The Oxford Companion to Archaeology (Oxford Companions) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195076184 ISBN 13: 9780195076189

Publisher: OUP USA, 1997

Synopsis

When we think of archaeology, most of us think first of its many spectacular finds: the legendary city of Troy, Tutankhamun's golden tomb, the three-million-year-old footprints at Laetoli, the mile-high city at Machu Picchu, the cave paintings at Lascaux. But as marvelous as these discoveries are, the ultimate goal of archaeology, and of archaeologists, is something far more ambitious. Indeed, it is one of humanity's great quests: to recapture and understand our human past, across vast stretches of time, as it was lived in every corner of the globe. Now, in The Oxford Companion to Archaeology, readers have a comprehensive and authoritative overview of this fascinating discipline, in a book that is itself a rare find, a treasure of up-to-date information on virtually every aspect of the field.
The range of subjects covered here is breathtaking - everything from the domestication of the camel, to Egyptian hieroglyphics, to luminescence dating, to the Mayan calendar, to Koobi Fora and Olduvai Gorge. Readers will find extensive essays that illuminate the full history of archaeology - from the discovery of Herculaneum in 1783, to the recent finding of the `Ice Man' and the ancient city of Uruk - and engaging biographies of the great figures in the field, from Gertrude Bell, Paul Emile Botta, and Louis and Mary Leakey, to V. Gordon Childe, Li Chi, Heinrich Schliemann, and Max Uhle. The Companion offers extensive coverage of the methods used in archaeological research, revealing how archaeologists find sites (remote sensing, aerial photography, ground survey), how they map excavations and report findings, and how they analyse artifacts (radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, stratigraphy, mortuary analysis). Of course, archaeology's great subject is humanity and human culture, and there are broad essays that examine human evolution - ranging from our early primate ancestors, to Australopithecus and Cro-Magnon, to Homo Erectus and Neanderthals - and explore the many general facets of culture, from art and architecture, to arms and armour, to beer and brewing, to astronomy and religion. And perhaps most important, the contributors provide insightful coverage of human culture as it has been expressed in every region of the world. Here entries range from broad overviews, to treatments of particular themes, to discussions of peoples, societies, and particular sites. Thus, anyone interested in North America would find articles that cover the continent from the Arctic to the Eastern woodlands to the Northwest Coast, that discuss the Iroquois and Algonquian cultures, the hunters of the North American plains, and the Norse in North America, and that describe sites such as Mesa Verde, Meadowcraft Rockshelter, Serpent Mound, and Poverty Point. Likewise, the coverage of Europe runs from the Paleolithic period, to the Bronze and Iron Age, to the Post-Roman era, looks at peoples such as the Celts, the Germans, the Vikings, and the Slavs, and describes sites at Altamira, Pompeii, Stonehenge, Terra Amata, and dozens of other locales. The Companion offers equally thorough coverage of Africa, Europe, North America, Mesoamerica, South America, Asia, the Mediterranean, the Near East, Australia and the Pacific. And finally, the editors have included extensive cross-referencing and thorough indexing, enabling the reader to pursue topics of interest with ease; charts and maps providing additional information; and bibliographies after most entries directing readers to the best sources for further study.

Every Oxford Companion aspires to be the definitive overview of a field of study at a particular moment of time. This superb volume is no exception.

About this title

Review:

The match between authors and topics is impressive. Fagan has somehow persuaded top archaeologists to write about what they know best. The Oxford Companion is aimed at students and serious professionals as well as the general public, and has strong entries dealing with ideas, political issues and intellectual principles. (Warwick Bray, Nature)

The 700 articles in its 840 pages are arranged alpgabetically, cross-referenced, and supplemented with maps and chronological tables. (Church Times)

A first place to start for all your future enquiries. (Anthony Sinclair, Antiquity, Volume 71, Number 272, June 1997)

What is the difference between a companion, a dictionary, an encyclopedia ... In the case of The Oxford Companion to Archaeology, the answer is its sheer readability ... this volume may be pleasurably read from cover to cover ... It maintains a quality of writing and depth of analysis across a huge variety of topics ... this book is an authoritative and clearly written global assessment of archaeology that judiciously balances the well publicised with the less well known. (Times Higher Education Supplement)

Like all Oxford Companions, it aspires to be the definitive overview of the subject. (Church Times)

An excellent overview of what it is that archaeologists do and have done ... It ranges widely from the expected (Giza, Easter Island and so forth) to the unexpected (archaeology in science fiction), via some helpful, intelligent entries. (New Scientist)

From the Back Cover:

The range of subjects covered here is breath-taking - everything from the domestication of the camel, to Egyptian hieroglyphics, to luminescence dating, to the Mayan calendar, to Koobi Fora and Olduvai Gorge. Readers will find extensive essays that illuminate the full history of archaeology - from the discovery of Herculaneum in 1783, to the recent finding of the "Ice Man", and the ancient city of Uruk - and engaging biographies of the great figures in the field, from Gertrude Bell, Paul Emile Botta, and Louis and Mary Leakey, to V. Gordon Childe, Li Chi, Heinrich Schliemann, and Max Uhle. The Companion offers extensive coverage of the methods used in archaeological research, revealing how archaeologists find sites (remote sensing, aerial photography, ground survey), how they map excavations and report findings, and how they analyze artifacts (radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, stratigraphy, mortuary analysis). Of course, archaeology's great subject is humanity and human culture, and there are broad essays that examine human evolution - ranging from our early primate ancestors, to Australopithecus and the Cro-Magnons, to Homo erectus and the Neanderthals - and explore the many general facets of culture, from art and architecture, to arms and armor, to beer and brewing, to astronomy and religion. And perhaps most important, the contributors provide insightful coverage of human culture as it has been expressed in every region of the world. Here entries range from broad overviews, to treatments of particular themes, to discussions of peoples, societies, and particular sites. Thus, anyone interested in North America would find articles that cover the continent from the Arctic to theEastern Woodlands to the Northwest Coast; that discuss the Iroquois and Algonquian cultures, the hunters of the North American Plains, and the Norse in North America; and that describe sites such as Mesa Verde, Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Serpent Mound, and Poverty Point. Likewise, the coverage of Europe runs from the Paleolithic period, to the Bronze and Iron Ages, to the Post-Roman era; looks at peoples such as the Celts, the Germans, the Vikings, and the Slavs; and describes sites at Altamira, Pompeii, Stonehenge, Terra Amata, and dozens of other locales. The Companion offers equally thorough coverage of Africa, Europe, North America, Mesoamerica, South America, Asia, the Mediterranean, the Near East, Australia, and the Pacific. And finally, the editors have included extensive cross-referencing and thorough indexing, enabling the reader to pursue topics of interest with ease; charts and maps providing additional information; and bibliographies after most entries directing readers to the best sources for further study.

About this edition

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0195076184
• ISBN 13: 9780195076189
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 864
• Editor: Fagan Brian M.