Archaeological Artefacts as Material Culture

Description

This book is an introduction to the study of artefacts, setting them in a social context rather than using a purely scientific approach. Drawing on a range of different cultures and extensively illustrated, Archaeological Artefacts and Material Culture covers everything from recovery strategies and recording procedures to interpretation through typology, ethnography and experiment, and every type of material including wood, fibers, bones, hides and adhesives, stone, clay, and metals.

With over seventy illustrations with almost fifty in full colour, this book not only provides the tools an archaeologist will need to interpret past societies from their artefacts, but also a keen appreciation of the beauty and tactility involved in working with these fascinating objects. This is a book no archaeologist should be without, but it will also appeal to anybody interested in the interaction between people and objects.

Contents

Section 1: Deconstruction and Analysis 1. Introduction 2. Artefacts from the Ground 3. Learning from Contexts 4. Making Sense of Artefacts 5. Changing Perspectives Section 2: Materials and Materiality 6. Materiality 7. Organic Materials and Artefacts 8. Stone Materials and Artefacts 9. Clay (and Glass) Materials and Artefacts 10. Metal Materials and Artefacts 11. Artefacts as Material Culture: Past, Present and Future

Author Bio

Linda Hurcombe is Head of Department at the Department of Archaeology, Exeter University. She has particular interests in a range of artefact studies including stone stools, functional analysis and organic material culture. She has undertaken fieldwork in Pakistan, Britain and Europe and published books on gender and material culture and functional analysis.

Related Subjects

1. Archaeological Science & Methodology
2. Material Culture