In Pursuit of the Past: Decoding the Archaeological Record

by Lewis Roberts Binford

Many consider Lewis Binford to be the single most influential figure in archaeology in the last half-century. His contributions to the "New Archaeology" changed the course of the field as he argued for the development of a scientifically rigorous framework to guide the excavation and interpretation of the archaeological record. In this book, first published nearly two decades ago, Binford provided students and general readers with an introduction to his challenging and provocative ideas about understanding the human past. Now available again, this important component of Binford's intellectual legacy will convey the drama and intellectual excitement of contemporary archaeology to a new generation of archaeologists and others interested in the field. Throughout the book, Binford questions old ideas and proposes new theories based on his comparative archaeological and ethnographic research in North America, Europe, South Africa, and Australia. A new afterword by Binford surveys the direction archaeology has taken since the publication of this book and shares his hopes for the future of the discipline.

Genres: Archaeology, Anthropology, History, Nonfiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Lewis Roberts Binford (November 21, 1931 – April 11, 2011) was an American archaeologist known for his influential work in archaeological theory, ethnoarchaeology and the Paleolithic period. He is widely considered among the most influential archaeologists of the later 20th century, and is credited with fundamentally changing the field with the introduction of processual archaeology (or the "New Archaeology") in the 1960s. Binford's influence was controversial, however, and most theoretical work in archaeology in the late 1980s and 1990s was explicitly construed as either a reaction to or in support of the processual paradigm. Recent appraisals have judged that his approach owed more to prior work in the 1940s and 50s than suggested by Binford's strong criticism of his predecessors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Bi...

Reviews

[Lee Broderick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although some case studies are presented, this comes across as 'my life as a manifesto' as much as anything else. Binford eulogises himself as a heroic figure struggling to convert the arts and humanities legions of archaeologists to the new doctrine of archaeology as science.

Binford was an important figure in the discipline but here comes across as one arrogant enough to think that he was more important than he was: that, in the words of Jose Mourinho, he was "the special one."

[Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro que trata algunas incógnitas de la prehistoria desde una perspectiva muy analítica y estadística, utilizándolas como ejemplo de las aproximaciones metodológicas procesualistas expuestas por el autor en todo el libro. A veces te pierdes en los ejemplos, dada la inmensa cantidad de datos aportados, pero sin duda es de especial valoración la minuciosidad con la que fueron tomados, teniendo en cuenta que la mayoría de ejemplos son de elaboración propia (incluidas las fotografías y planos).

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Binford makes a clear case for the use of ethnographic material to do comparatives with the archaeological record. An interesting read that covers the Mousterian period but also assess the theories around the move to agriculture and the reasons for the increasing complexity and evolution to complex societies.

[Andrés León Guacaneme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set of different articles not very related but still useful

[Emerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this last year and I forgot to log it in lol