Archaeology Essentials Theories Methods And Practice Second Edition Colin Renfrew

Ancient ruined cities are often associated with buried treasure, lost civilizations, and a forgotten past. But archaeologists look beyond a Romantic view and ask questions about why they were built, and what they tell us about humankind. By learning about past cultures, what made them different and what made them similar, we gain a better understanding of human history and the state of the world today. People in the past acted differently, but they shared one thing in common -- they left behind stones and bones, pottery fragments, monuments and houses. Archaeologists use these fragments of the past to understand what it means to be human. In this class, you will be introduced to the questions, theories, and methods of archaeology. You will learn about how archaeologists locate, record, and excavate ancient cities and monuments; how they study artifacts in the lab; and how they use the stuff they find to piece together stories about the past, and test those stories against the evidence. You will learn about the diversity of ancient and modern peoples, their cultures, and the past they inhabited. You will also learn about the place of archaeology in the modern world -- how archaeologists engage with questions such as long-term climate change and human response, sustainability, inequality and the diversity of human experience. 2b1af7f3a8