Archaeology in Practice: A Student Guide to Archaeological Analyses

This comprehensive, instructive, and user–friendly guide assembles the work of leading experts to fill a key niche in archaeological analysis. It will prove an invaluable aid to both students and teachers. Claire Smith, President, World Archaeological Congress

Moving beyond theoretical debates that began in the 1960s, this book shows how scientifically–grounded archaeological analysis can solve problems encountered in the field and laboratory directly and convincingly. Bravo! Richard Gould, Brown University

“This volume … is intended to offer students in laboratory courses in archaeology extended discussions of specific types of analytic questions and issues relating to component activities and subjects of fieldwork and data collection. This approach is a refreshing departure from the majority of the archaeological lab manuals currently in print.” Choice

“Provides a useful introduction which should find a place as a textbook in courses on archaeological method, and, one might hope, on students′ bookshelves – or better still, their desks.” Archaeology in Oceania

“a refreshing departure from the majority of archaeological lab manual currently in print.” RBM Ridinger, Northern Illinois University

“It is rare that a book is written as a text book but also provides an important contribution to the discipline and this volume deserves this dual recognition … Overall this an excellent book and should be the handbook of every student regardless of age and level of knowledge” Australian Archaeology

Archaeology in Practice: A Student Guide to Archaeological Analyses offers to students taking archaeology laboratory courses a detailed and invaluable how–to manual of archaeological methods. Written by specialists in material analyses, whose expertise represents a broad geographical range, Archaeology in Practice provides insight into the breadth of modern archaeology.

Each chapter is organized either by material types, such as animal bones, ceramics, stone artifacts, and documentary sources, or by themes, such as dating, ethics, and report writing. Archaeology in Practice is written in a style that is accessible to students, and each chapter is amply referenced to provide readers with a guide to further resources on particular techniques and their applications. In addition, the book is enlivened and illustrated by boxed case studies throughout the main text.