The Handbook of British Archaeology
The Handbook of British Archaeology

Author: Lesley Adkins

Publisher: Constable

Published: 2017-04-13

Total Pages: 896

ISBN-13: 1472127749

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For over 25 years The Handbook of British Archaeology has been the foremost guide to archaeological methods, artefacts and monuments, providing clear explanations of all specialist terms used by archaeologists. This completely revised and updated edition is packed with the latest information and now includes the most recent developments in archaeological science. Meticulously researched, every section has been extensively updated by a team of experts. There are chapters devoted to each of the archaeological periods found in Britain, as well as two chapters on techniques and the nature of archaeological remains. All the common artefacts, types of sites and current theories and methods are covered. The growing interest in post-medieval and industrial archaeology is fully explored in a brand new section dealing with these crucial periods. Hundreds of new illustrations enable instant comparison and identification of objects and monuments - from Palaeolithic handaxes to post-medieval gravestones. Several maps pinpoint the key sites, and other features include an extensive bibliography and a detailed index. The Handbook of British Archaeology is the most comprehensive resource book available and is essential for anyone with an interest in the subject - from field archaeologists and academics to students, heritage professionals, Time Team followers and amateur enthusiasts.

The Star-Crossed Stone
The Star-Crossed Stone

Author: Ken McNamara

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2010-11-15

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 0226514714

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Throughout the four hundred thousand years that humanity has been collecting fossils, sea urchin fossils, or echinoids, have continually been among the most prized, from the Paleolithic era, when they decorated flint axes, to today, when paleobiologists study them for clues to the earth’s history. In The Star-Crossed Stone, Kenneth J. McNamara, an expert on fossil echinoids, takes readers on an incredible fossil hunt, with stops in history, paleontology, folklore, mythology, art, religion, and much more. Beginning with prehistoric times, when urchin fossils were used as jewelry, McNamara reveals how the fossil crept into the religious and cultural lives of societies around the world—the roots of the familiar five-pointed star, for example, can be traced to the pattern found on urchins. But McNamara’s vision is even broader than that: using our knowledge of early habits of fossil collecting, he explores the evolution of the human mind itself, drawing striking conclusions about humanity’s earliest appreciation of beauty and the first stirrings of artistic expression. Along the way, the fossil becomes a nexus through which we meet brilliant eccentrics and visionary archaeologists and develop new insights into topics as seemingly disparate as hieroglyphics, Beowulf, and even church organs. An idiosyncratic celebration of science, nature, and human ingenuity, The Star-Crossed Stone is as charming and unforgettable as the fossil at its heart.

Grave Goods
Grave Goods

Author: Anwen Cooper

Publisher:

Published: 2022

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1789257506

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A large-scale investigation into grave goods (c. 4000 BC-AD 43), enabling a new level of understanding of mortuary practice, material culture, technological innovation and social transformation.

Burial Terminology
Burial Terminology

Author: Roderick Sprague

Publisher: Rowman Altamira

Published: 2005-08-11

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 0759114706

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With archaeological practices being as varied as the cultures they study, little advance has been made to standardize the nomenclature used in the Western scientific world to describe the physical aspect of burial and other forms of body disposal, which would allow researchers to describe and precisely compare these unique and revealing practices. Prominent archaeologist Roderick Sprague finally presents a long-overdue and much-needed logical outline of the variables that should be listed to describe bodies, grave goods, and tombs, establishing standard terms for the archaeologists who excavate these burials. Drawing from examples and terminology in historical archaeology, prehistory, ethnography, and forensic anthropology, this well illustrated, practical, and user-friendly reference text will be indispensable to all researchers in these and related fields.