Books published by BAR Publishing

La presente raccolta contiene 33 articoli in italiano o inglese che, con differenti approcci e prospettive, si concentrano sull'archeologia minoica di Creta, estendendosi tuttavia anche al periodo neolitico e agli inizi dell'età del Ferro. Alcuni articoli presentano evidenze o materiali inediti, mentre altri contribuiscono al dibattito aperto su 'vecchie questioni' con nuove e aggiornate interpretazioni. Lo spettro dei temi toccati dagli autori è ampio: architettura, iconografia, produzione ceramica, paesaggio e territorio, cronologia assoluta e relativa, scritture, relazioni culturali, pratica funeraria, collezionismo e ricezione del passato minoico in età contemporanea. Diversi contributi hanno il loro focus geografico in Festòs, sede del leggendario regno di Rhadamanthys, e Haghia Triada, i siti sui quali si è concentrata l'attività di ricerca di Filippo Carinci. Nel complesso, il volume è una lettura essenziale e aggiornata sia per gli studiosi interessati alla preistoria dell'isola di Creta sia per quelli che si occupano di età del Bronzo in altre aree dell'Egeo.This book gathers together 33 original papers, in Italian and in English, which bring a variety of approaches and perspectives to the Minoan archaeology of Crete, including also the Neolithic period and the beginning of the Early Iron Age. Some of the papers present fresh evidence or materials, while others contribute to ongoing debates with new interpretations. The range of the themes touched by the authors is wide: architecture, iconography, pottery production, landscape and territory, absolute and relative chronology, scripts, cultural relations, funerary practices, collecting and modern reception of the Minoan past. Many contributions focus on Phaistos, seat of the legendary kingdom of Rhadamanthys, and Haghia Triada, the sites to which Filippo Carinci devoted his research activity. As a whole, the volume is essential, up-to-date reading both for scholars interested in the prehistory of the island of Crete and for those working on the Bronze Age of other parts of the Aegean.

This book springs from the compilation of papers and posters presented in 2013 and 2014 at the 2nd and 3rd Enardas Colloquia, entitled 'Living Places, Experienced Places'. The first part, in two chapters, is entitled 'Concepts and tools to study rock art'. The second part, 'From sub-naturalistic to Schematic rock art tradition', discusses various expressions of recorded art in the hinterland area of northwest Iberia, as well as expressions of the schematic art tradition from north-central Portugal. The third part, 'Atlantic tradition rock art' comprises four chapters. The fourth part, 'Other styles', includes five chapters focusing on depictions that the book editors consider distinct from the best-known regional styles.Edited by Ana M. S. Bettencourt, Manuel Santos Estevez, Hugo A. Sampaio and Daniela Cardoso

Il libro tratta delle fortificazioni urbane dell'antica città di Iasos, in Asia Minore. Sono analizzati sotto il profilo architettonico, tipologico, tattico e tecnico-costruttivo i sistemi fortificatori concepiti per la difesa della città della costa caria, a partire dai resti riferibili all'epoca classica, fino al periodo tardo bizantino, con particolare riferimento al circuito murario posto a contorno dell'insediamento urbano insulare. Sono altresì documentati episodi di architettura fortificata ascrivibili alla cosiddetta cinta di terraferma di epoca ellenistica, al kastron bizantino presso l'istmo e al castello posto alla sommità dell'acropoli. Le strutture emergenti sono analizzate attraverso gli strumenti propri dell'architetto rilevatore, mediante la restituzione grafica dei dati di rilievo prelevati in situ relativi ai segmenti di fortificazione ritenuti più significativi, con metodologie integrate. Particolare attenzione è riservata alla lettura delle tecniche costruttive impiegate e all'individuazione delle diverse fasi diacroniche che connotano questi complessi palinsesti, anche attraverso localizzate indagini stratigrafiche degli elevati. Le ipotesi interpretative avvengono attraverso il confronto di tali dati con le fonti storiche e archeologiche.This book presents the urban fortifications of the ancient city of Iasos, in Asia Minor. The fortification systems built for the defence of the city of the Carian coast are analysed from an architectural, typological, tactical and technical-constructive standpoint, from the remains datable to the classical era up to the late Byzantine period, with particular reference to the circuit wall placed around the edge of the insular urban settlement. Other examples of fortified building are also documented, including the walls of the Hellenistic mainland, the Byzantine kastron that runs alongside the isthmus and the castle at the top of the acropolis. The emerging structures are analysed using the tools of the surveyor-architect, through the graphic representation of survey data taken from significant fortification segments, using integrated methodologies. Particular attention is given to the recognition of the building techniques employed and to the identification of the different diachronic phases that characterize these complex palimpsests, as well as by localized stratigraphic investigation of the structures. Interpretative hypotheses are drawn from the comparison of these data with historical and archaeological sources.

