Archaeological Science: An Introduction

by Michael Richards (Editor), Kate Britton (Editor)

This book provides an up to date introduction to the exciting, but complex, new scientific methodologies that are increasingly used in archaeological study. Written by an international team of specialists, it provides clear and engaging overviews of a wide array of approaches, including DNA and proteomics, dating methods, materials analysis, stable isotope analysis, and the scientific study of human, plant, and animal remains, among other topics. Each technique is explored through the use of actual archaeological examples, which both explain the methods and highlight their potential applications. The work is carefully illustrated with useful charts, graphs and other images, which complement the detail in the text, and help to articulate the case studies explored  as well as the underlying principles of the techniques involved. Feature tables in many of the chapters highlight selected research on each topic, providing useful summaries of the current state and scope of the field for the reader. This volume will serve as a handy reference tool for scholars, as well as a key textbook for courses on archaeological science.

464 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Richards is an engineer in the United States Air Force with a Ph.D. in Energy Science. He was born in Texas but has lived in 10 states, 6 countries, 3 continents, 4 planets, and 2 galaxies. While there's no place like home--because no place is home--he's always happiest around his magical wife and five mischievous children. He's currently stationed in downtown Tokyo, Japan, where his assignment is to find and fund top quantum science researchers in Asia. He likes growing beards (when on leave...), smashing atoms, and making cheese; but not at the same time. He loves squeezing stories out of the diverse experiences he's had.