Routledge Archaeology & Museum Studies Arena - New Titles

Atlas of Medieval Britain

Sat, 03 May 2008 03:03:03 GMT

Atlas of Medieval Britain

By Christopher Daniell

Christopher Daniell's Atlas of Medieval Britain presents a sweeping visual survey of Britain from the Roman occupation to 1485.

Annotated throughout with clear commentary, this volume tells the story of the British Isles, and makes visually accessible the varied and often complex world of the Middle Ages. The Atlas depicts the spatial distribution of key events and buildings between 1066 and 1485, as well as providing the relevant Anglo-Saxon background. Charting the main political, administrative and religious features of medieval society, the maps also locate cultural landmarks such as the sites of mystery plays, universities and specific architectural styles.

Topics covered include:

Iron Age and Roman occupation

Anglo-Saxons and Vikings

changing political scenarios within England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

religious framework, including diocesan boundaries, monasteries and friaries

government, society and economy.

Complete with recommended further reading, this volume is an indispensable reference resource for all students of medieval British history.

ISBN: 9780415340694

Published May 03 2008 by Routledge.

Biblical Perspectives on Aging

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 25:25:25 GMT

Biblical Perspectives on Aging

God and the Elderly, Second Edition

No Author/Editor data available

A reinvigorated biblical argument against ageism

As the population of older Americans grows, meaningful perspectives on aging are needed by both the young and the old. Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly takes a detailed look at the views of aging presented in the Old and New Testaments. This wide ranging and insightful survey encompasses not only the entire Bible but also interpretations of sacred Middle Eastern and Judaic documents. This new expanded edition of the original classic text adds thorough discussions of the wisdom of the Bible and Jewish literature with ways to interpret these readings and what they teach about spirituality and growing older.

Approaches to aging issues have changed in recent years. With the average American lifespan increasing, the view of old age as a solitary time of waiting has been pushed aside. So too has the assumption that the elderly simply want to remember “the good old days.” This updated edition of Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly has expanded its scope to incorporate and address the effects of these changing views. This sweeping study of the Bible’s positive treatment of aging and elderly figures sheds new light on contemporary society’s negative view of the elderly and what can be done about it. Clear examples from both Scripture and literature provide a wealth of understanding, comfort, and wisdom to everyone interested in aging and the Bible. In addition, this new edition explores the changing relationships that exist among aging, hermeneutics, mentoring, and spirituality. The new insights revealed here reinvigorate the challenge against ageism and traditional pictures of old age as a time of withdrawal and living in the past.

Among the issues explored in Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly are:

the nature of God and aging issues
aging experiences and the Bible
attitudes toward the elderly in the ancient Near East and in Israel
threats to the common theology of aging
aging stereotypes and the aging process
biblical theology and its role in social support for the elderly
challenges faced by the elderly
hermeneutics and old age
creation, eschatology, and aging
models for utilizing the old age paradigm
spirituality and its relationship to aging
methods for discovering Biblical spirituality
cross-generational relationships and mentoring
the importance of social support
a detailed index of Old and New Testament Scripture references

Accessible and concise with compelling arguments and numerous examples, Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly is an ideal resource for pastors, seminary students, professionals, and leaders of programs for the elderly. It shows both young and old that while aging may not be easy, Biblical theology can ease some of its mystery.

ISBN: 9780789035370

Published March 25 2008 by Routledge.

Human Remains

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:15:15 GMT

Human Remains

Recognition, Documentation, Recovery, and Preservation

By William D. Haglund, Marcella H. Sorg, Diane L. France

Written by well-known authors with a wide range of international experience, this book provides in-depth instruction on the logistics and complexities involved in collecting and preserving the evidentiary value of human remains. Among its numerous topics, the book explains techniques for locating and recovering remains and graves under various conditions and environments. It also covers fetal and child skeletons and their special problems, as well as severely compromised bones. With its practical advice, including tips on creating the final report and giving court testimony, this volume fills a great need for detailed instructions in a handy reference.

ISBN: 9780849311642

Published March 15 2008 by CRC Press.

Archaeological Artefacts as Material Culture

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 28:28:28 GMT

Archaeological Artefacts as Material Culture

By Linda Hurcombe

This book is an introduction to the study of artefacts, setting them in a social context rather than using a purely scientific approach. Drawing on a range of different cultures and extensively illustrated, Archaeological Artefacts and Material Culture covers everything from recovery strategies and recording procedures to interpretation through typology, ethnography and experiment, and every type of material including wood, fibers, bones, hides and adhesives, stone, clay, and metals.

With over seventy illustrations with almost fifty in full colour, this book not only provides the tools an archaeologist will need to interpret past societies from their artefacts, but also a keen appreciation of the beauty and tactility involved in working with these fascinating objects. This is a book no archaeologist should be without, but it will also appeal to anybody interested in the interaction between people and objects.

ISBN: 9780415320917

Published November 28 2007 by Routledge.

The Atlantic Iron Age

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:20:20 GMT

The Atlantic Iron Age

Settlement and Identity in the First Millennium BC

By Jon Henderson

It may be surprising to learn that this book is the first ever survey of the Atlantic Iron Age: this tradition is cited in archaeology frequently enough to seem firmly established, yet has never been clearly defined.With this book, Jon Henderson provides an important and much-needed exploration of the archaeology of western areas of Britain, Ireland, France and Spain to consider how far Atlantic Iron Age communities were in contact with each other.

By examining the evidence for settlement and maritime trade, as well as aspects of the material culture of each area, Henderson identifies distinct Atlantic social identities through time. He also pinpoints areas of similarity: the possibility of cultural 'cross-pollination' caused by maritime links and to what extent these contacts influenced and altered the distinctive character of local communities. A major theme running through the book is the role of the Atlantic seaboard itself and what impact this unique environment had on the ways Atlantic communities perceived themselves and their place in the world.

