Bruce Trigger examines the history of archaeological thought from
medieval times to the present in world-wide perspective.
In its original edition, Bruce Trigger's book was the first
ever to examine the history of archaeological thought from medieval
times to the present in world-wide perspective. Now, in this new
edition, he both updates the original work and introduces new
archaeological perspectives and concerns. At once stimulating and
even-handed, it places the development of archaeological thought
and theory throughout within a broad social and intellectual
framework. The successive but interacting trends apparent in
archaeological thought are defined and the author seeks to
determine the extent to which these trends were a reflection of the
personal and collective interests of archaeologists as these relate
- in the West at least - to the fluctuating fortunes of the middle
classes. While subjective influences have been powerful, Professor
Trigger argues that the gradual accumulation of archaeological data
has exercised a growing constraint on interpretation. In turn, this
has increased the objectivity of archaeological research and
enhanced its value for understanding the entire span of human
history and the human condition in general.
Review quote:
From the reviews of the previous edition: 'This is a work which
all thinking archaeologists will wish to have on their
shelves.' Colin Renfrew, Nature
Table of contents:
Preface to the second edition; 1. Studying the history of
archaeology; 2. Classical and other text-based archaeologies; 3.
Antiquarianism without texts; 4. The beginnings of prehistoric
archaeology; 5. Evolutionary archaeology; 6. Culture-historical
archaeology; 7. Early functional-processual archaeology; 8.
Processualism and postprocessualism; 9. Pragmatic synthesis; 10.
The relevance of archaeology; Bibliographical essay.
From the previous edition: 'This is a work which all thinking archaeologists will wish to have on their shelves.' Colin Renfrew, Nature ' ... a substantial update ...' Journal of Medieval Archaeology '... remains the very best macro-history available.' Cambridge Archaeological Journal
Bruce G. Trigger is James McGill Professor in the Department of Anthropology at McGill University. He received his PhD from Yale University and has carried out archaeological research in Egypt and the Sudan. His interests include the comparative study of early civilizations, the history of archaeology, and archaeological and anthropological theory. He has received various scholarly awards, including the prestigious Prix Leon Gerin from the Quebec government, for his sustained contributions to the social sciences. He is an honorary fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and an honorary member of the Prehistoric Society (UK). His numerous books include the first edition of A History of Archaeological Thought (Cambridge 1989), The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas, Volume 1 (Cambridge 1996), co-edited with Wilcomb E. Washburn, and Understanding Early Civilizations (Cambridge 2003).
Inhaltsangabe
Preface to the second edition 1. Studying the history of archaeology 2. Classical and other text-based archaeologies 3. Antiquarianism without texts 4. The beginnings of prehistoric archaeology 5. Evolutionary archaeology 6. Culture-historical archaeology 7. Early functional-processual archaeology 8. Processualism and postprocessualism 9. Pragmatic synthesis 10. The relevance of archaeology Bibliographical essay.
