Archaeology Essentials: Theories, Methods, and Practice

by Colin Renfrew, Paul G. Bahn

An updated edition of the concise version of the best-selling introduction to archaeology.

This new brief version of the best-selling textbook was carefully rewritten to provide a readable and compact introduction to archaeology for those new to the field. No other book of this length can match its range of essential information and explanation. The vocabulary and the use of technical terms have been carefully reviewed. The amount of detail has been considerably reduced, and coverage of difficult or cutting-edge topics is made more accessible for students in courses that treat such subjects briefly. In particular, the coverage of archaeological theory and science has been substantially rewritten to provide a convenient overview without overwhelming the student. Please note that this version of the ebook does not include access to any media or print supplements that are sold packaged with the printed book.

Genres: Archaeology, Anthropology, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Science, History, Read For School

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2011

About the author

Andrew Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn was a British archaeologist, paleolinguist and Conservative peer noted for his work on radiocarbon dating, the prehistory of languages, archaeogenetics, neuroarchaeology, and the prevention of looting at archaeological sites.
Renfrew was also the Disney Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and was a Senior Fellow of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This textbook is far more readable than many other textbooks I've read in college. The main material is clear and concise, and the illustrations are effective at providing visual context for the ideas discussed. The pop-outs are somewhat less helpful, though they are designed to be deeper dives into side content, so perhaps they're simply doing what they're meant to do. I was quite impressed with the quality of this textbook and learned a lot as an introduction to archaeolgical practice.

[Gary Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction for me. I liked the early key advances section.

[Riversue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It is clear and concise yet jam packed with fascinating details and a great overview of the basic theories of archaeology.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for university. Offered great introduction to archaeological practices.

[Raphaela Folia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ξεκίνησα αυτό το βιβλίο λόγω ενός μαθήματος (αρχαιολογίας) στο πανεπιστήμιο
αρκετά ενδιαφέρον και μαθαίνεις πολλά πράγματα γύρω από το αντικείμενο

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an introduction survey style book it goes rather in depth into the more nitty gritty science behind archaeology. Overall, it is a good solid survey of the field. Some chapters, the more nitty gritty ones, were more challenging to get through than others. That said, I left feeling like I understood the subject a lot better, which was good.

[Katherine Christofferson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This textbook is quite fascinating. I really enjoyed learning about archaeology, and this book was very clear with good definitions and examples.

[Rachel Bayles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, concise, and well-written. Provides a taste of everything, without going too deeply into any one thing.

[Dejanira Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

.*still reading just dont feel like keeping track since it's a college textbook*