding of key issues that archaeologists, historians and biblical scholars have faced and are currently facing as they attempt to better understand ancient Israelite society. The Ancient Israelite World is an essential reference work for students and scholars of ancient Israel and its history, culture, and society, whether they are historians, archaeologists or biblical scholars.

Honoring Jane Buikstra's pioneering work in the development of bioarchaeological research, the essays in this volume stem from a symposium held at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Multiple generations of Buikstra's former doctoral students and other colleagues gathered to discuss the impact of her mentorship. The essays are remarkable for their breadth, in terms of both the topics discussed and the geographical range they cover. The contributions highlight the dynamism of bioarchaeology, which owes so much to the strong foundations laid down over the last few decades. The volume documents the degree to which bioarchaeological approaches have become normalized and integrated into anthropological research: bioarchaeology has moved out of the appendix and into the interpretation of archaeological data. New perspectives have emerged, partly in response to theoretical changes within anthropology, but also as a result of the engagement of the broader discipline with bioarchaeology.

The Art and Mystery of Historical Archaeology is essential reading for anyone concerned with the past. In it, archaeologists write of "revolutions of the imagination," and wrest secrets from old objects to recreate our multi-cultured heritage. Material culture is focal-large cities, small potsherds, big and little bones. The book is interdisciplinary and goes inside the process of artifact interpretation to reveal how artifacts "talk" about people. The emphasis is context, ethnography, ordinary and extraordinary men, women, and children. Here is local history in material form as well as stories of global expansion and culture contact. The book draws on the seminal influence of James Deetz's work on American culture and merges history, folklore, anthropology, African-American, Native American, and gender studies. The essays illustrate the power and potency of folk beliefs and how myths of the past are constantly remade. The authors show how people use objects to converse about themselves, their worlds, and relationships with others. They examine messages writ on brick and stone, buried in earth and passed in legend. They then demonstrate how archaeologists, historians, museologists, and students of material culture can read these to bring the past to light.

"No other work in this field covers the history of important conceptual issues in archaeology in such a deep and knowledgable way, bringing both philosophical and archeological sophistication to bear on all of the issues treated. Wylie’s work in Thinking from Things is original, scholarly, and creative. This book is for anyone who wants to understand contemporary archaeological theory, how it came to be as it is, its relationship with other disciplines, and its prospects for the future."—Merrilee Salmon, author of Philosophy and Archaeology "Wylie is a reasonable and astute thinker who lucidly and persuasively makes genuinely constructive criticisms of archaeological thought and practice and very useful suggestions for how to proceed. She commands both philisophy and archaeology to an unusual degree. Having her articles together in Thinking from Things, with much new material extending and integrating them, is a major contribution that will be widely welcomed among archaeologists—both professionals and students, philosophers and historians of science, and social scientists."—George L. Cowgill, Arizona State University

This volume celebrates the work of Dr. Phil. h.c. Gerhard Milstreu in his 40th year as director of Tanum Museum of Rock Carving and Rock Art Research Centre, Sweden. A feast of scholarly contributions pay respect to and acknowledge Gerhard’s achievements in the fields of rock art documentation, research, international collaboration and outreach.