An Archaeological Investigation of the Central Sinai, Egypt
An Archaeological Investigation of the Central Sinai, Egypt

Author: Frank W. Eddy

Publisher: University of Colorado Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13:

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This volume details the findings of a reconnaissance survey of seventy-five archaeological sites and the subsequent excavation of ten representative sites on the Sinai Peninsula. Based on field work conducted in 1996 by the Combined Prehistoric Expedition (SPE) in the upper Wadi Grafi Basin, An Archaeological Investigation of the Central Sinai, Egypt, sheds further light on the Timnian Tradition of the southern Levant, one of the earliest (7000-3000 B.P.) nomadic pastoral cultures described to date. This book is divided into two parts, one describing the results of the survey and the other detailing the later excavations in the fall. Complete with 101 line drawings, 60 maps, and 23 black and white photos, this book is essential reading for scholars interested in the pre-historic archaeology of the Sinai region.

An Investigation into Early Desert Pastoralism
An Investigation into Early Desert Pastoralism

Author: Steven A. Rosen

Publisher: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press

Published: 2011-10-11

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1938770706

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Negev focuses on two primary purposes, one theoretical/methodological and the second substantive. Briefly stated, the book comprises a case study of excavations at an early (ca. 2800 B.C.) pastoral site in the Negev, providing detailed analyses and a synthetic overview of a seasonal encampment from this early period in the evolution of desert pastoral societies. It thus both demonstrates the feasibility of an archaeology of early mobile pastoralism and grapples with the basic anthropological and methodological issues surrounding the subject. Substantively, both the architectural and material culture assemblages uncovered constitute the first detailed analysis of this early desert culture and include materials previously unreported for the region and period. Historically, the Camel Site is placed in a larger perspective of the beginnings of multiresource nomadism in relation to the rise of complex societies.

A Research Guide to the Ancient World
A Research Guide to the Ancient World

Author: John M. Weeks

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-11-25

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1442237406

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The archaeological study of the ancient world has become increasingly popular in recent years. A Research Guide to the Ancient World: Print and Electronic Sources, is a partially annotated bibliography. The study of the ancient world is usually, although not exclusively, considered a branch of the humanities, including archaeology, art history, languages, literature, philosophy, and related cultural disciplines which consider the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean world, and adjacent Egypt and southwestern Asia. Chronologically the ancient world would extend from the beginning of the Bronze Age of ancient Greece (ca. 1000 BCE) to the fall of the Western Roman Empire (ca. 500 CE). This book will close the traditional subject gap between the humanities (Classical World; Egyptology) and the social sciences (anthropological archaeology; Near East) in the study of the ancient world. This book is uniquely the only bibliographic resource available for such holistic coverage. The volume consists of 17 chapters and seven appendixes, arranged according to the traditional types of library research materials (bibliographies, dictionaries, atlases, etc.). The appendixes are mostly subject specific, including graduate programs in ancient studies, reports from significant archaeological sites, numismatics, and paleography and writing systems. These extensive author and subject indexes help facilitate ease of use.

Defining the Sacred
Defining the Sacred

Author: Nicola Laneri

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2015-05-08

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 178297685X

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Religion is a phenomenon that is inseparable from human society. It brings about a set of emotional, ideological and practical elements that are pervasive in the social fabric of any society and characterizable by a number of features. These include the establishment of intermediaries in the relationship between humans and the divine; the construction of ceremonial places for worshipping the gods and practicing ritual performances; and the creation ritual paraphernalia. Investigating the religious dimensions of ancient societies encounters problems in defining such elements, especially with regard to societies that lack textual evidences and has tended to lead towards the identification of differentiation between the mental dimension, related to religious beliefs, and the material one associated with religious practices, resulting in a separation between scholars able to investigate, and possibly reconstruct, ritual practices (i.e., archaeologists), and those interested in defining the realm of ancient beliefs (i.e., philologists and religious historians). The aim of this collection of papers is to attempt to bridge these two dimensions by breaking down existing boundaries in order to form a more comprehensive vision of religion among ancient Near Eastern societies. This approach requires that a higher consideration be given to those elements (either artificial -- buildings, objects, texts, etc. -- or natural -- landscapes, animals, trees, etc.) that are created through a materialization of religious beliefs and practices enacted by members of communities. These issues are addressed in a series of specific case-studies covering a broad chronological framework that from the Pre-pottery Neolithic to the Iron Age. (Cover illustration © German Archaeological Institute, photo N. Becker)

