The Archaeology Workbook

This unique collection of thirteen fictional problems, particularly useful at the undergraduate level and geared to a semester's length, offers the teacher of archaeology an invaluable means of supplementing courses dealing largely in theory with practical exercises in archaeological problem-solving. The captivating, often witty problems are directed not to the discovery of one correct answer but to the encouragement of intelligent inquiry and analysis.

This volume features exercises that allow students to use their knowledge of archaeological method and theory to deal with fictitious scenarios and data sets. The authors offer all new, inventive, and often witty problems that pose the same questions being tackled by archaeologists in the field today.

For courses in Introduction to Archaeology Theory and Methods. Intended for the Introductory Archaeology course with the goal of teaching students how to think like archaeologists, this workbook includes activities that challenge students to interpret and explain field findings and help them to see the link between theory and practice.

Shows students how archaeologists work by providing simulation exercises typically engaged in by real professionals.

Now in an updated third edition, Archaeology: The Basics provides a straightforward and engaging introduction to the world of Archaeology. This book answers key questions about how and why we practice archaeology and examines the theories and themes underpinning the subject. Fully updated, this new edition includes a wide range of examples and new material on key growth areas including: * Evolutionary approaches in current archaeology * The archaeology of landscape and place * The impact and value of archaeology * Conflict archaeology and the politics of the past With 12 new illustrations, four new boxes and additional case studies this text is essential reading for all those beginning to study archaeology and anyone who has ever questioned the past.

Archaeology: The Basics, rewritten for this fourth edition, is a short, engaging book takes the reader on a journey through the fascinating world of archaeology and archaeologists. Written in a non-technical style by two experienced archaeologists and writers about the past, the book begins by introducing archaeology as a unique way of studying the entire span of the human past from our origins some 6 million years ago to today. The authors stress that archaeology is a global study of human biological and cultural diversity. After a brief look at early archaeological discoveries, they introduce today's multidisciplinary archaeology. Then they go on to describe the archaeological record, the archives of the past and the importance of contexts of time and space. How do we find archaeological sites and how do we explore them? Two chapters laced with examples examine these questions. Later chapters describe ancient technologies and how we study them, also the all-important subject of changing ancient environments and climate change. Zooarchaeology, flotation methods, and other ways of reconstructing ancient diet and subsistence lead us into the study of changing settlement patterns across the landscape. Next, they visit the people of the past, either as individuals or groups, calling on bioarchaeology to assist them. Two chapters discuss ancient culture change and the remarkable diversity of ancient societies and they are followed by an exploration of the spiritual realm, the exploration of the intangible. The final chapter looks at the importance of archaeology in today's world. Rich in numerous examples and contemporary thinking about archaeology, this book tries to answer an important question: What does archaeology tell us about ourselves? Archaeology: The Basics is essential reading for all those beginning to study archaeology and anyone who has ever questioned the past.