Global Ancestors is a collection of papers which reflect on modern museological responses to the often complex and emotive relationship that people have with the ancestors and objects which they created. Set out in three broad themes, the first collection of papers explore how indigenous peoples are represented in museums in Panama and China and how more can be gained by working with indigenous communities to further our understanding of the ancestors. The second section examines changes in British and American museological thinking regarding the repatriation of human remains and objects to indigenous peoples, focusing in particular on the impact of legislation on western institutions and the expectations of indigenous communities and alternative religious groups. These issues are explored through case studies involving material from the British Museum and Glasgow Museum. The final section explores the ways in which archaeologists and indigenous communities interact. These chapters illustrate, through case studies from South Africa, Finland and Canada, how both groups have worked together for their mutual benefit or to change the majority viewpoint. Global Ancestors represents the beginnings of a more inclusive and shared understanding between different constituencies and points the way forward to a time when we can consider the ancestors truly ‘global’.

Local and family historians are often afraid to use numerical data (Statistics) in their research and writing. Yet numbers are an essential part of much historical work, obviously in population history but also in local studies of agriculture, industry and social history. Counting People shows how amateur historians can use computers with appropriate programs to provide numerical illustrations of various historical topics as well as easing their researches. A final chapter covers research and publishing in local history. The Bibliography provides advice on local historical studies in England and Wales and a full list of sources for population history in England and Wales as well as guidance on the use of computers in local studies.

The Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey has been world famous since the 1960s when excavations revealed the large size and dense occupation of the settlement, as well as the spectacular wall paintings and reliefs uncovered inside the houses. Since 1993 an international team of archaeologists, led by Ian Hodder, has been carrying out new excavations and research, in order to shed more light on the people who inhabited the site. The present volume reports on the results of excavations in 2000-2008 that have provided a wealth of new data on the ways in which humans became increasingly engaged in their material environment such that ‘things’ came to play an active force in their lives. A substantial and heavy involvement was with alluvial clays that surrounded the site. In the absence of large local stone, humans became increasingly involved in the extraction and manipulation of clay for a wide range of purposes – from bricks to ovens, pots and figurines. This heavy use of clays led to changes in the local environment that interacted with human activity, as indicated in the first section of the volume. In the second section, other examples of material technologies are considered all of which in various ways engage humans in specific dependencies and relationships. For example, large-scale studies of obsidian trade have drawn a complex picture of changing interactions between humans over time. The volume concludes with an integrated account of the uses of materials at Çatalhöyük based on the analysis of heavy residue samples from all contexts at the site.

The European Textile Forum was founded as an annual meeting for academics, craftspeople, re-enactors and enthusiasts to share their experiences and compare notes. With varied day workshops and evening lectures, the ‘Textilforum’ has something for everyone. The conference takes place over a week, which not only allows time to learn new techniques and discuss new findings, but to also undertake lengthy experiments that require a large number of experienced specialists. Textilforum is the practical proving ground to test archaeological theories in appropriate surroundings. This book is the publication of a series of lectures and experiments that were undertaken at the First and Second European Textile Forum in 2009 and 2010. Each had a new approach, exploring a question of textile manufacture in a scientific way, revealing answers and outcomes that were unavailable before. The First European Textile Forum hosted an experiment that found the relationship between archaeological hand-spinning finds and the yarn they produce: only a meeting such as the Textilforum could generate sufficient data for analysis. This scientific approach reflects in contributions describing the reconstruction of tablet-woven artefacts, with explorations of the method of tablet-weaving and a reassessment of archaeological finds and depictions. The Second European Textile Forum explored the practical aspects of undertaking reconstructions such as Stone Age fabrics, Roman dyeing or the clothing of Gunnister Man, including the deconstruction of the original artefact, allowing for the unexpected and the implication of new findings. Techniques for treating raw materials, creating fabrics and finishing artefacts are explored. The wider purpose and legacy of the European Textile Forum is as a foundation for the coming years. The basis for research and communication, with a market for exchanging tools and materials, means that each participant can avoid individually ‘re-inventing the wheel’. The purpose of this book is to share these findings.

The Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey has been world famous since the 1960s when excavations revealed the large size and dense occupation of the settlement, as well as the spectacular wall paintings and reliefs uncovered inside the houses. Since 1993 an international team of archaeologists, led by Ian Hodder, has been carrying out new excavations and research, in order to shed more light on the people who inhabited the site. The present volume reports on the results of excavations in 2000-2008 that have provided a wealth of new data on the ways in which the Çatalhöyük settlement and environment were dwelled in. A first section explores how houses, open areas and middens in the settlement were enmeshed in the daily lives of the inhabitants, integrating a wide range of different types of data at different scales. A second section examines subsistence practices of the site’s inhabitants and builds up a picture of how the overall landscape was exploited and lived within. A third section examines the evidence from the skeletons of those buried within the houses at Çatalhöyük in order to examine health, diet, lifestyle and activity within the settlement and across the landscape. This final section also reports on the burial practices and associations in order to build hypotheses about the social organization of those inhabiting the settlement. A complex picture emerges of a relatively decentralized society, large in size but small-scale in terms of organization, dwelling within a mosaic patchwork of environments. Through time, however, substantial changes occur in the ways in which humans and landscapes interact.

What are European archaeologists doing abroad? What have they been doing there for the past three to four centuries? Are they doing things differently nowadays? To address these questions, this book explores the scope, impact and ethics of European archaeological policies and practices in the Mediterranean area, the Near East, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. Acknowledging that international and transcultural projects have a range of different stakeholders, the first part of this book aims to identify some of the values and motivations behind different European archaeologies abroad. This is done by providing thorough historical overviews on a range of European countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland. But how are these values translated, through socio-political, theoretical and administrative frameworks, unto local circumstances in host countries? And how are these archaeological activities received locally? The second part of this book attempts to answer these questions through a range of historical and contemporary case studies, in Africa, in Asia, in South America, in the Near East and in Europe.The third part of the book offers several critical reflections on European values, motivations and collaboration projects, as perceived by archaeological heritage professionals based in, and/or working in Senegal, Sudan, Somaliland, Colombia, and the Near East.This collection of historical overviews, contemporary case studies and critical reflections focuses on the challenging relationships between archaeological practices and policies, including the requirements and wishes of archaeologists, of local communities and of other stakeholders in Europe and in the host countries. In addition to researchers and students, this book should be of interest to practicing archaeologists, heritage professionals and policy makers the world over, as they seek to reach better informed decisions regarding archaeological projects and international collaboration.This publication was produced in the framework of the ACE project – “Archaeology in Contemporary Europe. Professional Practices and Public Outreach”, with the support of the Culture 2007-2013 programme of the European Commission.

Aujourd’hui, les traces de la présence amérindienne en Martinique constituent, en dehors des pétroglyphes de la forêt de Montravail et des pièces exposées dans les musées de l’île, un patrimoine invisible. Cependant, avant son invasion par les européens cette île a bien été pendant au moins 1500 ans terre amérindienne.Pendant dix années, entre 1995 et 2005, une équipe pluridisciplinaire internationale a ainsi travaillée à étudier l’occupation précolombienne de la Martinique. Ce programme initialement dirigé par J.-P. Giraud puis par Benoît Bérard a été menée dans le cadre d’un Projet Collectif de Recherche intitulé “Le néolithique martiniquais dans son contexte antillais” agréé par le Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication et financé par la Direction des Affaires Culturelle de la Martinique. La synthèse des résultats de ces travaux a été présentée au public martiniquais dans le cadre d’un séminaire international qui s’est tenu à Fort-de-France en mai 2007 avec le soutient du Conseil Général. Elle constitue le cœur de cet ouvrage. Elle a été complétée par un certain nombre de contributions permettant une mise en perspectives des résultats obtenus.Ce volume se divise en trois parties. La première fait un état des lieux de la connaissance sur les différentes cultures précolombiennes qui se sont succédées dans l’île au travers de la présentation de plusieurs sites de références. Elle se conclue par un regard historique qui grâce au récit de l’incroyable vie de Francisco Congo illustre les contacts entre populations amérindiennes, africaines et européennes au début de la colonisation et nous offre des informations inédites sur l’origine de la communauté des Caraïbes noirs de Saint-Vincent. La seconde partie de l’ouvrage présente un bilan des connaissances sur la relation entre les amérindiens et leur environnement naturel au travers d’études archéo-vulcanologiques, archéo-zoologiques et paléo-ethnobotaniques. Ce recours aux sciences paléo-environnementales offre pour la première fois la possibilité d’une réelle approche historicisée de cette relation. Enfin, parce ce que la division géopolitique coloniale et post-coloniale de l’archipel antillais n’a pas de sens appliquée à l’étude de son peuplement précolombien, il nous est apparu essentiel de conclure cet ouvrage par une ouverture sur les îles voisines en particulier la Dominique et la Guadeloupe. Cela nous fait entrée dans cette perspective archipélique qui guide aujourd’hui le travail des archéologues.Cet ouvrage est le premier volume synthétique sur l’occupation amérindienne de la Martinique publié depuis des décennies. Par son sérieux et son accessibilité il met enfin à la disposition d’un public de spécialistes et de non-spécialistes un bilan des dernières connaissances produites. Il répond en cela tant à un besoin scientifique qu’à une réelle demande sociale.About the editor:Benoît Bérard is currently an associate professor of Caribean Archaeology at the Université des Antilles et de la Guyane in Martinique campus where he is head of the history department and Vice-director of the “Archéologie industrielle, histoire et patrimoine de la Caraïbe” EA 929 laboratory.