Excavations carried out in the 1960s on the site of the Carmelite Friary at Coventry, England, revealed the lost church, of unexpected size and splendour, adjoining the standing cloister E range. It was founded in 1342 by Sir John Poulteney, a pre-eminent merchant and Draper, and Lord Mayor of London. The report includes the first detailed examination of the standing E claustral range by the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, probably the finest medieval friary claustral range to survive in N Europe. This is augmented by historical illustrations, many here published for the first time. There is also a study of the exceptionally fine surviving choir stalls, with the arms of several later London mayors, which originally seated up to 90 friars. These were set above acoustic chambers in the choir to amplify their singing. Only three other sets of friary choir stalls are known to exist in Britain. An attempt is made to reconstruct the appearance of the friary in its 10 acre (c.4ha) precinct in the 15th century, including the highly unusual architectural expression of the chapter house; the reredorter and the gate houses. Comparative plans of other Carmelite houses in Britain and Europe are illustrated for comparison, some for the first time.With contributions by Chris Caple, John Cattell, Geof Egan, Helen Howard, Philip Kiberd, Helen List, Graham Morgan, James Rackham, Stephanie Ratkai, Charles Tracy, Hugh Willmott and Paul Woodfield

The growth of the city of Rome was dependent on its ability to exploit successfully the human and natural resources of its hinterland.

Section 11: Âge du Bronze en Europe et en Méditerranée / Bronze Age in Europe and the Mediterranean.Acts of the XIVth UISPP Congress, University of Liège, Belgium, 2-8 September 2001.16 papers (13 in English, 3 in French) on the study of early tin from the UISPP Congress in Liège in September 2001.

Papers from a session held at the European Association of Archaeologists Fourth Annual Meeting in Göteborg 1998The contents of this volume are largely made up from papers delivered at The Prehistory and Early History of Atlantic Europe session held on the 25th of September 1998 at the 4th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Göteborg, Sweden. The aim of this volume, in common with the original aim of the session, is quite simply to promote wider discussion on the existence, scale, and significance of maritime communications between Atlantic communities.

Belt buckles have long been recognised as an integral part of the costume of early medieval men and women. As items of dress, buckles and belt suites were subject to regional diversity as well as changes in fashion. This makes them especially valuable for the investigation of typological and chronological variation, particularly as belt sets which were imported into Anglo-Saxon England from the Continent provide a strong link to the coin-based chronologies there. As coin-dated graves are largely absent from Anglo-Saxon England until the seventh century, belt buckles offer the potential to refine the chronology for Anglo-Saxon artefacts in general. This work investigates the classification and development as well as social significance of Anglo-Saxon beltbuckles from the late fifth to the early eighth centuries. The book explores the non-utilitarian significance that objects can have in general and the way different classes of dress accessories were used in Anglo-Saxon society in particular, to create and maintain social relations. A chapter reviews the literature on belt buckles. This includes the most important articles on late Roman belt equipment and covers British as well as Continental publications. The core of this book is a typology for early Anglo-Saxon belt buckles. Buckles without plate and with plate are allocated to 40 Types and Typegroups, which have 37 sub-Type(group)s, some of which are further subdivided into variants. Each Type or Typegroup is examined with regard to its characteristics, chronology and comparative pieces. A consideration of costume follows, including the evidence for leather belts and clothing and introduces contemporary depictions of belts and buckles. Also included are analyses of the modes of production and distribution of early Anglo-Saxon buckles, assessing the cultural connections with Roman Britain, Merovingian France, Byzantium and the Mediterranean, and Scandinavia reflected in these buckles.

