Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction

About this book

This entertaining Very Short Introduction reflects the enduring popularity of archaeology – a subject which appeals as a pastime, career, and academic discipline, encompasses the whole globe, and surveys 2.5 million years. From deserts to jungles, from deep caves to mountain tops, from pebble tools to satellite photographs, from excavation to abstract theory, archaeology interacts with nearly every other discipline in its attempts to reconstruct the past.

In this new edition, Paul Bahn brings the text up to date, including information about new discoveries and interpretations in the field, and highlighting the impact of developments such as the potential use of DNA and stable isotopes in teeth, as well the effect technology and science are having on archaeological exploration.

New to this edition:
- Includes updates surrounding new discoveries and interpretations of previous material
- Shows how technology and science are helping archaeologists, from the use of DNA and the internet to GPS and digital imaging
- Updated further reading section

Contents

1: The Origins and Development of Archaeology
2: Making a Date
3: Technology
4: How Did People Live?
5: How Did People Think?
6: Settlement and Society
7: How and Why Did Things Change?
8: Minorities and Sororities
9: Presenting the Past to the Public
10: The Future of the Past

Further reading
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Paul Bahn is a freelance writer, translator, and broadcaster in archaeology. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a corresponding member of the Archaeological Institute of America, a contributing editor of Archaeology magazine (New York), and vice-president (UK) of the Easter Island Foundation. He instigated and led the project which discovered Britain's only known Ice Age cave art in 2003.