The case of Deir Alla is a social and economic case study of developing Third World agriculture. The study is based upon historical sources, contemporary public information with statistics, and field work in the Jordanian village of Deir Alla. This fieldwork took place in 1986 and a report was prepared in 1989. For this publication additional field work in 1997 accounted for the rapidly changing social and economic situation.The Ottoman feudal system, with the local harrath (ploughman) economy, changed gradually to private ownership since 1936, affecting the social relations of production. From 1950 onwards this development was strongly influenced by a sudden population increase (Palestinian refugees), the East Ghor irrigation system, the strong promotion of vegetable production and new technologies and institutions. Share cropping became the dominant feature of agrarian relations, but during the last decades international migrant labour expanded the wage labour system.Some types of production organization, such as the small-owner-family-labour system, proved to be more successful than others, but with the current difficult economic situation the debt trap is felt by many of these small owners.The book is important for the understanding of the social and economic history of the region, showing the dynamics of social change, but also because of its thorough analysis of the current situation, assessing theoretical models and predicting developments in a rapidly changing agricultural world.Mohamed Fayez Tarawneh is Associate Professor at Yarmouk University, specialized in the Anthropology of development and particularly interested in rural development and social change. Furthermore, he is the general manager of the Hashemite Fund for the Development of Jordan Badia. Some of his major publications concern a historical and social geographic study of the Jordanian town and countryside of Kerak, the participatory development in Wadi Araba and Poverty in Jordan.

The archaeological past exists for us through intermediaries. Some are written works, descriptions, narratives and field notes, while others are visual: the drawings, paintings, photographs, powerpoints or computer visualizations that allow us to re-present past forms of human existence. This volume brings together nine papers, six of which were presented at a symposium hosted at Brown University. Two papers explore the classical past and medieval visualizations. Three treat the Maya, and one considers the imaging by eighteenth-century antiquarians of British history; yet another ranges broadly in its historical considerations. Several consider the trajectory over time of visualization and self-imaging. Others engage with issues of recording by looking, for example, at the ways in which nineteenth–century excavation photographs can aid in the reconstruction of an inscription or by evaluating the process of mapping a site with ArcGIS and computer animation software. All essays raise key questions about the function of re-presentations of the past in current archaeological practice.

Scenes from the Old Kingdom tombs represent our main sources for the study of daily life of private individuals. Written by a number of specialists with years of research, this monograph deals with various aspects of life in ancient Egypt, presented in an accessible manner to the scholar and lay-person alike. Richly illustrated with an excellent selection of photographs and drawings, the book aims to bring the reader as close as possible to the Egyptian sources, allowing them to delve into the world behind the scenes.

A wide variety of organizations are both creating and retaining digital data from archaeological projects. While current methods for preservation and access to data vary widely, nearly all of these organizations agree that careful management of digital archaeological resources is an important aspect of responsible archaeological stewardship. The Archaeology Data Service and Digital Antiquity have produced this guide to provide information on the best way to create, manage, and document digital data files produced during the course of an archaeological project. This guide aims to improve the practice of depositing and preserving digital information safely within an archive for future use and is structured in three main parts: Digital Archiving - looks at the fundamentals of digital preservation and covers general preservation themes within the context of archaeological investigations, research, and resource management, with an overview of digital archiving practice and guidance. The Project Life cycle - looks at common project life cycle elements such as file naming, meta-data creation, and copyright and covers general, broad themes that should be considered at the outset of a project. Basic Components - looks at selected technique and file type-specific issues together with archive structuring and deposit. This section covers common file types that are frequently present in archaeological archives, irrespective of a project's primary technique or focus. The accompanying online Guides to Good Practice take these elements further and address the preservation of data resulting from common data collection, processing and analysis techniques such as aerial and geophysical survey, laser scanning, GIS and CAD.

