In The Beginning: An Introduction To Archaeology

In the Beginning: An Introduction to Archaeology

Demonstrates the importance of archaeology todayIn the Beginning: An Introduction to Archaeology presents the history and methods of archaeology and explores its significance today. The text introduces archeology's basic principles along with numerous examples from all over the world. Authors Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani provide a comprehensive summary of the field for people who have little or no experience.Features: Provides A Comprehensive Overview Readers gain a broad understanding of archaeology, including its interdisciplinary nature, major scientific contributions, international research, and methods and theories. A special chapter covers career opportunities in archaeology. A new organization moves archaeological theory to the beginning, so readers can develop a deeper understanding of this field. Offers an Engaging Introduction The jargon-free narrative provides an accessible introduction to the study of archaeology. In the Beginning is now four-color for a livelier and enriching experience. Explores Significant Historical Events Seven photo essays titled People of the Past appear throughout the book, covering such luminaries as pharaoh Ramses II and societies like the Cro-Magnons of late Ice Age Europe. Spectacular findings featured in Discovery boxes reflect new developments in archaeology. Incorporates Fresh Ideas from a New Co-Author Esteemed colleague, Nadia Durrani, has been brought on board as a co-author. She brings a wealth of field experience in Arabia, Britain, and elsewhere as well as extensive editorial experience as the former Editor of Current World Archaeology, to the team.About the AuthorBrian Fagan is one of the leading archaeological writers 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 working in museums and in monuments conservation and excavating early farming sites in Zambia and East Africa. He was one of the pioneers of multidisciplinary African history in the 1960s. From 1967 to 2003, he was professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he specialized in lecturing and writing about archaeology to wide audiences. He is now Emeritus Professor of Anthropology.Brian Fagan has written six best-selling textbooks (all published by Prentice Hall): Ancient Lives: An Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory; In the Beginning, Archaeology: A Brief Introduction; World Prehistory; Ancient Civilizations (with Chris Scarre); and this volume-which are used around the world. His general books include The Rape of the Nile, a classic history of Egyptology; The Adventure of Archaeology Time Detectives; Ancient North America; The Little Ice Age; Before California: An Archaeologist Looks at Our Earliest Inhabitants; and The Long Summer. He was also General Editor of the Oxford Companion to Archaeology. In addition, he has published several scholarly monographs on African archaeology and numerous specialized articles in national and international journals. An expert on multimedia teaching, he has received the Society for American Archaeology's first Public Education Award for his indefatigable efforts on behalf of archaeology and education.Brian Fagan's other interests include bicycling, sailing, kayaking, and good food. He is married and lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and daughter, four cats (who supervise his writing), and last but not least, a minimum of four rabbits.Christopher R. DeCorse received his bachelor of arts and master's degrees in anthropology and archaeology at the University of New Hampshire and the University of California, Los Angeles, completing his doctorate in archaeology at UCLA. His theoretical interests include the interpretation of ethnicity, culture change, and variability in the archaeological record. Dr. DeCorse has excavated a variety of prehistoric and histo