The Archaeology of Scottish Islands
This study is based on a conference held by the Scottish Archaeological Forum to discuss and assess new discoveries and reinterpretations of material relating to the island archaeology of western Europe, particularly the Scottish islands. With an introductory chapter by Andrew Fleming on Iconic and Mythic islands, this account look at different aspects of the subject, in particular Shetland, North and South Uist, and Lewis, as well as more general studies of Late Bronze Age metalworking in the Scottish Islands and the economics of an Iron Age infrastructure in the Northern Isles.
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read moreArchaeology and Entomology in the Eastern Mediterranean (Bar International)
This book deals with `Research into the history of insect synanthropy in Greece and Egypt’, more specifically with insect remains from the Late Bronze Age site of Akrotiri and other evidence from ancient and Roman Egypt. Eva Panagiotakopulu outlines her methodology of analysing fossil insects, addresses issues of extraction, preservation and reconstructing past environments, life conditions, hygiene, crops and stored goods, as well as implications for economy and trade in the Mediterranean.
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read moreThe Creative Independence of Late Bronze Age Cyprus: An Account of the Archaeological Importance of White Slip Ware (Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie)
This volume attempts to present a comprehensive account of the historical developments in Cyprus during the period of the production of White Slip Wares (ca 15801180 BC). Using the Kitchen chronology for the Egyptian New Kingdom, which commenced in 1540 BC, the study emphasizes the importance of archaeological records and how context analysis allows more precision in a relative chronology. This period witnessed the emergence of Cyprus into the political and economic interaction of the East Mediterranean. With special focus on White Slip pottery, the historical events outlined herein demonstrate the growth of Cyprus into a vibrant, independent society from the early 16th century BC into the 12th century BC. Throughout this period, Cyprus developed trade, cultural as well as “diplomatic” relations with the most powerful kingdoms of the surrounding area. A focal point of the study is the role of Cypriot wares especially White Slip, Base-ring and Red Lustrous Wheel-made on the island itself as well as in other places. A major role is given to White Slip as it is considered a chronological beacon in the analysis of events during the Late Bronze Age, a time when there are few historical references to the island and its people. Comprising eight chapters, this comprehensive analysis of Cyprus’s material culture is accompanied by a historical account in which the period in Cyprus from 15801180 BC is divided into seven chronological periods based on Astrom’s original chronology. The comprehensive historical discussion in Chapter VII seeks to depict the interactions between Cyprus and the surrounding cultures during this period. The interpretation of the evidence shows that the island’s leaders were skilful in achieving a balance between the interests of these various civilizations, which included the Minoan and Mycenaean from the Aegean, the Canaanite groups, the Hittite Empire, and of course the Egyptians. The evidence shows that independent Late Bronze Age Cyprus established extensive trade and diplomatic links with these societies notwithstanding the various conflicts among them. The Cypriots managed this within the complex and changing interrelationships between the empires during these very turbulent times. In so doing, Late Bronze Age Cyprus managed to develop the creative skills of its people this especially reflected in the wide range of its ceramic wares (such as White Slip) as well as their extensive production and distribution to many lands.
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read moreThe Iron Age Community of Osteria dell’Osa: A Study of Socio-political Development in Central Tyrrhenian Italy (New Studies in Archaeology)
Anna Maria Bietti Sestieri, one of the finest Italian protohistorians, deals in this monograph with a major archaeological site, the Iron Age cemetery of Osteria dell’Osa, near Rome. The cemetery materials provide rich insights into the emergence of the city-state in central Italy in the crucial period 900-580 BC. Paying particular attention to the causes of variation in burials – ritual, gender, age, status – Dr Bietti Sestieri is able to develop a convincing picture of the late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Latium vetus in the wider context of southern Etruria and Campania.
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read moreLapis Lazuli from the Kiln: Glass and Glassmaking in the Late Bronze Age (Studies in Archaeological Sciences)
Lapis Lazuli from the Kiln examines the history of the first glass, from its early sporadic occurrence, through the height of its production in the late second millennium BCE, to its disappearance at the end of that millennium. The book draws on an exceptionally wide range of sources including ancient texts detailing recipes and trade in glass, iconographic depictions in tombs and temples, archaeological excavation of the most important sites including Amarna and Qantir, and the description of the glass objects themselves.
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read moreArchaeotecture: Second Floor: Papers from the Archaeology of Architecture sessions held at the EAA Meetings in St Petersburg (2003) and Lyon (2004) (bar s)
This work focuses attention on the design of a renewed theoretical-methodological device on which a comprehensive Archaeology of Architecture could be based. It brings together the papers from two EAA sessions organized in San Petersburg 2003 and Lyon 2004. The interest in this line of work became evident in both sessions, with outstanding contributions from several European specialists, who at the same time, focused attention on chronological-cultural matters spanning the period from the Neolithic to the Modern Age. It follows on from BAR S1175 (2003) by the same editors. Contents: 1) The Lower Danube Chalcolithic Megaron House with Internal Column: the Technology of Building interpreted through experiments (Dragos Gheorghiu); 2) Liminality and the management of space on Late Bronze Age settlements in central and Eastern Slovenia (Phil Mason); 3) Architectural analysis of monumental motives Towards a methodological investigation into Iron Age drystone roundhouses in Scotland: an interims statement from an architectural perspective (Tanja Romankiewicz); 4) Landscape, Material Culture and Social Process along Galician Iron Age: the Architecture of Castros of Neixon (Galicia, Spain) (Xurxo M. Ayan Vila); 5) The ordinary medieval house: the use of wall stratification in French preventive archaeology of built space (Astrid Huser); 6) Concepts dominants en construction ancienne de maisons dhabitation de la zone forestiere de la region de lOural ouest (Elisaveta Tchernykh); 7) The fortress of Rocha Forte and European military building trends A concentric castle (14th century) (Xose M. Sanchez Sanchez); 8) The Archaeological impact of the Lisbon earthquake (1755): the Archaeology of Built Space applied to the monastery of Santa Maria de Melon (Galice, Spain) (Rebeca Blanco Rotea and Begona Fernandez Gonzalez); 9) Deep-mapping the Gumuz house (Alfredo Gonzalez Ruibal, Xurxo M. Ayan Vila and Alvaro Falquina Aparicio).
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read moreKlavdhia-Tremithos: A Middle & Late Cypriote Bronze Age Site (Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology and Literature)
The aim of this study is to give as complete a picture of the Middle and Late Bronze Age site at Klavdhia-Tremithos as possible. The site was excavated in 1899 by the British Museum, under the direction of F.B. Welch.