‘Isaac went out to the field’: Studies in Archaeology and Ancient Cultures in Honor of Isaac Gilead
‘Isaac went out to the field’: Studies in Archaeology and Ancient Cultures in Honor of Isaac Gilead

Author: Haim Goldfus

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2019-04-30

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 178491830X

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‘Isaac went out to the field (Genesis 24:63)’ presents 28 articles honouring Professor Isaac Gilead on his 71st birthday. Papers on prehistoric and proto-historic archaeology reflect the focus of the honoree’s teaching and research, while other subjects including Biblical and Near Eastern studies explore Gilead’s other areas of interest.

The Archaeology of Pharaonic Egypt
The Archaeology of Pharaonic Egypt

Author: Richard Bussmann

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-07-31

Total Pages: 441

ISBN-13: 100938063X

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In this book, Richard Bussmann presents a fresh overview of ancient Egyptian society and culture in the age of the pyramids. He addresses key themes in the comparative research of early complex societies, including urbanism, funerary culture, temple ritual, kingship, and the state, and explores how ideas and practices were exchanged between ruling elites and local communities in provincial Egypt. Unlike other studies of ancient Egypt, this book adopts an anthropological approach that places people at the centre of the analysis. Bussmann covers a range of important themes in cross-cultural debates, such as materiality, gender, non-elite culture, and the body. He also offers new perspectives on social diversity and cultural cohesion, based on recent discoveries. His study vividly illustrates how our understanding of ancient Egyptian society benefits from the application of theoretical concepts in archaeology and anthropology to the interpretation of the evidence.

Metal, Nomads and Culture Contact
Metal, Nomads and Culture Contact

Author: Nils Anfinset

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-08

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 113494439X

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The fifth and fourth millennia BCE saw major cultural changes in the southern Levant and Northeast Africa: the spread of agriculture; developments in animal husbandry; increased contact between cultures; and the use of alloy bronze. 'Metal, Nomads and Culture Contact' integrates archaeological data from across the Chalcolithic period to contextualise these changes. The book examines the introduction of metal to the southern Levant, Egypt and Lower Nubia and the role of pastoral nomadism in cultural interaction and exchange. 'Metal, Nomads and Culture Contact' will be valuable to scholars of archaeology and anthropology.

The Gazelle’s Dream
The Gazelle’s Dream

Author: Alison Betts

Publisher: Sydney University Press

Published: 2021-12-01

Total Pages: 535

ISBN-13: 1743327773

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Once the world’s prairies, grasslands, steppes and tundra teemed with massive herds of game: gazelle, wild ass, bison, caribou and antelope. Humans seeking to hunt these large fast-moving herds devised a range of specialised traps that share many characteristics across all continents. Typically consisting of guiding walls or lines of stones leading to an enclosure or trap, game drives were designed for a mass killing. Construction of the game drive, organisation of the hunt and processing of the carcass often required group co-operation and in many cases game drives have been linked to seasonal gatherings of otherwise scattered groups, who may have used these occasions not only to hunt, but also for social, ritual and economic activities. The Gazelle’s Dream: Game Drives of the Old and New Worlds is the first comparative study of game drives, examining this mode of hunting across three continents and a broad range of periods. The book describes the hunting of bison in North America, reindeer in Scandinavia, antelope in Tibet and an extensive array of examples from the greater Middle East, from Egypt to Armenia. The Gazelle’s Dream will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of hunting and wildlife management.