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William G. Dever is recognized as the doyen of North American archaeologist-historians who work in the field of the ancient Levant. He is best known as the director of excavations at the site of Gezer but has worked at numerous other sites, and his many students have led dozens of other expeditions. He has been editor of the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, was for many years professor in the influential archaeology program at the University of Arizona, and now in retirement continues actively to write and publish. In this volume, 46 of his colleagues and students contribute essays in his honor, reflecting the broad scope of his interests, particularly in terms of the historical implications of archaeology.
"No other work in this field covers the history of important conceptual issues in archaeology in such a deep and knowledgable way, bringing both philosophical and archeological sophistication to bear on all of the issues treated. Wylie’s work in Thinking from Things is original, scholarly, and creative. This book is for anyone who wants to understand contemporary archaeological theory, how it came to be as it is, its relationship with other disciplines, and its prospects for the future."—Merrilee Salmon, author of Philosophy and Archaeology "Wylie is a reasonable and astute thinker who lucidly and persuasively makes genuinely constructive criticisms of archaeological thought and practice and very useful suggestions for how to proceed. She commands both philisophy and archaeology to an unusual degree. Having her articles together in Thinking from Things, with much new material extending and integrating them, is a major contribution that will be widely welcomed among archaeologists—both professionals and students, philosophers and historians of science, and social scientists."—George L. Cowgill, Arizona State University
Communities in Contact represents the outcome of the Fourth International Leiden in the Caribbean symposium entitled From Prehistory to Ethnography in the circum-Caribbean. The contributions included in this volume cover a wide range of topics from a variety of disciplines - archaeology, bioarchaeology, ethnohistory and ethnography - revolving around the themes of mobility and exchange, culture contact, and settlement and community. The application of innovative approaches and the multi-dimensional character of these essays have provided exiting new perspectives on the indigenous communities of the circum-Caribbean and Amazonian regions throughout prehistory until the present.
Prehistoric archaeologists cannot observe their human subjects nor can they directly access their subjects' ideas. Both must be inferred from the remnants of the material objects they made and used. In recent decades this incontrovertible fact has encouraged partisan approaches to the history and method of archaeology. An empirical discipline emphasizing data, classification, and chronology has given way to a behaviorist approach that interprets finds as products of ecologically adaptive strategies, and to a postmodern alternative that relies on an idealist, cultural-relativist epistemology based on belief and cultural traditions. In Artifacts and Ideas, Bruce G. Trigger challenges all partisan versions of recent developments in archaeology, while remaining committed to understanding the past from a social science perspective. Over 30 years, Trigger has addressed fundamental epistemological issues, and opposed the influence of narrow theoretical and ideological commitments on archaeological interpretation since the 1960s. Trigger encourages a relativistic understanding of archaeological interpretation. Yet as post-processual archaeology, influenced by postmodernism, became increasingly influential, Trigger countered nihilistic subjectivism by laying greater emphasis on how in the long run the constraints of evidence could be expected to produce a more comprehensive and objective understanding of the past. In recent years Trigger has argued that while all human behavior is culturally mediated, the capacity for such mediation has evolved as a flexible and highly efficient means by which humans adapt to a world that exists independently of their will. Trigger agrees that a complete understanding of what has shaped the archaeological record requires knowledge both of past beliefs and of human behavior. He knows also that one must understand humans as organisms with biologically grounded drives, emotions, and means of understanding. Likewise, even in the absence of data supplied in a linguistic format by texts and oral traditions, at least some of the more ecologically adaptive forms of human behavior and some general patterns of belief that display cross-cultural uniformity will be susceptible to archaeological analysis.Advocating a realist epistemology and a materialist ontology, Artifacts and Ideas offers an illuminating guide to the present state of the discipline as well as to how archaeology can best achieve its goals.
