Using a combination of historical, archaeological, and scientific data is not an uncommon research practice. Rarely found, however, is a more overt critical consideration of how these sources of information relate to each other, or explicit attempts at developing successful strategies for interdisciplinary work. The authors in this volume provide such critical perspectives, examining materials from a wide range of cultures and time periods to demonstrate the added value of combining in their research seemingly incompatible or even contradictory sources. Case studies include explorations of the symbolism of flint knives in ancient Egypt, the meaning of cuneiform glass texts, medieval metallurgical traditions, and urban archaeology at industrial sites. This volume is noteworthy, as it offers novel contributions to specific topics, as well as fundamental reflections on the problems and potentials of the interdisciplinary study of the human past.
Edited by:
Marcos Martinon-Torres,
Thilo Rehren
Imprint: Left Coast Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781598743401
ISBN 10: 1598743406
Series: UCL Institute of Archaeology Publications
Pages: 218
Publication Date: 15 April 2008
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Chapter 1 Why Should Archaeologists Take History and Science Seriously?, MarcosMartinón-Torres; Chapter 2 Licking Knives and Stone Snakes: The Ideology of Flint Knives in Ancient Egypt, CarolynGraves-Brown; Chapter 3 Cuneiform Glass Texts: A Question of Meaning, Andrew J.Shortland; Chapter 4 Pliny on Roman Glassmaking, Ian C.Freestone; Chapter 5 Ptolemaic and Roman Memphis as a Production Centre, Sally-AnnAshton; Chapter 6, Caroline M.Jackson, James W.Smedley; Chapter 7 Medieval Precious Metal Refining: Archaeology and Contemporary Texts Compared, JustineBayley; Chapter 8 Lustre Recipes for Hispano-Moresque Ceramic Decoration in Muel (Aragón, Spain), or ‘How Much a Little Copper Weighs’, JosefinaPérez-Arantegui, CarlosPardos; Chapter 9 Naturam ars imitata: European Brassmaking between Craft and Science, ThiloRehren, MarcosMartinón-Torres; Chapter 10 Archives and Urban Archaeology: The Fairbank Surveyors’ Papers and Work on Brownfield Sites in Sheffield, AnnaBadcock, DavidCrossley;
Martinon-Torres, Marcos; Rehren, Thilo
Reviews for Archaeology, History and Science: Integrating Approaches to Ancient Materials
Such a critical review of each avenue of information makes this book unique and an important contribution to the field of archaeological science. Summing up: Recommended. --L.D. Frame, CHOICE
