Archaeological Theory in Practice

Archaeological Theory in Practice
Author: PatriciaA Urban
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 525
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351576186

In this concise, friendly textbook, Patricia Urban and Edward Schortman teach the basics of archaeological theory, making explicit the crucial link between theory and the actual conduct of archaeological research. The first half of the text addresses the general nature of theory, as well as how it is used in the social sciences and in archaeology in particular. To demonstrate the usefulness of theory, the authors draw from research at Stonehenge, Mesopotamia, and their own long-term research project in the Naco Valley of Honduras. They show how theory becomes meaningful when it is used by very real individuals to interpret equally real materials. These extended narratives exemplify the creative interaction between data and theory that shape our understanding of the past. Ideal for introductory courses in archaeological theory.

Prehistoric Copper Mining in Michigan

Prehistoric Copper Mining in Michigan
Author: John R. Halsey
Publisher: U OF M MUSEUM ANTHRO ARCHAEOLOGY
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0915703890

Isle Royale and the counties that line the northwest coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are called Copper Country because of the rich deposits of native copper there. In the nineteenth century, explorers and miners discovered evidence of prehistoric copper mining in this region. They used those “ancient diggings” as a guide to establishing their own, much larger mines, and in the process, destroyed the archaeological record left by the prehistoric miners. Using mining reports, newspaper accounts, personal letters, and other sources, this book reconstructs what these nineteenth-century discoverers found, how they interpreted the material remains of prehistoric activity, and what they did with the stone, wood, and copper tools they found at the prehistoric sites. “This volume represents an exhaustive compilation of the early written and published accounts of mines and mining in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It will prove a valuable resource to current and future scholars. Through these early historic accounts of prospectors and miners, Halsey provides a vivid picture of what once could be seen.” —John M. O’Shea, curator of Great Lakes Archaeology, University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology

Reading Rock Art

Reading Rock Art
Author: Grace Rajnovich
Publisher: Dundurn
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2002-02-25
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1770706739

More than 400 rock paintings adorn the Canadian Shield from Quebec, across Ontario and as far west as Saskatchewan. The pictographs are the legacy of the Algonkian-speaking Cree and Ojibway, whose roots may extend to the beginnings of human occupancy in the region almost 10,000 years ago. Archaeologist Grace Rajnovich spent fourteen years of field research uncovering a multitude of clues as to the meanings of the paintings. She has written a text which is unique in its ability to "see" the paintings from a traditional native viewpoint. Skilfully weaving the imagery, metaphors and traditions of the Cree and Ojibway, the author has recaptured the poetry and wisdom of an ancient culture. Chief Willie Wilson of the Rainy River Band considers Grace's work "innovative and original."

Geoarchaeology of Aboriginal Landscapes in Semi-arid Australia

Geoarchaeology of Aboriginal Landscapes in Semi-arid Australia
Author: Simon Holdaway
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2014-03-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0643108963

This book provides readers with a unique understanding of the ways in which Aboriginal people interacted with their environment in the past at one particular location in western New South Wales. It also provides a statement showing how geoarchaeology should be conducted in a wide range of locations throughout Australia. One of the key difficulties faced by all those interested in the interaction between humans and their environment in the past is the complex array of processes acting over different spatial and temporal scales. The authors take account of this complexity by integrating three key areas of study – geomorphology, geochronology and archaeology – applied at a landscape scale, with the intention of understanding the record of how Australian Aboriginal people interacted with the environment through time and across space. This analysis is based on the results of archaeological research conducted at the University of New South Wales Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station between 1999 and 2002 as part of the Western New South Wales Archaeology Program. The interdisciplinary geoarchaeological program was targeted at expanding the potential offered by archaeological deposits in western New South Wales, Australia. The book contains six chapters: the first two introduce the study area, then three data analysis chapters deal in turn with the geomorphology, geochronology and archaeology of Fowlers Gap Station. A final chapter considers the results in relation to the history of Aboriginal occupation of Fowlers Gap Station, as well as the insights they provide into Aboriginal ways of life more generally. Analyses are well illustrated through the tabulation of results and the use of figures created through Geographic Information System software.

History in the Making

History in the Making
Author: Donald H. Holly
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2013-10-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0759120242

The Eastern Subarctic has long been portrayed as a place without history. Challenging this perspective, History in the Making: The Archaeology of the Eastern Subarctic charts the complex and dynamic history of this little known archaeological region of North America. Along the way, the book explores the social processes through which native peoples “made” history in the past and archaeologists and anthropologists later wrote about it. As such, the book offers both a critical history and historiography of the Eastern Subarctic.

Practical Applications of GIS for Archaeologists

Practical Applications of GIS for Archaeologists
Author: Konnie L. Wescott
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2003-09-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0203212134

The use of GIS is the most powerful technology introduced to archaeology since the introduction of carbon 14 dating. The most widespread use of this technology has been for the prediction of archaeological site locations. This book focuses on the use of GIS for archaeological predictive modeling. The contributors include internationally recognized researchers who have been at the forefront of this revolutionary integration of GIS and archaeology, as well as first generation researchers who have begun to critically apply this new technology and explore its theoretical implications.