Handbook of Archaeological Sciences, 2 Volume Set

HANDBOOK OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCES A modern and comprehensive introduction to methods and techniques in archaeology In the newly revised Second Edition of the Handbook of Archaeological Sciences, a team of more than 100 researchers delivers a comprehensive and accessible overview of modern methods used in the archaeological sciences. The book covers all relevant approaches to obtaining and analyzing archaeological data, including dating methods, quaternary paleoenvironments, human bioarchaeology, biomolecular archaeology and archaeogenetics, resource exploitation, archaeological prospection, and assessing the decay and conservation of specimens. Overview chapters introduce readers to the relevance of each area, followed by contributions from leading experts that provide detailed technical knowledge and application examples. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to human bioarchaeology, including hominin evolution and paleopathology The use of biomolecular analysis to characterize past environments Novel approaches to the analysis of archaeological materials that shed new light on early human lifestyles and societies In-depth explorations of the statistical and computational methods relevant to archaeology Perfect for graduate and advanced undergraduate students of archaeology, the Handbook of Archaeological Sciences will also earn a prominent place in the libraries of researchers and professionals with an interest in the geological, biological, and genetic basis of archaeological studies.

Table of Contents:
Section 1. Dating Overview Quaternary geochronological frameworks New developments in Radiocarbon dating Dendrochronology and archaeology Trapped charge dating and archaeology U-series dating Archaeomagnetic dating Obsidian hydration dating with SIMS Amino acid dating An introduction to tephrochronology and the correlation of sedimentary sequences using volcanic ash layers Section 2. Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Overview Modelling Quaternary Palaeoclimates Ice core and marine sediment records of Quaternary environmental change Insects as palaeoenvironmental and archaeological indicators Non-marine molluscs as palaeoenvironmental indicators Mammals as palaeoenvironmental indicators Lake and peat records of climate change and archaeology Archaeological soil micromorphology Pollen and macroscopic plant remains as indicators of local and regional environments Environmental controls on human dispersal and adaptation Holocene climate changes and human consequences Section 3. Human Bioarchaeology Overview Hominin evolution Biological distance (normal variation/non-metrical and metrical analysis) Palaeopathology Integrating bioarchaeology and palaeodemography Palaeodiet through stable isotope analysis Palaeomobility through stable isotopes Preserved human bodies Cremated bone Section 4. Biomolecular Archaeology Overview Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) Archaeological proteomics The use of immunological methods in archaeology Lipids in archaeology Archaeological microbiology Dental calculus The biomolecular archaeology of psychoactive substances Section 5. Archaeogenetics Overview Sex and kinship typing of human archaeological remains Human populations – origins and movement Palaeogenomics of extinct and archaic humans Palaeogenetics and palaeogenomics to study the domestication of animals Domestication of plants Palaeomicrobiology of human infectious diseases Section 6. Biological Resource Exploitation Overview Archaeobotany Human impact on vegetation Zooarchaeology Coprolites/intestinal contents Invertebrates Secondary animal and plant products Section 7. Inorganic Resource Exploitation Overview Lithic exploitation and usewear analysis Ancient binders and pigments Materials analysis of ceramics The archaeometry of glass Mining and resource procurement: methods and approaches to the appropriation of mineral raw materials in past societies Making and using metals Provenancing inorganic materials: biography and mutability Section 8. Archaeological Prospection Overview Approaches to archaeological surface survey Geophysical survey techniques Remote sensing/LIDAR Geochemical prospecting Integrating survey data Section 9. Burial, Decay and Archaeological Conservation Overview Defining the burial environment Metallic corrosion processes and information from corrosion products Post-depositional changes in archaeological ceramics and glass Deterioration of organic materials Diagenetic alterations to vertebrate mineralized tissues Forensic taphonomy Section 10. Statistical and Computational Methods Overview Spatial information in archaeology Multivariate analysis in archaeology The Bayesian inferential paradigm in archaeology Quantification in zooarchaeology and palaeoethno(archaeo)botany The use of kernel density estimates on chemical and isotopic data in archaeology Modelling/Simulations in archaeology Big data in archaeology

About the Author :
A. Mark Pollard, Professor Emeritus, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Ruth Ann Armitage, Department of Chemistry, Eastern Michigan University, United States. Cheryl A. Makarewicz, Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, University of Kiel, Germany.