Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology's eighteen chapters present a thorough and rounded introduction to most current aspects of geoarchaeology, the natural and anthropogenic processes affecting the main environments in which human activities have occurred in past millennia, and the interactions between natural and human influences. The dynamic nature of these processes and interactions and their impacts on preservation and practical investigation of archaeological sites are emphasized. After introductions to stratigraphy and soils, there are chapters on slopes, alluvial, lacustrine, aeolian, coastal and cave environments. The second part of the book, headed ‘Non-Traditional Approaches’, deals with the evidence for agriculture and settlement within the framework of natural landscape and soil formation processes and the ways in which human activities leave traces, how these are altered over time and how they can be investigated via a range of macroscopic and microscopic methods. There are also brief chapters on man-made building materials and applications of geoarchaeology in forensic science. In Part 3, there are introductions to the main field and laboratory methods such as aerial photography, certain geophysical techniques, petrographic methods and chemical analysis, and finally a chapter on reporting of research at different stages of an investigation, data gathering, interpretation, management and storage. The approach is always integrated, with frequent cross-references between chapters and discussions of archaeological sites that are problem- or evidence-led. The book's global scope covers many examples from Europe, the Near East, US, N Africa from Stone Age to Mediaeval periods. The methods and techniques introduced are applicable in many areas beyond.
Not found within this book are stone construction materials, or more than the briefest mentions of key geological resources such as metals or clays. These omissions do not, however, constitute a significant problem, as these subjects are ably covered elsewhere in the literature, whereas the collection of subjects presented by Goldberg & Macphail have not previously been dealt with in so integrated and comprehensive a way. This book therefore serves to fill an important gap in the literature.
The vast amount of material covered necessitates brevity in dealing with individual topics. Clarity is not lost however, and the clearly written text, well-presented diagrams and (mostly) good photographic illustrations are supplemented with detailed case-studies in which the various concepts and information introduced in the text are illustrated in the integrated manner of modern archaeological research. Many such examples are presented separately from the main text within boxes. Differences in methods and jargon used in different disciplines and geographic areas are highlighted and explained. The book requires at least basic undergraduate understanding of areas such as mineralogy, geochemistry and sedimentary processes and petrography, especially of soils in thin section. The reader will be able to supplement the information provided via the selected key references listed in the very extensive bibliography.
This important book will be of value to students and professional researchers coming towards geoarchaeology from either humanities- or science-dominated backgrounds, as well as to purpose-trained geoarchaeologists. It will be a useful ‘enabling’ tool when planning archaeological research and will surely become a staple for geoarchaeological and archaeological teaching courses.
