The best-selling introduction to what archaeologists do and how they do it
– 5th Edition, Completely Revised and Updated

‘… the most complete, wide-ranging and usable archaeological textbook in the world to date’ – The Times Higher Education Supplement

‘Exactly what is required for first-year students’ – Barry Cunliffe, University of Oxford

‘A first-rate text … with clear insights into the workings of modern archaeology’ –  Jeremy A. Sabloff, University Museum, Philadelphia

• 656 pages cover the entire subject, from the history of archaeology to excavation, evidence, environment and explanation in archaeology
• Over 600 illustrations, including world maps, charts, diagrams and reconstructions
• Over 100 special features on major topics, from underwater archaeology to radiocarbon dating, from the origins of farming to the collapse of civilizations, with summaries of 30 influential excavations
• In-depth case studies on five important projects in Mexico, the United States, Australia, Southeast Asia and England
• Full reference section, including a glossary of archaeological terms and a comprehensive bibliography and guide to further reading

Download a copy of the full 5-page contents [PDF 130K]

New to this Edition
• Field methods, scientific techniques and theoretical approaches updated throughout
• The very latest discoveries such as the Maya murals of San Bartolo in Guatemala and the Clonycavan and Old Croghan bog bodies from Ireland
• Advances in computing and technology
• Information on subjects as varied as satellite and high-altitude survey and mapping systems, archaeo-linguistics, ancient genomics and genetic dating
• New topics, emphasizing the ever-changing face of modern archaeology: e.g. archaeological ethics, geoarchaeology, climate change and bioarchaeology
• New special box features: Cold Preservation: Mountain Mummies; GIS and the Giza Plateau; Water Pollution in Ancient North America; The World’s Oldest Sanctuary: Göbekli Tepe; Sacrifice and Symbol in Mesoamerica; Cognition and Neuroscience
• Newly written and expanded summaries in each chapter

Colin Renfrew is Disney Professor Emeritus of Archaeology and former Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge. He is the author and editor of many books, including Before Civilization, Archaeology and Language, Figuring It Out and Prehistory.
Paul Bahn is a prehistorian and archaeological writer. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including the standard introduction to cave art, Journey through the Ice Age, as well as The Enigmas of Easter Island (with John Flenley), the Cambridge Illustrated History of Archaeology.

Also of interest
The Human Past: World Prehistory & the Development of Human Societies
Discovery! Unearthing the New Treasures of Archaeology
The Complete Pompeii
Ancient Mexico and Central America
Solving Stonehenge
Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens Revised Edition