ABSTRACT

World Prehistory and Archaeology provides an integrated discussion of world prehistory and archaeological methods, presenting an up-to-date perspective on what we know about our human prehistory and how we come to know it.

A cornerstone of World Prehistory and Archaeology is the discussion of prehistory as an active process of discovery. Methodological issues are addressed throughout the text to engage readers. Archaeological methods are introduced, following which the question of how we know the past is discussed. This fifth edition involves readers in the current state of archaeological research, revealing how archaeologists work and interpret what they find. Through the coverage of various new research, author Michael Chazan shows that archaeology is truly a global discipline. In this edition there is a particular emphasis on the relevance of archaeology to contemporary society and to the major issues that face us today.

This edition will provide students with a necessary grounding in the fundamentals of archaeology, before engaging them with the work that goes into understanding world prehistory. They will be given the tools to place this knowledge in the context of the modern world, acknowledging the relevance of archaeology to the concerns of today.

part I|57 pages

The Past Is a Foreign Country: Getting From Here to There

chapter 1|30 pages

Getting Started in Archaeology

chapter 2|23 pages

Putting the Picture Together

part II|121 pages

Human Evolution

chapter |5 pages

Introduction: Our Place in Nature

chapter 3|28 pages

Early Hominins

chapter 4|30 pages

From Homo Erectus to Neanderthals

chapter 5|28 pages

The Origin of Modern Humans

part III|79 pages

Perspectives on Agriculture

chapter 7|24 pages

Towers, Villages, and Longhouses

chapter 8|22 pages

Mounds and Maize

chapter 9|23 pages

A Feast of Diversity

part IV|151 pages

The Development of Social Complexity

chapter 10|26 pages

Complexity Without the State

chapter 11|36 pages

Cities, Pyramids, and Palaces

Early States of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Aegean

chapter 12|24 pages

Locating the Source of Authority

Early States in Asia

chapter 13|28 pages

From City to Empire

Social Complexity in Mesoamerica

chapter 14|22 pages

Bringing the Four Parts Together

States and Empire in the Andes

chapter 15|7 pages

Epilogue: Bringing It Back Home

Archaeology of and in the Modern World