World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time

by Michael Chazan

World Prehistory and Pathways through Time integrates world prehistory with a discussion of archaeological methods and techniques—emphasizing the relevance of how we know what we know about our human prehistory, providing the tools to allow for a lifelong engagement with archaeology and drawing students into the process of archaeological research and discovery. Chazan brings students right up to the cutting edge of archaeological research by presenting the most recent discoveries and theoretical perspectives. How we know the past is inseparable from what we know of the past. This new text allows students to see that archaeology is a dynamic field in which knowledge is continuously refined through scientific inquiry while providing a sense of the relevance of archaeology in the contemporary world. As the cornerstone of this book is to present an integrated picture of prehistory as an active process of discovery, we cannot relegate methodological issues to the opening chapters alone. While the introduction to archaeological method in the first two chapters is necessary, the questions of how we know the past cannot be abandoned at that point. A number of features have been developed to draw together an integrated presentation of prehistory throughout the entire text.

Genres: History, Textbooks, School, Archaeology, Anthropology, Nonfiction

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to prehistory! I love how it covers archaeological sites as well as methods.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some parts are explained a little silly, but it’s comprehensive and descriptive without being overly complicated. I will definitely read this again not under the stress of school.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for a textbook. The version I had looked like it had not gone through final editing. There were indications that things, such as images, needed to be moved, etc.