Archaeology: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)

What is (and isn't) archaeology? -- Tools and techniques -- The archaeology of objects -- The archaeology of places -- The archaeology of landscapes -- The archaeology of travelling -- The future of archaeology.;Whether it's Tomb Raider or Roman coins, the conventional view of archaeology as a discipline solely preoccupied with long dead cultures is misleading. In fact, archaeology is better described as a mode of thought - one by which we can better understand our past, present and future. Indeed, by studying artefacts of past human activity, we can even learn to better tackle great contemporary challenges like high population density and climate change. Spanning the globe and centuries - from Mesolithic burials in Sweden to modern landfill sites in Arizona - Joe Flatman shows how to view the world with an archaeologist's insight. What does a discarded food packet reveal about contemporary consumption patterns? How can infrared satellite imagery tell archaeologists where to undertake expensive excavation projects? What can archaeology reveal about the beginnings of the human race? Replete with textboxes highlighting key case studies from the history of the subject, and containing invaluable diagrams and photos illustrating the reality of being an archaeologist, this is the essential primer to reading landscapes, objects, and places.

Archaeology is more popular than ever. TV and film have made it seem accessible and exciting, and the number of budding amateurs is on the rise, as is government support for archaeological initiatives on a global scale. From coins and combs to battlefields and plantations, archaeologist Joe Flatman provides an incisive introduction to the practice of archaeology. Through comparative case studies he demonstrates how the archaeological mindset reveals unexpected truths about the most modern phenomena. Suddenly a landfill site can expose more about our drinking habits than we may like to admit, and airports become sites as intriguing and complex as the towns and villages they were built over. Flatman also trains his eye on the future and reveals how archaeology can help us predict — and even prevent — the crises that are facing us today.

Archaeology is more popular than ever before. TV and film have made it seem accessible and exciting, and the number of budding amateurs is on the rise, as is government support for archaeological initiatives on a global scale. From coins and combs to battlefields and plantations, archaeologist Joe Flatman provides an incisive introduction to the practice of archaeology. Through comparative case studies he demonstrates how the archaeological mindset reveals unexpected truths about the most modern phenomena. Suddenly a landfill site can expose more about our drinking habits than we may like to admit, and airports become sites as intriguing and complex as the towns and villages they were built over. Flatman also trains his eye on the future and reveals how archaeology can help us predict and even prevent the crises that are facing us today. Discover why archaeology is important for understanding the world that we live in