As a history of these communities unfolds, a general archaeological Atlantic identity breaks down into a range of regional identities which compare interestingly with each other and with traditional models of Celtic identity.

Bringing together the Iron Age settlement evidence for the Atlantic regions in one place for the first time, this excellent and original book is certain to establish itself as the definitive study of the Atlantic Iron Age.

ISBN: 9780415436427

Published November 20 2007 by Routledge.

The Archaeology of Ethiopia

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:08:08 GMT

The Archaeology of Ethiopia

By Niall Finneran

This book provides the first truly comprehensive multi-period study of the archaeology of Ethiopia, surveying the country's history, detailing the discoveries from the late Stone Age, including the famous 'Lucy' and moving onto the emergence of food production, prehistoric rock art and an analysis of the increasing social complexity that can be observed from the remains of the first nucleated settlements. The author then discusses the Aksumite empire, the emergence of Christianity in the Middle Ages and Ethiopia's encounters with the west, leading up to the feudal Ethiopia of the twentieth century and the present day.

This book is an excellent and very readable story of the rich heritage of this very misunderstood country.

ISBN: 9780415386463

Published November 08 2007 by Routledge.

Forensic Cremation Recovery and Analysis

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 31:31:31 GMT

Forensic Cremation Recovery and Analysis

By Scott I. Fairgrieve

The determination of identity and the evaluation of trauma require special consideration when a body suffers extreme levels of damage sustained in a fire. Beginning with the search and recovery of the cremated remains (cremains) and the interpretation of the fire scene, the challenges and practicalities of recovering and analyzing burned remains demand a unique set of skills and expertise. This book provides a synopsis of these challenges and delineates, step-by-step, the recovery and interpretation of cremains from the point of discovery to the end of the analysis.
Presenting current research in forensic anthropology in a condensed, useable format, Forensic Cremation: Recovery and Analysis begins with an evaluation of the reasonable expectations for analyzing cremains in a forensic setting. It summarizes the contexts and challenges that face the professional and introduces a wide range of preservation encountered in a variety of fire contexts.
The book discusses the capacity and mechanisms of fire to alter the chemical and physical properties of materials, particularly those of human tissues. It emphasizes a flexible approach to the collection of cremains, taking into consideration the intermixing of the human tissue with the surrounding materials. A significant portion of the book examines the effects of fire on bone and the ability to determine trauma as peri- or post-mortem. It evaluates the practical use of dental tissue and DNA for identification and as an aid to the investigation.
Providing crucial information on the handling of cremated remains in a forensic context, Forensic Cremation: Recovery and Analysis presents a methodical approach designed to maximize the potential of the evidence.

ISBN: 9780849391897

Published October 31 2007 by CRC Press.

Archaeology of Ancient Australia

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:17:17 GMT

Archaeology of Ancient Australia

By Peter Hiscock

This book is an introduction to the archaeology of Australia from prehistoric times to the eighteenth century AD. It is the only up-to-date textbook on the subject and is designed for undergraduate courses, based on the author's considerable experience of teaching at the Australian National University. Lucidly written, it shows the diversity and colourfulness of the history of humanity in the southern continent.

The Archaeology of Ancient Australia demonstrates with an array of illustrations and clear descriptions of key archaeological evidence from Australia a thorough evaluation of Australian prehistory. Readers are shown how this human past can be reconstructed from archaeological evidence, supplemented by information from genetics, environmental sciences, anthropology, and history. The result is a challenging view about how varied human life in the ancient past has been.

ISBN: 9780415338103

Published October 17 2007 by Routledge.

Botanical Evidence in Forensic Science

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 26:26:26 GMT

Botanical Evidence in Forensic Science

By James R. Robertson, Simon Gilmore, Susan Fiddian

Botanical forensic evidence encompasses everything from the contents of a stomach at autopsy to chips of wood found in a trunk to microscopic particles of pollen. Botanical Evidence in Forensic Science provides comprehensive coverage of the utility of plants and materials of plant origin in the context of forensic investigations. This book considers both traditional approaches to analysis as well as DNA analysis and emerging technologies. It includes over 300 photographs depicting crime scenes as well as macroscopic and microscopic plant material. Forensic examination of cannabis, wood, fragmented plant materials, and plant fibers are also covered.

ISBN: 9780849331909

Published September 26 2007 by CRC Press.

Rome in the Pyrenees

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:07:07 GMT

Rome in the Pyrenees

Lugdunum and the Convenae from the first century B.C. to the seventh century A.D.

By Simon Esmonde-Cleary

Rome in the Pyrenees is a unique treatment in English of the archaeological and historical evidence for an important Roman town in Gaul, Lugdunum in the French Pyrenees, and for its surrounding people the Convenae. The book opens with the creation of the Convenae by Pompey the Great in the first century B.C. and runs down to the great Frankish siege in A.D. 585 and its aftermath.

Now the town of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, Lugdunum is one of the best-known Roman towns in Gaul, with a rich selection of monuments at the town itself and important remains in the countryside, such as the classic villa at Montmaurin or the votive altars, cinerary caskets and sarcophagi in the local marble. The book traces how the Convenae used their marble to help create their identity, invisible before Pompey but amongst the richest and most distinctive in Gaul by the second century A.D.

Drawing on his own excavations at Saint-Bertrand and the extensive earlier and recent work there, Simon Esmonde Cleary combines a clear description of the buildings and monuments of Lugdunum and of its countryside with a discussion of what they can tell us about the impact of Rome on this remote corner of its empire.

This book will be extremely valuable to ancient historians, classicists and students of Roman archaeology, and contains a guide to the visible Roman remains of the area.

ISBN: 9780415426862

Published September 07 2007 by Routledge.