Archaeological Theory
An Introduction
Matthew H. Johnson(Author)
Blackwell Publishers
Published on 3. September 1999
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-631-20295-0 (ISBN)
Description
Archaeological Theory: An Introduction is a book that has been needed for the last twenty years. It is an accessible, lively account of current thinking in archaeology. Taking a historical approach and using clear and jargon-free language, the book examines the roots of current debates in the development of archaeology over the last thirty years. Mathew Johnson discusses different ways of approaching the Human Past, ranging from positivism to Postmodernism. He conveys to students that theory is important and can be exciting and stimulating. He reveals the historical origins of different schools of thought and sets theories against the practical problems they are intended to solve, as well as against wider developments in other disciplines. The book discusses what the new Archaeology meant and means, what the differences are between processual and post processual archaeology, what cognitive archaeology is or might be, and addresses politics, gender and evolution within archaeological theory. The author outlines the social and political context of different intellectual tends and provides a route map to a complex and much debated area of the subject.
This introduction will be invaluable not only to students encountering archaeology for the first time, but also to archaeologists of all areas and periods needing a lucid and concise guide to current thinking and terminology.
This introduction will be invaluable not only to students encountering archaeology for the first time, but also to archaeologists of all areas and periods needing a lucid and concise guide to current thinking and terminology.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
15 line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
469 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-631-20295-0 (9780631202950)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
List of Figures. Acknowledgements. Preface: The Contradictions of Theory. 1. Common Sense is Not Enough. 2. The 'New Archaeology'. 3. Archaeology as Science. 4. Testing, Middle-range Theory and Ethnoarchaeology. 5. Culture as a System. 6. Looking at Thoughts. 7. Postprocessual and Interpretative Archaeologies. 8. Archaeology and Gender. 9. Archaeological Evolution. 10. Archaeology and History. 11. Archaeology in a Postmodern World. 12. Conclusion: Conflict and Consensus. Selective Glossary. Further Reading. Bibliography. Index.