In the Beginning

Brian M. Fagan is one of the world’s leading writers about archaeology and an internationally recognized authority on world prehistory. He studied archaeology and anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge University, and then spent seven years in sub-Saharan Africa. Now a distinguished professor emeritus, from 1967 to 2013 he was a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Brian has written seven bestselling textbooks and numerous general books on archaeology, ancient climate change, and other topics. Nadia Durrani has contributed to a wide range of archaeological publications and is the former editor of Britain’s two bestselling archaeological magazines, Current Archaeology and Current World Archaeology. Over the years, she has authored and edited countless articles and books, including co-authoring a portfolio of books with Brian. Her background is in Arabian archaeology, and following a degree in archaeology and anthropology from Cambridge University, she took a PhD in southwest Arabian archaeology from University College, London. Nadia remains actively involved in Arabian studies and is on the board of the International Association for the Study of Arabia. She is also a founding member of the Great War Archaeology Group and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

PART I BACKGROUND TO ARCHAEOLOGY; 1 Introducing Archaeology; 2 The Beginnings of Scientific Archaeology: Sixth Century B.C. to the 1950s; 3 The Many-Voiced Past: Archaeological Thought from the 1950s to Now; PART II THE BASICS; 4 Matrix and Preservation; 5 Doing Archaeological Research; 6 Culture, Data, and Context; 7 Dating the Past; PART III RECOVERING THE DATA; 8 They Sought It Here, They Sought It There: Finding the Past; 9 Excavation; PART IV ANALYZING THE PAST: ARTIFACTS AND TECHNOLOGY; 10 Classifying Artifacts; 11 Technologies of the Ancients; PART V STUDYING ENVIRONMENTS AND PEOPLE; 12 Ancient Environments; 13 Studying Subsistence; 14 The Living Past; 15 Landscape and Settlement; 16 Interactions: People of the Past; 17 Archaeology and the Intangible; PART VI MANAGING THE PAST; 18 Cultural Resource Management (CRM) and Public Archaeology; 19 Archaeology and Contemporary Society; PART VII CAREERS AND RESOURCES; 20 So You Want to Become an Archaeologist?; Useful Addresses; Glossary; Bibliography; Index