The Practical Archaeologist: How We Know What We Know About the Past

by Jane McIntosh

Discusses the nature of archaeology, describes modern excavation methods, and explains how sites and remains are analyzed

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Reference, Science, Anthropology

186 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1986

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book for an understanding of archeology before I start a class about “Fantastic Archeology.” I think this book explained archeological techniques and methods very well. Aside from several words I had to look up, this book used plain language. The way this book was written, I felt I could apply archeology as described myself.

The formatting can be a bit difficult. Since every topic is contained to two pages, sometimes I felt the book was limited by its formatting. Yet, the information within is great. It is very fascinating to learn how archeology is done. Even if the information itself is a little outdated, since my edition is from 1999. It is still a good foundation for my college class.

[Jaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s worth noting that my review is for a much older edition of the book.

The number of errors and wrong assumptions contained in this book really date it. As much as it does provide good information about dating sites, collection of materials, etc, that is all information available in other texts. Unless it has been heavily updated in the newest edition this book is more out of date than it is useful.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was an adolescent, back in the late ‘50s, I had two obsessions: The far future and the far past. I guess I just wasn’t interested in living in the present (the mark of the nerd), but I read a great deal about space flight and astronomy (and a lot of science fiction) and another great deal about ancient history and archaeology. In fact, my ambition at that age was to be the Official Archaeologist on the first Mars expedition. I didn’t make it, obviously, but I did spend the summer before college working as a volunteer in the Missouri Basin Project, helping to survey suspected Indian hunting campsites in the upper Midwest. It wasn’t very exciting work in an objective sense but I was fascinated by it. And in graduate school, I worked with a university group poking around the remains of several Civil War-era army posts in New Mexico. I’ve been an avid armchair archaeologist ever since.

McIntosh’s book is widely recommended as an introductory survey to the field, and with good reason. The author, with a Ph.D. from Cambridge, is widely experienced in the field and also knows how to explain her profession to civilians. She divides things into five sections, on just what archaeology is about, a broad look at the archaeological “landscape,” the techniques of excavation, how findings are interpreted and related to everything else, and what we should make of all this in understanding the past. Early on, there are numerous short discussions, only a couple of pages each on subjects as wide-ranging as Howard Carter and Tutankhamen’s tomb, the Leakey family at Olduvai Gorge, the Piltdown fraud, the Mary Rose, and whether King Arthur really lived at South Cadbury. Then she gets into settlement patterns, aerial photography, how one selects a test site, approaches to excavation (and the current argument over whether excavations should even be undertaken in the first place), the tools of the trade (from the trowel on up), record-keeping, field conservation, and why so much time is spent grubbing around slowly in the dirt. Processing and interpretation takes us into the principles of typology and stratigraphy, radiocarbon and fission-track dating, laboratory preservation, the unique problems of industrial archaeology, and the legal difficulties inherent in dealing with human remains of the historical era. Finally, she discusses more abstract topics like economic prehistory, the cultural significance of certain finds, the place of religion in prehistory, migration pressures, and “archaeology in the computer age” -- some of which is already out of date.

The whole book is heavily illustrated and includes numerous sidebars on key figures in the development of the field. The style is engaging without being overly technical, which isn’t easy to do. And the result is an absorbing overview of a fascinating subject that should lead you to a good deal of subsequent reading. I hope there will be a 3rd edition before too long.

[Alex Reborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really helpful book for anyone interested in archaeology. It should be the mandatory manual for all students starting out their studies in this domain.

It presents everything about archaeology, from ethical issues to methodology, dating methods, technology and interpretations, along with short case studies from all over the world. It is brief, but it touches each subject just enough to offer the basic knowledge. It helps the reader understand concepts and it provides a starting point for further study. I totally recommend it!

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful look at basic archaeology and the wonderful finds, failures and even the mistakes that are made by amateurs and professionals as well.

Copiously illustrated.