A collection of essays put together by colleagues, friends, and students of William M. Sumner to honor his contribution to Iranian archaeology and archaeological field methodology. Topical contributions emphasize the methodological aspects of analysis of survey data, while regional contributions focus on two of the main geographical areas studied by archaeologists in Iran: the southwest and the northwest. This volume is published in association with The American Institute of Iranian Studies and The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Reprint. Originally published in 1982 by Payot, Paris. Courbin emphatically argues that the primary task of archaeology is the establishment of facts--stratigraphies, time sequences, and identifications of tools, bones, potsherds--and that archaeology is a distinct discipline, separate from history and anthropology. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This collection of essays is based on the 2005 Society for American Archaeology symposium and presents research that epitomizes Richard I. Ford’s approach of engaged anthropology. This transdisciplinary approach integrates archaeological research with perspectives from ethnography, history, and ecology, and engages the anthropologist with Native partners and with socio-natural landscapes. Research papers largely focus on the U.S. Southwest, but also consider other areas of North America, issues related to museums collections, and indigenous approaches to materials research.
''Fernweh'' is a collection of essays on archaeological heritage management issues dedicated to Professor dr. Willem J.H. Willems. Willem Willems (1940-2014) was one of the most prominent and influential Dutch archaeologists. He directed three national archaeological and heritage organizations, and played a major role in the development of both national and international heritage management systems. His professional passion was threefold: Roman archaeology, archaeological heritage management and international collaboration. This volume is a tribute to him, his passions and the provocative discussions he loved so much. It holds contributions by people who worked closely with him. The essays originate from various contexts across the globe; from governmental organizations to museums, from private sector companies to universities. Some are contemplative, others offer refreshing visions for the future. The essays contribute to contemporary debates in archaeological heritage management. They concern the various dimensions and consequences of current policies and practices and address the meaning and use of the world''s legacies from the past in and for society, at present and in the future. The overarching theme is the question of whose heritage we are protecting and how we can better valorise research results and connect with society. The book is organised into three parts. The first part, ''Time travels'' covers the major challenges the archaeological heritage discipline is facing while heading towards the future. The second part, ''Crossing borders and boundaries'', consists of essays that consider the international organizations and projects Willem Willems became (directly and indirectly) involved with. It reflects his trans-disciplinary interests and endeavours. In the third part, ''Home sweet home'', the contributions discuss prof. Willems'' involvement with and dedication to Dutch archaeological heritage management, from the implementation of the Council of Europe''s Valletta Convention, to the engagement with people from all walks of life. Contents Willem J.H. Willems (1950-2014) Fernweh: Introduction Monique van den Dries, Sjoerd van der Linde & Amy Strecker Taking the next steps Douglas Comer Theme 1: Time travels - Facing challenges in heritage management Challenging values Adrian Olivier The aftermath of Malta Arek Marciniak Preservation in situ Tim Williams Making futures from the remains of the distant past Timothy Darvill From the preservation of cultural heritage to critical heritage studies Kristian Kristiansen Creative archaeology Sjoerd van der Linde & Monique van den Dries Sustainable archaeology in post-crisis scenarios Felipe Criado-Boado, David Barreiro & Roc�o Varela-Pousa Yours, mine, and ours Pei-Lin Yu, Chen Shen & George Smith Mapping stakeholders in archaeological heritage management Alicia Castillo Solving the puzzle Annemarie Willems & Cynthia Dunning ''Willem, give me an excuse to attend WAC!'' Nelly Robles Heritage from the heart Pieter ter Keurs Theme 2: Crossing borders and boundaries - Global interactions in heritage management ''This is not Australia!'' Ian Lilley A personal memoir of the early years of ICAHM Henry Cleere A view from the ''far side'' Margaret Gowen On translating the untranslatable, African heritage ... in African Nathan Schlanger The Oyu Tolgoi cultural heritage program, Mongolia Jeffrey Altschul & Gerry Wait The Caribbean challenge Corinne Hofman The organic nature of monuments use Jay Haviser Why history (still) matters Mariana Fran�ozo The problem of landscape protection Amy Strecker Scientific illiteracy: what is the reality, what are the pitfalls? Sander van der Leeuw Theme 3: Home sweet home - Managing archaeological resources in the Netherlands Veni, vidi, vici Leonard de Wit Paving the way Monique Krauwer Visualizing the unknown Jos Deeben & Bj�rn Smit A plea for ethics Tom Bloemers Preservation in situ at Almere, the downside of our success Dick de Jager The invisible treasures of our past Martijn Manders Fluctuating boundaries Ruurd Halbertsma People rather than things, the Haka and the Waka Steven Engelsman ''Make it happen'' Dieke Wesselingh Crossing borders along the Dutch limes Tom Hazenberg Bibliography W.J.H. Willems