Title Archaeological theory in practice / Patricia A. Urban, Edward Schortman

Edition Second edition Published New York, NY : Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2019 ©2019

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Description 1 online resource (xvii, 365 pages) : illustrations, maps Contents Explanation, theory, and the social sciences -- The Naco Valley and us -- Culture history -- Processualism -- Marxism I: trade and power -- Marxism II: prestige goods theory -- Practicing power over time -- Identity -- Looking at meaning: semiotics -- Phenomenology and experience -- New materiality -- Taking on the state in Southern Mesopotamia -- Multiple views of Stonehenge -- Conclusions Summary Many students view archaeological theory as a subject distinct from field research. This division is reinforced by the way theory is taught, often in stand-alone courses that focus more on logic and reasoning than on the application of ideas to fieldwork. Divorcing thought from action does not convey how archaeologists go about understanding the past. This book bridges the gap between theory and practice by looking in detail at how the authors and their colleagues used theory to interpret what they found while conducting research in northwest Honduras. This is not a linear narrative. Rather, the book highlights the open-ended nature of archaeological investigations in which theories guide research whose findings may challenge these initial interpretations and lead in unexpected directions. Pursuing those novel investigations requires new theories that are themselves subject to refutation by newly gathered data. The central case study is the writers' work in Honduras. The interrelations of fieldwork, data, theory, and interpretation are also illustrated with two long-running archaeological debates, the emergence of inequality in southern Mesopotamia and inferring the ancient meanings of Stonehenge. The book is of special interest to undergraduate Anthropology/Archaeology majors and first- and second-year graduate students, along with anyone interested in how archaeologists convert the static materials we find into dynamic histories of long-vanished people This book bridges the gap between theory and practice by looking in detail at how the authors and their colleagues used theory to interpret what they found while conducting research in northwest Honduras Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Print version record Subject Archaeology -- Philosophy -- Textbooks Archaeology -- Research -- Case studies Archaeology -- Fieldwork -- Case studies Excavations (Archaeology) excavation (process) Archaeological Theory. Archaeology studies. Archaeology. Culture History. Edward Schortman. Materiality. Naco Valley. Patricia Urban. Processualism. Southern Mesopotamia. Stonehenge. Excavations (Archaeology) Archaeology -- Research Archaeology -- Philosophy Archaeology -- Fieldwork Archaeology Genre/Form Textbooks Case studies Textbooks. Case studies. Études de cas. Form Electronic book Author Schortman, Edward M., author. ISBN 9781000020830 1000020835 9781000021172 1000021173 9781000021004 1000021009 9780429289149 0429289146

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