Encyclopedia of Prehistory

Encyclopedia of Prehistory

Author: Peter N. Peregrine

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2003-03-31

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13: 9780306462627

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The Encyclopedia of Prehistory represents temporal dimension. Major traditions are an attempt to provide basic information also defined by a somewhat different set of on all archaeologically known cultures, sociocultural characteristics than are eth covering the entire globe and the entire nological cultures. Major traditions are prehistory ofhumankind. It is designed as defined based on common subsistence a tool to assist in doing comparative practices, sociopolitical organization, and research on the peoples of the past. Most material industries. but language, ideology, of the entries are written by the world's and kinship tics play little or no part in foremost experts on the particular areas their definition because they are virtually and lime periods. unrecoverable from archaeological con The Encyclopedia is organized accord· texts. In contrast, language, ideology, and ing to major traditions. A major tradition kinship ties arc central to defining ethno is defined as a group ofpopulations sharing logical cultures. similar subsistence practices. technology, There are three types of entries in the and forms oj sociopolitical organizati01I, Encyclopedia: the major tradition entry.


Investigating Archaeological Cultures

Investigating Archaeological Cultures

Author: Benjamin W. Roberts

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-06-04

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 1441969705

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Defining "culture" is an important step in undertaking archaeological research. Any thorough study of a particular culture first has to determine what that culture contains-- what particular time period, geographic region, and group of people make up that culture. The study of archaeology has many accepted definitions of particular cultures, but recently these accepted definitions have come into question. As archaeologists struggle to define cultures, they also seek to define the components of culture. This volume brings together 21 international case studies to explore the meaning of "culture" for regions around the globe and periods from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age and beyond. Taking lessons and overarching themes from these studies, the contributors draw important conclusions about cultural transmission, technology development, and cultural development. The result is a comprehensive model for approaching the study of culture, broken down into regions (Russia, Continental Europe, North America, Britain, and Africa), materials (Lithics, Ceramics, Metals) and time periods. This work will be valuable to all archaeologists and cultural anthropologists, particularly those studying material culture.


Ancient Iran and Its Neighbours

Ancient Iran and Its Neighbours

Author: Cameron A. Petrie

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2013-12-31

Total Pages: 833

ISBN-13: 1782972285

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The fourth millennium BC was a critical period of socio-economic and political transformation in the Iranian Plateau and its surrounding zones. This period witnessed the appearance of the world’s earliest urban centres, hierarchical administrative structures, and writing systems. These developments are indicative of significant changes in socio-political structures that have been interpreted as evidence for the rise of early states and the development of inter-regional trade, embedded in longer-term processes that began in the later fifth millennium BC. Iran was an important player in western Asia especially in the medium- to long-range trade in raw materials and finished items throughout this period. The 20 papers presented here illustrate forcefully how the re-evaluation of old excavation results, combined with much new research, has dramatically expanded our knowledge and understanding of local developments on the Iranian Plateau and of long-range interactions during the critical period of the fourth millennium BC.


The Archaeometallurgy of the Asian Old World

The Archaeometallurgy of the Asian Old World

Author: Vincent C. Pigott

Publisher: UPenn Museum of Archaeology

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780924171345

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Written by eminent scholars in the field, this edited volume is the first to treat in a comprehensive manner the archaeology of metallurgy's origins, focusing specifically on initial uses of copper and bronze, as well as the coming of iron across Asia from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Far East. It is a volume that should serve for some time to come as the source of the fundamental information upon which larger interpretations of metallurgical developments in Asia will be grounded. MASCA research papers, Vol. 16 University Museum Monograph, 89


Archaeology and Conservation Along the Silk Road

Archaeology and Conservation Along the Silk Road

Author: Gabriela Krist

Publisher: Böhlau Wien

Published: 2022-05-23

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 3205215087

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The third international conference on "Archaeology and Conservation along the Silk Road" was met with as much enthusiasm as the earlier ones, with participants joining from near and far. The historic city of Tabriz, which once was the melting pot for cultures across the Silk Road(s), now as venue of this conference from 14–16 November 2018, facilitated dialogues to re-live, re-exchange and re-search the impact that Silk Road has had from then to now. Albeit a century-old topic of academic discourse, the Silk Road(s) continues to open up variety of new disciplinary and regional fronts; included in this volume. The Research Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Iran, collaborated with the Nanjing University, China, and the Institute of Conservation, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria, for this congress, which saw plenty of scientific studies on material heritage and their resultant significance in shaping the lifestyle and trade in different regions along the Silk Road(s).


The Social Context of Technological Change

The Social Context of Technological Change

Author: Andrew J. Shortland

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2016-12-16

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1785705660

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The technological capabilities of the ancient world have long fascinated scholars and the general public alike, though scholarly debate has often seen material culture not as the development of technology, but as a tool for defining chronology and delineating the level of interactions of neighboring societies. These fourteen papers, arising from a conference held in Oxford in September 2000, take the approach that technology plays a vital role in past socioeconomic systems. They cover the Near East and associated areas, including Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia and Egypt from the end of the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age (1650-1150 BC), a period when many technological innovations appear for the first time.


Archaeology of Afghanistan

Archaeology of Afghanistan

Author: Raymond Allchin

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Published: 2019-06-03

Total Pages: 752

ISBN-13: 1474450474

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First published in 1978, this was the first book in English to provide a complete survey of the immensely rich archaeological remains of Afghanistan. It has now been thoroughly revised and brought up to date to incorporate the latest discoveries and research.


Ancient Engineering: Selective Ceramic Processing in the Middle Balsas Region of Guerrero, Mexico

Ancient Engineering: Selective Ceramic Processing in the Middle Balsas Region of Guerrero, Mexico

Author: Jennifer Meanwell

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2017-09-29

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 178491651X

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This volume has two main objectives: establishing a chronology of the Middle Balsas and detailing the region’s pottery production methods. The author posits that pottery intended for different functions was often deliberately made and/or decorated in ways that were chosen to make the vessels more appropriate for their intended functions.


The Archaeometallurgy of Copper

The Archaeometallurgy of Copper

Author: Andreas Hauptmann

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2007-12-03

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 3540722386

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The book deals with the ancient exploitation and production of copper, exemplified by the mining district of Faynan, Jordan. It is an interdisciplinary study that comprises (mining-) archaeological and scientific aspects. The development of organizational patterns and technological improvements of mining and smelting through the ages (5th millennium BC to Roman Byzantine period), in a specific mining region, is discussed.


The World of the Oxus Civilization

The World of the Oxus Civilization

Author: Bertille Lyonnet

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-11-17

Total Pages: 997

ISBN-13: 1351757822

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This collection of essays presents a synthesis of current research on the Oxus Civilization, which rose and developed at the turn of the 3rd to 2nd millennia BC in Central Asia. First discovered in the 1970s, the Oxus Civilization, or the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), has engendered many different interpretations, which are explored in this volume by an international group of archaeologists and researchers. Contributors cover all aspects of this fascinating Bronze Age culture: architecture; material culture; grave goods; religion; migrations; and trade and interactions with neighboring civilizations, from Mesopotamia to the Indus, and the Gulf to the northern steppes. Chapters also examine the Oxus Civilization’s roots in previous local cultures, explore its environmental and chronological context, or the possibly coveted metal sources, and look into the reasons for its decline. The World of the Oxus Civilization offers a broad and fascinating examination of this society, and provides an invaluable updated resource for anyone working on the culture, history, and archaeology of this region and on the multiple interactions at work at that time in the ancient Near East.