PTG home
   customer service 
Catalog Search:
 Search
Related Topics:
HUMANITIES/SOCIAL SCIENCE
Social Science
Anthropology




  
Archaeology: A Brief Introduction 8/e
Brian M. Fagan Emeritus
Published May 2002 by Prentice Hall
Copyright 2003, 364 pp., Paper
ISBN: 0-13-099436-7
List Price:
$53.20
Inventory Status:
In-Stock
   
Preface
Summary

Brief and highly engaging, this introduction to the fundamental principles of method and theory in archaeology begins with the goals of archaeology, then goes on to consider the basic concepts of culture, time, and space, and the finding and excavation of archaeological sites. KEY TOPICS: The volume provides an introduction to archaeology and prehistory and puts culture, space and time, the present and the past, settlement and trade in an archaeological context. It also addresses finding archaeological sites, excavation, classification and technology, ancient climate and environment and the archaeology of society. MARKET: For those interested in a thorough presentation of how archaeologists study human behavior in the past.

Features

  • NEW - New perceptions of archaeology.

    • Provides students with alternative perspectives on the past that reflect new thinking on this topic.

  • NEW - Expanded coverage of ancient technologies.

    • Provides students with more information on the use of stone, clay, and metals in the past so that they can understand the nature of early tool design and use.

  • NEW - Expanded coverage of environment and climate.

    • Provides students with a summary of the ways scientists study long- and short-term climatic change to help them understand its impact on ancient societies.

  • NEW - New advances in theoretical approaches to archaeology—e.g., interpreting cultural history, ecological/environmental archaeology, historical materialist approaches, cognitive processual archaeology, and multidisciplinary perspectives.

    • Provides students with discussions of cutting-edge findings and theories.

  • NEW - Archaeology as a Career chapter added.

    • Provides students with frank advice on a career in an era when academic positions are shrinking and archaeology is becoming a profession.

  • NEW - Updated and revised to reflect recent advances and findings.

    • Provides students with the latest research and theories in the field.

  • NEW - Gender and ethnicity discussions expanded.

    • Provides students with the latest findings on the subjects.

  • Up-to-date and extremely accessible.

    • Enables students completely new to archaeology to understand the latest advances in the field.

  • Patterning of archaeological artifacts.

    • Shows students how what is found in the ground can provide valuable insights into human behavior of the past.

  • “Sites and Cultures” section—At the end of the book. Describes the major archaeological sites discussed in the text, drawing from New World and Old World archaeology.

    • Provides students with an easy reference tool by pulling together topics covered throughout the book.

  • Glossary of technical terms.

    • Provides students with a convenient in-text resource for study and review.
Table of Contents



 1. Fossils, Cities, and Civilizations: The Birth of a Science.


 2. Introducing Archaeology and Prehistory.


 3. Culture and Context.


 4. Space and Time.


 5. Finding Archaeological Sites.


 6. Excavation.


 7. Classification and Technology.


 8. The Present and the Past.


 9. Ancient Climate and Environment.


10. Come Tell Me How You Lived.


11. Settlement and Trade.


12. The Archaeology of People.


13. Explaining the Past.


14. Archaeology and You.


Sites and Cultures Mentioned in the Text.


Guide to Further Reading.


Glossary of Technical Terms.


References.


Illustration Credits.


Index.


back to top