Historical, Artistic and Archaeological Studies on Medieval Europe (1000-1400 A.D.)Serie Ibérica I / Iberian Series IEste libro pretende contribuir al esclarecimiento de propiedades materiales, disposiciones visuales y aptitudes ceremoniales de una selección representativa de catedrales medievales, entendidas como patrimonio vertebral de la construcción de la compleja y plural identidad europea. Los análisis contenidos en estas páginas examinan los contextos históricos y artísticos en los que surgieron diferentes catedrales. Los estudios aquí reunidos nacen de la conciencia de que algunos de nuestros monumentos catedralicios aún requieren una relectura bajo ópticas diferentes y complementarias. Hemos pretendido ensanchar vías de estudio relativas a la fabricación de los marcos arquitectónicos, pero también del uso ritual de las catedrales operadas entre los siglos IX y XIII. Así, partiendo de los datos disponibles sobre la historia constructiva de cada edificio, se razonan algunas de las morfogénesis y metamorfosis que registra la misma. Para allanar ese conocimiento, se ha indagando sobre los motivos cultuales, devocionales, funcionales o de visualización teológica que pudieron, de un modo u otro, alterar la configuración originaria y dirigir las actuaciones reformadoras. El resultado ha sido elocuentemente plural.This book is intended to help shed light on the material properties, visual layouts and ceremonial attributes of a representative selection of medieval cathedrals - the buildings that provide a physical foundation for the construction of the complex and plural European identity. The analyses in this collection examine the historical and artistic contexts in which different cathedrals emerged. The papers collected here were born of the realisation that some of our cathedral monuments still require further examination, under different and complementary lenses. The authors have tried to expand the channels of enquiry relating to both the architectural influences and the ritual uses of cathedrals built from the 9th to 13th centuries. They have used the data available on the construction history of each building to attempt to explain the reasons behind its morphogenesis and metamorphosis. To strengthen this knowledge, they have investigated the theological imagery and the devotional and functional motives that, taken together, altered each cathedral's original configuration. The results have been tellingly diverse.

The Bono Manso region of central Ghana was occupied from the late 12th to mid-18th centuries CE, spanning much of the zenith of the sub-Saharan and Atlantic Trade eras. Bono Manso was a nascent urban centre near a primary trade route that linked the Malian city of Jenne with the Akan goldfields. By integrating new archaeological data with oral, historical and archival data, the author discusses how the satellite village of Kranka Dada and its domestic economies were shaped by regional, continental and global trade and interaction. A household-oriented focus allows for discussion of how daily life at Kranka Dada, the economic, political and religious organization, were shaped by interaction with Bono Manso.

Urban space constitutes a place where people and animals live together in close proximity with each other, creating changing landscapes of co-existence, conflict, mutual dependencies and exploitation. The medieval animals found in the articles of Animaltown: Beasts in Medieval Urban Space, appear in text and image, as well as archaeological find materials in the form of butchery waste, kitchen refuse, debris from manufacturing osseous objects, and the objects themselves. This multiplicity of sources sheds light on the ways towns fed themselves, protected themselves and created their personal landscapes and views of themselves through the power of metaphor and symbol involving the array of beasts, great and small, surrounding them.The general theme uniting the papers in this volume is the range of factors influencing the mutual relationship between humans and the animals that surrounded them within the densely built and occupied spaces created by people in towns and their hinterlands. Animals are found as urban symbols, decorative motifs and representations. They appear as key elements in food traditions and meat-processing, economic and trade structures, hygiene and disease, as well as craft activities that exploited a variety of animal products. Beasts of all kinds played many different roles in the lives of people in the Middle Ages, from the highest levels of society to the lowest of the low. Conversely, intimate contact with humans in these environments also shaped the lives and behaviour of both wild and domestic animals in many profound ways, both evident and subtle. The volume will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in the connection between urban animals and people in medieval times.

Cette recherche de doctorat est le fruit d'une analyse innovante de l'architecture méso-américaine, et plus précisément de la planification urbaine et du temple mayas. Elle touche aux domaines de l'archéologie, de l'anthropologie, de la symbolique et de la sémiologie. L'auteur montre, grâce à une documentation extensive, que l'architecture maya répond à un modèle d'ordre sémantique, où chaque construction anthropique est réalisée selon une codification particulière respectant la forme du glyphe, créant ainsi un espace urbain scriptural , et par conséquent, hautement symbolique. Cette étude mène non seulement à une nouvelle interprétation de la fonction du temple et à la création d'un modèle de caractérisation des édifices non pyramidaux comme temples, mais également, par l'acquisition d'une perspective anthropologique interne, à une relecture des concepts-clés de la cosmologie méso-américaine.This book, based on the author's PhD research, is the result of an innovative analysis of Mesoamerican architecture, and especially of the temple and the urban planning concept of Maya ceremonial centres. The study draws on the fields of archaeology, anthropology, symbolic and semiology. The author shows, thanks to an extensive corpus, that Maya architecture responds to a semantic code. In fact, each human construction is built according to a particular glyph-shaped arrangement, creating in this way a 'writing urban space', and is, therefore, highly symbolic. This analysis leads not only to a new model for characterising as temples buildings which are not pyramidal, but also, through the acquisition of an internal perspective, to a reinterpretation of some of the key concepts of Mesoamerican cosmology.

