The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire

The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire
Author: Roger Matthews
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 1239
Release: 2022-06-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000570916

The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Archaemenid Empire is the first modern academic study to provide a synthetic, diachronic analysis of the archaeology and early history of all of Iran from the Palaeolithic period to the end of the Achaemenid Empire at 330 BC. Drawing on the authors’ deep experience and engagement in the world of Iranian archaeology, and in particular on Iran-based academic networks and collaborations, this book situates the archaeological evidence from Iran within a framework of issues and debates of relevance today. Such topics include human–environment interactions, climate change and societal fragility, the challenges of urban living, individual and social identity, gender roles and status, the development of technology and craft specialisation and the significance of early bureaucratic practices such as counting, writing and sealing within the context of evolving societal formations. Richly adorned with more than 500 illustrations, many of them in colour, and accompanied by a bibliography with more than 3000 entries, this book will be appreciated as a major research resource for anyone concerned to learn more about the role of ancient Iran in shaping the modern world.

The Neolithisation of Iran

The Neolithisation of Iran
Author: Hassan Fazeli Nashli
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2013-12-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782971912

The period c. 10,000-5000 BC witnessed fundamental changes in the human condition with societies across the Fertile Crescent shifting their alignment from millennia-old practices of seasonally mobile hunting and foraging to year-round sedentism, plant cultivation and animal herding. The significant role of Iran in the early stages of this transition was recognised more than half a century ago but has not been to the fore of academic consciousness in recent decades. In the meantime, investigations into Neolithic transformation have proceeded apace in all other regions of the Fertile Crescent and beyond. Here, 18 studies attempt to redress that balance in re-assessing the role of Iran in the early neolithisation of human societies. These studies, many of them by Iranian scholars, consider patterns of change and/or continuity across a variety of topographical landscapes; investigate Neolithic settlement patterns, the use of caves, animal exploitation and environmental indicators and present new insights into some well-known and some newly investigated sites. The results re-affirm the formative role of this region in the transition to sedentary farming.

Ancient Anatolia

Ancient Anatolia
Author: British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara
Publisher: British Institute at Ankara
Total Pages: 420
Release: 2017-10-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 099546569X

Under the banner of the BIAA every corner of Turkey has been investigated, uncovered and published by British archaeologists; this book is a wonderful reflection of its work. From the Neolithic site at Catalhoyuk to the tell at Beycesultan, all of the BIAA's excavations are discussed by their original excavators. From the Pisidian survey to Clive Foss' epic trek through the medieval castles of Anatolia, generations of scholarly wanderings are accounted for. Object and archival research are not neglected: J D Hawkins describes his research into Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions while J D Winfield presents Byzantine wall paintings illustrated in this book with colour plates.

The Oxford Companion to Archaeology

The Oxford Companion to Archaeology
Author: Neil Asher Silberman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 2130
Release: 2012-11
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0199735786

The second edition of The Oxford Companion to Archaeology is a thoroughly up-to-date resource with new entries exploring the many advances in the field since the first edition published in 1996. In 700 entries, the second edition provides thorough coverage to historical archaeology, the development of archaeology as a field of study, and the way the discipline works to explain the past. In addition to these theoretical entries, other entries describe the major excavations, discoveries, and innovations, from the discovery of the cave paintings at Lascaux to the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics and the use of luminescence dating. Recent developments in methods and analytical techniques which have revolutionized the ways excavations are performed are also covered; as well as new areas within archeology, such as cultural tourism; and major new sites which have expanded our understanding of prehistory and human developments through time. In addition to significant expansion, first-edition entries have been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the progress that has been made in the last decade and a half.

