Framing archaeology in the Near East : the application of social theory to fieldwork / edited by Ianir Milevski and Thomas E. Levy.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Milevski, Ianir.

Levy, Thomas Evan

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Series:

New directions in anthropological archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Middle East--Antiquities.

Middle East.

Social archaeology--Middle East.

Social archaeology.

Archaeology--Fieldwork--Middle East.

Archaeology.

Excavations (Archaeology)--Middle East.

Excavations (Archaeology).

Archaeology--Philosophy.

Social sciences--Philosophy.

Social sciences.

Anthropology--Philosophy.

Anthropology.

Antiquities.

Archaeology--Fieldwork.

Physical Description:

vi, 146 pages : maps, charts ; 27 cm.

Place of Publication:

Sheffield, UK ; Bristol, CT : Equinox, 2016.

Summary:

"This volume presents a series of studies by scholars working in Middle Eastern archaeology who actively apply social theory to interpret their fieldwork. It aims to highlight the value of using social theory in the interpretation of field work in a region where, traditionally, such approaches have not played a major role. There are a number of factors that account for why social theory is often under-exploited by archaeologists in this part of the world. In many countries, where large numbers of the foreign archaeologists are involved, a division between those doing fieldwork and those undertaking archaeological interpretation can easily arise. Or, the lack of interest in social theory may stem from a legacy of positivism that overrides other approaches. There is also the fact that archaeology and anthropology often belong to separate academic departments and are considered two separate disciplines disconnected from each other. In some cases the centrality of historical paradigms has precluded the use of social theory. There are also divisions between universities and other research institutions, such as departments of antiquities, which is not conductive to interdisciplinary cooperation. This factor is especially debilitating in contexts of rapid destruction of sites and the exponential growth of salvage excavations and emergency surveys. The papers integrate a wide range of perspectives including 'New' or 'Processual' archaeology, Marxist, 'Post-Processual', evolutionist, cognitive, symbolic, and Cyber- archaeologies and touch on many topics including 3D representation, GIS, mapping and social theory, semiotics and linguistics, gender and bioarchaeology, social and technical identities, and modern historical modellingy and social practices"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Social theory and archaeology / Ianir Milevski and Thomas E. Levy

Spacetime mapping the ancient Near East : scalability and seamlessness in theory and practice of spatial archaeology / Michael Harrower

Gender and the archaeology of the ancient Near East : femininities and masculinities / Joanna Mardas

Perspectives on sex and gender questions through burial practices in southern Central Asia during the Bronze Age / Elise Luneau

Semiotics in action : Neolithic imagery on the move / Patrycja Filipowicz

The role of communication in late 3rd millennium BC Mesopotamian society supported by cross-disciplinary interpretative tools / Alessandro Di Ludovico

Social theories, technical identities, cultural boundaries : a perspective on the "colonial situation" in late Chalcolithic 3-5 northern Mesopotamia / Johnny Samuele Baldi

New social perspectives on intermediate Bronze Age burial practices at Jericho / Aaron Greener

The kingdom of Edom? : a critical reappraisal of the Edomite state model / Juan Manuel Tebes

Biblical archaeology, processualism, post-processualism and beyond / Ianir Milevski and Bernardo Gandulla.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Framing archaeology in the Near East.

ISBN:

9781781792476

178179247X

OCLC:

936255780

Publisher Number:

40026858926