Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction

This entertaining Very Short Introduction reflects the enduring popularity of archaeology - a subject which appeals as a pastime, career, and academic discipline, encompasses the whole globe, and surveys 2.5 million years. From deserts to jungles, from deep caves to mountain tops, from pebble tools to satellite photographs, from excavation to abstract theory, archaeology interacts with nearly every other discipline in its attempts to reconstruct the past.

In this new edition, Paul Bahn brings the text up to date, including information about new discoveries and interpretations in the field, and highlighting the impact of developments such as the potential use of DNA and stable isotopes in teeth, as well the effect technology and science are having on archaeological exploration.

Paul Bahn is a freelance writer, translator, and broadcaster in archaeology. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a corresponding member of the Archaeological Institute of America, a contributing editor of Archaeology magazine (New York), and vice-president (UK) of the Easter Island Foundation. He instigated and led the project which discovered Britain's only known Ice Age cave art in 2003.

Review from previous edition Very lively indeed and remarkably perceptive - a quite brilliant and level-headed look at the curious world of archaeology. Barry Cunliffe, University of Oxford It is often said that well-written books are rare in archaeology, but this is a model of good writing for a general audience. [The] chapters rattle along, packed with information by never getting bogged down in too much details. The book is full of jokes, but its serious message-that archaeology can be a rich and fascinating subject-it gets across with more panache than any other book I know. Simon Denison, editor of British Archaeology