Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork

Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork PDF Author: Hannah Cobb
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461423384
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Digging, recording, and writing are the three main processes that archaeologists undertake to analyze a site, yet the relationships between these processes is rarely considered critically. Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork asserts that each of these processes involves at least a bit of subjective interpretation. As a group of archaeologists work together to reconstruct an objective view of the past, at a particular time, at a particular site, their field methods and subjective interpretations affect the final analysis. This volume explores the important nature of the relationship between fieldwork, analysis, and interpretation. Containing contributions from a diverse group of archaeologists, both academic and professional, from Europe and the Americas, it critically analyzes accepted practices in field archaeology, and provide thoughtful and innovative analysis of these procedures. By combining the experiences of both academic and professional archaeologists, Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork highlights key differences and key similarities in their concerns, theories, and techniques. This volume will incite discussion on fundamental questions for all archaeologists, both old and new to the field.

Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork

Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork PDF Author: Hannah Cobb
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461423384
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Get Book Here

Book Description
Digging, recording, and writing are the three main processes that archaeologists undertake to analyze a site, yet the relationships between these processes is rarely considered critically. Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork asserts that each of these processes involves at least a bit of subjective interpretation. As a group of archaeologists work together to reconstruct an objective view of the past, at a particular time, at a particular site, their field methods and subjective interpretations affect the final analysis. This volume explores the important nature of the relationship between fieldwork, analysis, and interpretation. Containing contributions from a diverse group of archaeologists, both academic and professional, from Europe and the Americas, it critically analyzes accepted practices in field archaeology, and provide thoughtful and innovative analysis of these procedures. By combining the experiences of both academic and professional archaeologists, Reconsidering Archaeological Fieldwork highlights key differences and key similarities in their concerns, theories, and techniques. This volume will incite discussion on fundamental questions for all archaeologists, both old and new to the field.

Archaeological Practice as Politics and Ethics

Archaeological Practice as Politics and Ethics PDF Author: John Carman
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031698282
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description


Archaeological Situations

Archaeological Situations PDF Author: Gavin Lucas
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000649377
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
This book is an introduction to theory in archaeology – but with a difference. Archaeological Situations avoids talking about theory as if it was something you apply but rather as something embedded in archaeological practice from the start. Rather than see theory as something worked from the outside in, this book explores theory from the inside out, which means it focuses on specific archaeological practices rather than specific theories. It starts from the kinds of situations that students find themselves in and learn about in other archaeology courses, avoiding the gap between practice and theory from the very beginning. It shows students the theoretical implications of almost everything they engage in as archaeologists, from fieldwork, recording, writing up and making and assessing an argument to exploring the very nature of archaeology and justifying its relevance. Essentially, it adopts a structure which attempts to pre-empt one of the most common complaints of students taking theory courses: how is this applicable? Aimed primarily at undergraduates, this book is the ideal way to engage students with archaeological theory.

A Critique of Archaeological Reason

A Critique of Archaeological Reason PDF Author: Giorgio Buccellati
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110704653X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 411

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Book Description
This book defines the concept of 'archaeological reason', and provides a new approach to archaeological excavations, philosophical hermeneutics, and digital theory.

Archaeological Theory in the New Millennium

Archaeological Theory in the New Millennium PDF Author: Oliver J. T. Harris
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317497457
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Archaeological Theory in the New Millennium provides an account of the changing world of archaeological theory and a challenge to more traditional narratives of archaeological thought. It charts the emergence of the new emphasis on relations as well as engaging with other current theoretical trends and the thinkers archaeologists regularly employ. Bringing together different strands of global archaeological theory and placing them in dialogue, the book explores the similarities and differences between different contemporary trends in theory while also highlighting potential strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Written in a way to maximise its accessibility, in direct contrast to many of the sources on which it draws, Archaeological Theory in the New Millennium is an essential guide to cutting-edge theory for students and for professionals wishing to reacquaint themselves with this field.

Assemblage Thought and Archaeology

Assemblage Thought and Archaeology PDF Author: Ben Jervis
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351657038
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
From examinations of prehistoric burial to understanding post-industrial spaces and heritage practices, the writing of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari is gaining increasing importance within archaeological thought. Their concept of ‘assemblages’ allows us to explore the past in new ways, by placing an emphasis on difference rather than similarity, on fluidity rather stasis and unpredictability rather than reproduceable models. Assemblage Thought and Archaeology applies the notion of assemblage to specific archaeological case studies, ranging from early urbanism in Mesopotamia to 19th century military fortifications. It introduces the concept of assemblage within the context of the wider ‘material turn’ in the social sciences, examines its implications for studying materials and urban settlements, and explores its consequences for the practice of archaeological research and heritage management. This innovative book will be of particular interest to postgraduate students of archaeological theory and researchers looking to understand this latest trend in archaeological thought, although the case studies will also have appeal to those whose work focusses on material culture, settlement archaeology and archaeological practice.

