ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates how the fundamental phenomena, which are the concern of the laws of thermodynamics, may be recognized and applied, to what is at first glance the unpromising subject of archaeology. The first law of thermodynamics is central to the whole of the discussion. This means, in effect, that a mathematical relationship can be derived for the amount of food available, the number of people consuming it and the amount of work of which they are capable; which is what had been perceived by Lavoisier. Leslie White paraphrases the second law as 'the universe is breaking down structurally and running down dynamically', which means it is moving in the direction of lesser degrees of order and toward a more uniform distribution of energy. Bearing in mind the high risk of error in generalizing about a settlement from a sample excavation, and of generalizing about a prehistoric society from one site, Mount Camel briefly assesses according to current archaeological thinking.
