World coverage of the discipline by leading expert authors

Includes regional overviews of key regions of the world

Provides essential starting points for more specialist work, as well as a conspectus for general readers

Ranges across the history of archaeology, archaeological science, and ethics in archaeology

Part of the prestigious Oxford Handbooks series

Archaeology is a vast subject - it is the study of human society everywhere in the world, from distant human origins 3-4 million years ago up to the present day. The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology brings together 35 authors - all specialists in their own fields - to explain what archaeology is really about. This is one of the most comprehensive treatments of the subject and of the key debates ever attempted. It is designed to open up the world of archaeology to non-specialists and to provide an essential starting point for those who want to pursue particular topics in more depth.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Barry Cunliffe
1. The Name and Nature of Archaeology
The discipline of archaeology, Kristian Kristiansen
The formative century, 1860-1960, Robin Boast
The theoretical scene, 1960-2000, Matthew H. Johnson
Into the future, Andy Jones
Technologies, Marcia-Anne Dobres
2. Tools of the Trade
Measuring the passage of time, achievements and challenges in archaeological dating, A. M. Pollard
Human activity in a spatial context, Gary Lock
Data collection by excavation, Roger White
Mastering materials, M. S. Tite
3. Early Humans
The nature of humanness, Jonathan Marks
Early hominids, Nicholas Toth & Kathy Schick
The emergence of Home sapiens sapiens, William Davies
The Neanderthals, Paul Pettitt
Peopling the world, Steven Mithen
4. Strategies for Survival
Hunters and gatherers, Peter Mitchell
Early farming and domestication, Graeme Barker
Studying diet, Robert Hedges
5. Complex Societies and the Formation of Early States
Cultural complexity, Ian Morris
Trade and interaction, Robin Skeates
China: state formation and urbanization, Li Liu
Mesoamerica, Elizabeth M. Brumfiel
The central Andean region in prehistory, Terence N. D'Altroy
6. Some Regional Overviews
The Mediterranean and its hinterland, Cyprian Broodbank
The archaeology of sub-Saharan Africa: an overview, Innocent Pikirayi
Pre-Islamic Central Asia, Georgina Herrmann
The Circumpolar zone, Bryan C. Hood
East Asia, S. Nelson
Australasia, Lesley Head, Harry Allen, Tim Denham & Richard Fullagar
Pacific Islands, Chris Gosden
North America, Charles R. Cobb & Randall H. McGuire
South American archaeology, P. P. Funari, A. Zarankin & E. Stovel
7. Issues and Debates
Indigenous voices and repatriation, Jonathan Williams
Sex and gender, Roberta Gilchrist
Archaeological representation: the consumption and creation of the past, Stephanie Moser
Community archaeology, Yvonne Marshall

Author Information

Edited by Barry Cunliffe, University of Oxford, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology, Chris Gosden, University of Oxford, Professor of European Archaeology, and Rosemary A. Joyce, University of California at Berkeley, Professor, Department of Anthropology

Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology, University of Oxford

Chris Gosden, Professor of European Archaeology, University of Oxford

Rosemary A. Joyce, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley

Contributors:

Harry Allen, University of Auckland
Graeme Barker, University of Cambridge
Robin Boast, Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Cambridge
Cyprian Broodbank, University College London
Elizabeth M. Brumfiel, Albion College
Charles R. Cobb, Binghamton University
Barry Cunliffe, University of Oxford
Terence N. D'Altroy, Columbia University
William Davies, University of Southampton
Tim Denham
Marcia-Anne Dobres
Richard Fullagar
P. P. Funari, Ripon College
Roberta Gilchrist, University of Reading
Chris Gosden, University of Oxford
Lesley Head, University of Wollongong
Robert Hedges, University of Cambridge
Georgina Herrmann
Bryan C. Hood, University of Tromso
Matthew H. Johnson, University of Southampton
Andy Jones, University of Southampton
Kristian Kristiansen, Goteborg University
Li Liu, La Trobe University
Gary Lock, University of Oxford
Randall H. McGuire, Binghamton University
Jonathan Marks, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Yvonne Marshall, University of Southampton
Peter Mitchell, University of Oxford
Steven Mithen, University of Reading
Ian Morris, Stanford University
Stephanie Moser, University of Southampton
S. Nelson, University of Denver
Paul Pettitt, University of Sheffield
Innocent Pikirayi, University of Pretoria
A. M. Pollard, University of Cambridge
Kathy Schick, Gosport, Indiana
Robin Skeates, Durham University
E. Stovel, Ripon College, Wisconsin
M. S. Tite, University of Cambridge
Nicholas Toth, Stone Age Institute, Gosport, Indiana
Roger White, Ironbridge Institute, Telford
Jonathan Williams, The British Museum
A. Zarankin, Ripon College, Wisconsin