The Cambridge Illustrated History Of Archaeology

Beautifully illustrated in color with many rare and unique photographs, prints, and drawings, "The Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art" presents the first balanced and truly worldwide survey of prehistoric art. A fascinating study of an often neglected area, the book is a powerful combination of illustration and analysis. 164 color plates. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

We humans have always possessed a deep curiosity about our origins and past. Indeed, as far back as 600 B.C. a Babylonian king excavated a temple floor laid 3,200 years before his time. Archaeology, to paraphrase Colin Renfrew, is a history of self-discovery, and for that reason it holds attraction for all peoples and all cultures. The Cambridge Illustrated History of Archaeology exploits our fascination with our past. It tells the story of those explorations that have helped shape our knowledge of history--from early digging in Greece and the Near East through the unearthing of sites in Europe to the archaeological finds of the Americas, Africa, and Australasia. It chronicles the development of archaeology from the crude fumblings of early antiquaries to the sophisticated digs of the present day. The team of experts under the guidance of Paul Bahn attempts to strike a balance between spectacular discoveries, such as the tomb of Tutankhamen, and the equally important progress of ideas. At the same time, they describe the often colorful roles of leading characters and set them against the social background of their times. It is hoped that many present and future general readers and amateur archaeologists will uncover much of interest in this book. Paul Bahn is the author of many books about archaeology, including The Bluffer's Guide to Archaeology (1989) and Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice (with Colin Renfrew, 1991).

Traces the development of archaeology up to the sophisticated explorations of the present day and surveys each major discovery and excavation

A look at the over eight thousand year history and civilization of China.

The Cambridge Prehistory of the Bronze and Iron Age Mediterranean offers new insights into the material and social practices of many different Mediterranean peoples during the Bronze and Iron Ages, presenting in particular those features that both connect and distinguish them. Contributors discuss in depth a range of topics that motivate and structure Mediterranean archaeology today, including insularity and connectivity; mobility, migration, and colonization; hybridization and cultural encounters; materiality, memory, and identity; community and household; life and death; and ritual and ideology. The volume's broad coverage of different approaches and contemporary archaeological practices will help practitioners of Mediterranean archaeology to move the subject forward in new and dynamic ways. Together, the essays in this volume shed new light on the people, ideas, and materials that make up the world of Mediterranean archaeology today, beyond the borders that separate Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

An engaging study which looks at archaeological, documentary and environmental evidence to explore the factors determining class identity.

Publisher description

This book offers a critical synthesis of the archaeology of South Asia from the Neolithic period (c.6500 BCE), when domestication began, to the spread of Buddhism accompanying the Mauryan Emperor Asoka's reign (third century BCE). The authors examine the growth and character of the Indus civilisation, with its town planning, sophisticated drainage systems, vast cities and international trade. They also consider the strong cultural links between the Indus civilisation and the second, later period of South Asian urbanism which began in the first millennium BCE and developed through the early first millennium CE. In addition to examining the evidence for emerging urban complexity, this book gives equal weight to interactions between rural and urban communities across South Asia and considers the critical roles played by rural areas in social and economic development. The authors explore how narratives of continuity and transformation have been formulated in analyses of South Asia's Prehistoric and Early Historic archaeological record.

Against the backdrop of unprecedented concern for the future of health care, 'The Cambridge History of Medicine' surveys the rise of medicine in the West from classical times to the present. Covering both the social and scientific history of medicine, this volume traces the chronology of key developments and events.