The Ancient Central Andes

The Ancient Central Andes
Author: Jeffrey Quilter
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 556
Release: 2022-05-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000584194

The Ancient Central Andes presents a general overview of the prehistoric peoples and cultures of the Central Andes, the region now encompassing most of Peru and significant parts of Ecuador, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. The book contextualizes past and modern scholarship and provides a balanced view of current research. Two opening chapters present the intellectual, political, and practical background and history of research in the Central Andes and the spatial, temporal, and formal dimensions of the study of its past. Chapters then proceed in chronological order from remote antiquity to the Spanish Conquest. A number of important themes run through the book, including: the tension between those scholars who wish to study Peruvian antiquity on a comparative basis and those who take historicist approaches; the concept of "Lo Andino," commonly used by many specialists that assumes long-term, unchanging patterns of culture some of which are claimed to persist to the present; and culture change related to severe environmental events. Consensus opinions on interpretations are highlighted as are disputes among scholars regarding interpretations of the past. The Ancient Central Andes provides an up-to-date, objective survey of the archaeology of the Central Andes that is much needed. Students and interested readers will benefit greatly from this introduction to a key period in South America’s past.

City of Culture 2600 BC: Early Mesopotamian History and Archaeology at Abu Salabikh

City of Culture 2600 BC: Early Mesopotamian History and Archaeology at Abu Salabikh
Author: John Nicholas Postgate
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2024-03-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1803276703

This book presents the city beneath the surface of Abu Salabikh, southern Iraq. The archaeology and the textual data combine to reveal its architecture, agricultural and industrial enterprises, and social structure. Integrated with our wider knowledge of south Mesopotamia at this time it creates a vivid image of city life in 2600 BC.

Archaeology of Pacific Oceania

Archaeology of Pacific Oceania
Author: Mike T. Carson
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2023-10-11
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000958205

Archaeology of Pacific Oceania, now in its second edition, offers a state-of-the-art and fully detailed chronological narrative of how Pacific Oceania came to be inhabited over a long time scale, posing fundamental questions both for Pacific Oceania and for global archaeology. The Pacific Ocean covers 165 million sq. km, nearly one-third of the world’s total surface area, yet its thousands of islands and their diverse cultural histories are scarcely known to the other two-thirds of the world. This book asks how and why did this vast sea of islands come to be inhabited over the last several millennia, transcending significant change in ecology, demography, and society? What were the roles of overseas contacts in the development of social networks, economic trade, and population dynamics? What can any or all of the thousands of islands offer as ideal model systems for comprehending globally significant issues of human-environment relations and coping with changing circumstances of natural and cultural history? What do the island archaeology records reveal about coastal setting as part of the larger human experience? How does Pacific Oceanic archaeology relate with a larger Asia-Pacific context or with the scope of world archaeology? The new second edition of Archaeology of Pacific Oceania addresses these questions and more, providing an updated synthesis of this important region. Archaeology of Pacific Oceania is for scholars of Asia-Pacific archaeology and anthropology and will support students investigating the archaeology of Pacific Oceania.

Ancient Turkey

Ancient Turkey
Author: Antonio Sagona
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2015-02-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134440278

Students of antiquity often see ancient Turkey as a bewildering array of cultural complexes. Ancient Turkey brings together in a coherent account the diverse and often fragmented evidence, both archaeological and textual, that forms the basis of our knowledge of the development of Anatolia from the earliest arrivals to the end of the Iron Age. Much new material has recently been excavated and unlike Greece, Mesopotamia, and its other neighbours, Turkey has been poorly served in terms of comprehensive, up-to-date and accessible discussions of its ancient past. Ancient Turkey is a much needed resource for students and scholars, providing an up-to-date account of the widespread and extensive archaeological activity in Turkey. Covering the entire span before the Classical period, fully illustrated with over 160 images and written in lively prose, this text will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the archaeology and early history of Turkey and the ancient Near East.

The Early Neolithic of the Eastern Fertile Crescent

The Early Neolithic of the Eastern Fertile Crescent
Author: Roger Matthews
Publisher: Central Zagros Archaeological
Total Pages: 721
Release: 2020-07-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1789255260

Analysis of the transition to sedentary farming in the Fertile Crescent and the establishment of Neolithic culture based on major excavations in Iraq.