This volume presents the findings of a major international project on the application of radiocarbon dating to the Egyptian historical chronology. Researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Cranfield in the UK, along with a team from France, Austria and Israel, radiocarbon dated more than 200 Egyptian objects made from plant material from museum collections from all over the world. The results comprise an accurate scientifically based chronology of the kings of ancient Egypt obtained by the radiocarbon analysis of short-lived plant remains. The research sheds light on one of the most important periods of Egyptian history documenting the various rulers of Egypt's Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. Despite Egypt's historical significance, in the past the dating of events has been a contentious undertaking with Egyptologists relying on various chronologies made up from archaeological and historical records. The radiocarbon dates nail down a chronology that is broadly in line with previous estimates. However, they do rule out some chronologies that have been put forward particularly in the Old Kingdom, which is shown to be older than some scholars thought. The research has implications for the whole region because the Egyptian chronology anchors the timing of historical events in neighbouring areas tied to the reign of particular Egyptian kings. The results will allow for more historical comparisons to be made in countries like Libya and Sudan, which have conducted radiocarbon dating techniques on places of archaeological interest in the past.

Europe is dotted with tens of thousands of prehistoric barrows. In spite of their ubiquity, little is known on the role they had in pre- and protohistoric landscapes. In 2010, an international group of archaeologists came together at the conference of the European Association of Archaeologists in The Hague to discuss and review current research on this topic. This book presents the proceedings of that session.The focus is on the prehistory of Scandinavia and the Low Countries, but also includes an excursion to huge prehistoric mounds in the southeast of North America. One contribution presents new evidence on how the immediate environment of Neolithic Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture megaliths was ordered, another one discusses the role of remarkable single and double post alignments around Bronze and Iron Age burial mounds. Zooming out, several chapters deal with the place of barrows in the broader landscape. The significance of humanly-managed heath in relation to barrow groups is discussed, and one contribution emphasizes how barrow orderings not only reflect spatial organization, but are also important as conceptual anchors structuring prehistoric perception. Other authors, dealing with Early Neolithic persistent places and with Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age urnfields, argue that we should also look beyond monumentality in order to understand long-term use of “ritual landscapes”.The book contains an important contribution by the well-known Swedish archaeologist Tore Artelius on how Bronze Age barrows were structurally re-used by pre-Christian Vikings. This is his last article, written briefly before his death. This book is dedicated to his memory.This publication is part of the Ancestral Mounds Research Project of the University of Leiden.

This book discusses the 19th-century historic landscape of Devon though the creation, manipulation and querying of a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) database to examine physical evidence of change and development through field and settlement patterns. Making use of tithe surveys, the relationship between field and settlement morphologies and patterns of landholding is discussed for three case-study areas in Devon, developing the idea of landscape pays and the identification of regional differences in the study of the historic landscape.

Some 2800 years ago, a man died in what is now the municipality of Oss, the Netherlands. His death must have been a significant event in the life of local communities, for he received an extraordinary funeral, which ended with the construction of an impressive barrow. Based on the meticulous excavation and a range of specialist and comprehensive studies of finds, a prehistoric burial ritual now can be brought to life in surprising detail. An Iron Age community used extraordinary objects that find their closest counterpart in the elite graves of the Hallstatt culture in Central Europe. This book will discuss how lavishly decorated items were dismantled and taken apart to be connected with the body of the deceased, all to be destroyed by fire. In what appears to be a meaningful pars pro toto ritual, the remains of his body, the pyre, and the objects were searched through and moved about, with various elements being manipulated, intentionally broken, and interred or removed. In essence, a person and a place were transformed through destruction. The book shows how the mourners carefully, almost lovingly covered the funeral remains with a barrow. Attention is also given to another remarkable monument, long mound 6, located immediately adjacent to mound 7. Excavations show how mound 7 was part of an age-old ritual heath landscape that was entirely restructured during the Early Iron Age, when it became the setting for the building of no less than three huge Hallstatt C barrows. Thousands of years later, during the Late Middle Ages, this landscape underwent a complete transformation of meaning when the prehistoric barrows became the scenery for a macabre display of the cadavers of executed criminals.This publication is part of the Ancestral Mounds Research Project of the University of Leiden.

Excavations carried out by Oxford Archaeology in advance of the building of the Oracle shopping centre revealed a long sequence of development of the Kennet floodplain at Reading. This volume reports on the substantial evidence recovered for medieval and post-medieval water management, milling at the Minster Mill and St Giles Mill, the tanning, leather working and dyeing industries, and an unusual building interpreted as the 12th- to 13th-century cookhouse of Reading Abbey. The stories of two well-known Reading sites, the Oracle Workhouse and the Yield Hall, are followed from the medieval period up to the 19th century. Substantial specialist reports include pottery, glass, leatherworking, dendrochronology and clay pipes.