Rethinking Roundhouses

Rethinking Roundhouses PDF Author: D. W. Harding
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192893807
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
Excavated plans of roundhouses may compound multiple episodes of activity, design, construction, occupation, repair, and closure, reflecting successive stages of a building's biography. What does not survive archaeologically, through use of materials or methods that leave no tangible trace, may be as important for reconstruction as what does survive, and can only be inferred from context or comparative evidence. The great diversity in structural components suggests a greater diversity of superstructure than was implied by the classic Wessex roundhouses, including split-level roofs and penannular ridge roofs. Among the stone-built houses of the Atlantic north and west there likewise appears to have been a range of regional and chronological variants in the radial roundhouse series, and probably within the monumental Atlantic roundhouses too. Important though recognition of structural variants may be, morphological classification should not be allowed to override the social use of space for which the buildings were designed, whether their structural footprint was round or rectangular. Atlantic roundhouses reveal an important division between central space and peripheral space, and a similar division may be inferred for lowland timber roundhouses, where the surviving evidence is more ephemeral. Some larger houses were evidently byre-houses or barn houses, some with upper or mezzanine floor levels, in which livestock might be brought in or agricultural produce stored. Such 'great houses' doubtless served community needs beyond those of the resident extended family. The massively-increased scale of development-led excavations of recent years has resulted in an increased database that enables evaluation of individual sites in a wider landscape environment than was previously possible. Circumstances of recovery and recording in commercially-driven excavations, however, are not always compatible with research objectives, and the undoubted improvements in standards of environmental investigation are sometimes offset by shortcomings in the publication of basic structural or stratigraphic detail.

Archaeological Theory

Archaeological Theory PDF Author: Matthew Johnson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118499387
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 414

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Book Description
A lively and accessible introduction to themes and debates in archaeological theory for students of all levels Archaeological Theory is a relatable, accessible, reader-friendly first step into the world of theory for archaeology students. Recognizing that many students shy away from the study of theory for fear that the material is too difficult or obscure, Archaeological Theory maintains that any student can develop an understanding of theory and that a knowledge of theory will lead to better practice. As one of the leading texts for introductory courses in archaeology and archaeological theory, it has provided many students with the essential foundation for a complete education in the discipline. With a focus on clarifying the history and development of archaeological theory, this valuable text serves as a roadmap to the different schools of theory in archaeology, clarifying the foundations of these schools of thought, the relationships between them, and the ideas that distinguish each from the other. Students will also learn about the relationship between archaeology and cultural and political developments, the origins of New and ‘post-processual’ archaeology, and current issues shaping the field. Written in a clear and informal style and incorporating examples, cartoons, and dialogues, this text provides an ideal introduction for students at all levels. The revised third edition has been updated with new and revised chapters and an expanded glossary and bibliography, as well as new readings to guide further study. Engages readers with informal and easy-to-understand prose, as well as examples, cartoons, and informal dialogues Prepares students to understand complex topics and current and perennial issues in the field such as epistemology, agency, and materiality in the context of archaeological practice Discusses current developments in associated disciplines New and revised chapters on the material turn, politics and other issues, and an expanded glossary and bibliography with updated reading suggestions Offers expanded coverage of materiality, cultural-historical archaeology, evolutionary theory, and the work of scholars of diverse backgrounds and specializations Engaging and illuminating, Archaeological Theory is an indispensable resource for undergraduate and graduate students in archaeology and related disciplines.

Archaeology

Archaeology PDF Author: Hannah Cobb
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1003813690
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 661

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Book Description
This fully updated sixth edition of a classic classroom text is essential reading for core courses in archaeology. Archaeology: An Introduction explains how the subject emerged from an amateur pursuit in the eighteenth century into a serious discipline and explores changing trends in interpretation in recent decades. The authors convey the excitement of archaeology while helping readers to evaluate new discoveries by explaining the methods and theories that lie behind them. In addition to drawing upon examples and case studies from many regions of the world and periods of the past, the book incorporates the authors’ own fieldwork, research and teaching. It continues to include key reference and further reading sections to help new readers find their way through the ever-expanding range of archaeological publications and online sources as well as colour illustrations and boxed topic sections to increase comprehension. Serving as an accessible and lucid textbook, and engaging students with contemporary issues, this book is designed to support students studying Archaeology at an introductory level. New to the sixth edition: Inclusion of the latest survey and imaging techniques, such as the use of drones and eXtended reality. Updated material on developments in dating, DNA analysis, isotopes and population movement, including consideration of the ethical considerations of these techniques. Coverage of new developments in archaeological theory, such as the material turn/ontological turn, and work on issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. A whole new chapter covering archaeology in the present, including new sections on heritage and public archaeology, and an updated consideration of archaeology’s relationship with the climate crisis. A revised glossary with over 200 new additions or updates.

Making Cultural History

Making Cultural History PDF Author: Anna Kallen
Publisher: Nordic Academic Press
ISBN: 9187351331
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
This volume contains 17 essays with fresh new approaches to cultural history from 17 authors that belong to different academic disciplines, including archaeology, art history, classical languages, ethnology, fashion studies, history, history of ideas, history of religion, literature studies, and media studies. Making Cultural History has sprung out of the Research School for Studies in Cultural History at Stockholm University, an interdisciplinary research program focusing on interplays between past and present. The authors of this volume display a kaleidoscope of innovative approaches to traditional academic subjects such as celebrity, literary genre, prehistoric remains, television, and historic monuments. The perspectives focus on obscure corners and gaps between the illuminated centers of traditional academic knowledge and create an understanding that all narratives, representations, and claims of culture and history are in some sense political. Challenging, disturbing, inspirational, these essays all make cultural history.