Archaeologies of Complexity 
Chapman, R.
London: Routledge, 2003. ISBN 0415273072.
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This book addresses the nature of contemporary archaeology and the study of social change. In understanding the idea of social complexity in archaeology, Robert Chapman defines complexity, hierarchy, and inequality, and provides a critical account of the Anglo-American influence on the subject. The author makes the argument that more perspectives need to be utilized in order to best understand social complexity. 238 pages. |
Archaeologists: Explorers of the Human Past 
Chamberlain, A., and M. Pearson
New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0195119460.
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Though intended for younger readers, Brian Fagan's compendium of biographical sketches should prove a valuable reference for readers of all ages. 192 pages. |
Archaeology Beyond Dialogue 
Hodder, I.
Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2003. ISBN 0874807794.
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Author Ian Hodder uses research at the site of Catalhoyuk in Turkey and European Neolithic sites to present his theory of the impact of archaeology on local and global communities, and he pushes for a practice of archaeology that reflects an understanding of this impact. 208 pages. |
Archaeology: The Comic 
Lobser, J.
Walnut Creek: AltaMira, 2003. ISBN 075910381X.
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This clever, informative, and often goofy book-length comic follows the adventures of a young rural girl named Squizee as she discovers archaeology after pot hunters dig up one of her father's fields. Through a shifting cast of characters that includes a cadaverous bone expert and a wild-eyed crew chief, Lobser succeeds in putting together a breezy but informative overview of all things archaeological, from carbon dating to ethical debates over human remains. 21 pages. |
Complete Idiot's Guide to Human Prehistory 
Meier, R.
New York: Alpha Books, 2003. ISBN 1592571433.
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Archaeologist Robert J. Meier has set out to furnish readers with enough informational nuggets to hold their own in any conversation about our prehistoric ancestors. This book does the job admirably, focusing mainly on hominid origins and the Old World Paleolithic, though colonization of North America and the Pacific gets thrown into the mix as well. 336 pages. |
Dug to Death 
Praetzellis, A.
Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press, 2003. ISBN 0759104077.
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This book tells the ins and outs of introductory archeology in an entertaining way that incorporates a fictional story. The story is about an archeologist who must teach her team the essentials of archaeology at a New Zealand site. Great way to learn introductory archeology with a full list of vocabulary terms defined in the book. 230 pages. |
Embodied Lives 
Meskell, L., Joyce, R.
London: Routledge, 2003. ISBN 041525311X.
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In comparing the writings and artifacts left by the ancient Maya and Egyptians, the authors present similarities and differences between both cultures in terms of their views of the body and the self. This book also shows that a comparative analysis of body and self ideology across cultural lines can break assumptions with the use of ancient materials and artifacts. 184 pages. |
Environmental Archaeology and the Social Order 
Author, R.
London: Routledge, 2003. ISBN 0415304032.
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Presenting an innovative theory of culture and land use, this volume explores the idea that the environment is used as a way for people to explore their own social world. Contributing scholars place environmental archaeology within contemporary agency theory utilizing cases studies from many different time periods and cultures. 279 pages. |
Oxford Concise Dictionary of Archaeology 
Darvill, T.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0192800051.
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A dictionary of archaeology including principles, techniques, artifacts, people, places, equipment, and descriptive terminology. 506 pages. |
Reading the Past 
Hodder, I., and Hutson, S.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0521821320.
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Arguing that archaeologists must utilize numerous perspectives in the difficult task of reconstructing the past, the authors provide an in-depth analysis of archaeological theory. This is the updated third edition of the original work, an introduction to archaeological theory. 293 pages. |