Durante los días 23,24 y 25 de octubre de 2014 se desarrolló en Mérida (Yucatán, México) dentro de Festival de Cultura Maya (FICMAYA) el congreso Cultura y Patrimonio Mexicano del siglo XXI orientado a reflexionar en torno a diferentes aspectos tipos de patrimonio (arqueológico, arquitectónico, documental), aspectos a tener en cuenta en su gestión, formas diferentes tratar el patrimonio desde perspectivas institucionales o bien privadas en algunos casos. Así mismo, se han presentado propuesta de ejemplos de gestión de carácter comunitario. El volumen Patrimonio tangible e intangible mexicano: una reflexión tiene por lo tanto como objetivo el análisis y la reflexión en torno a diferentes aspectos vinculados con el patrimonio: educación, sociedad y cultura como ejes vertebradores de la realidad actual de un país como México y una sociedad como la Yucateca jalonada de evidencias del pasado en todos sus pueblos y ciudades.On the 23rd, 24th and 25th of October 2014, a conference on Mexican Culture and Heritage in the Twenty-First Century was held in Merida (Yucatán, Mexico), as part of the Festival of Mayan Culture (FICMAYA). The purpose of this conference was to reflect on different aspects and types of heritage (archaeological, architectural, documentary), on the factors to be taken into account in its management, and on different ways to treat heritage from institutional or, in some cases, private perspectives. At the same time, examples of community management were proposed. The volume Patrimonio tangible e intangible mexicano: una reflexión thus has as its objectives both the analysis of and reflection about various issues related to heritage, education, society and culture as the backbone of the contemporary reality of a country like Mexico and of a society such as that of the Yucatán, which shows evidence of the past in all its towns and cities.

In 1990 the University of Minnesota carried out an architectural survey of the standing remains of the Bronze Age Palace of Nestor, discovered by Carl Blegen in 1939 and excavated from 1952 to 1966. While the first stone-by-stone state plan of the building was being created, it became clear that some of the architectural assumptions about the structure and its history could not be correct. Over the next eight years the Blegen-period backfill covering the site was systematically removed so that a complete architectural plan could be prepared. The work was carried out using the protocols of an archaeological excavation. Although only backfill was removed, numerous unexpected finds were recovered, ranging from discarded Linear B tablets and wall painting fragments to roof tiles and pottery; in addition, a detailed study of the architecture revealed evidence for startling new conclusions about the structure of the palace and the history of the site.Part I - New Studies at the Palace of NestorWith contributions by Todd M. Brenningmeyer, Frederick A. Cooper, Joshua N. Distler, Caitlin Downey, Anne B. Hollond, Eleni M. Konstantinidi-Syvridi, George Otto Marquardt, Shawn A. RossPart II - The Architecture of the Palace of Nestorby Michael C. Nelson

This book presents a study of Neolithisation and the chronological sequence of Neolithic cultures in the Near East. Focusing on the years between 10,500 and 6200 BC, the authors start with empirical data in an attempt to reveal not only cultures, but the territorial limits of these cultures -their borders-and their possible interactions with time. The geographical zone covered comprises the two branches of the area known traditionally as the Fertile Crescent, as well as the steppe/desert zone which they encompass. A full Appendix presents a catalogue and find distribution sites. Preface by F. Hole.

Written by Thomas Völling. Edited by Holger Baitinger, Alexandru Popa und Gabriele Rasbach.The present study concentrates on the question whether the time around the birth of Christ was a period of change for ancient Germania. In order to approach this question the extensive find material (including fibulae forms) was structured chronologically by means of selected cemeteries and individual graves. It becomes clear that, at least in continental Europe, the change of the material culture occurred in comparable periods and thus the formation of horizons of more than just regional validity is possible. The material remains of the period around the birth of Christ were divided into five horizons, starting with the "horizon of bent fibulae" before the mid 1st cent. B.C. and ending after the mid 1st cent. A.D. In German with an English summary.

This is a study of the Christianisation of the built environment: the physical manifestation of the transition from paganism to Christianity in the Greek East. The core of the work comprises an archaeological exploration of temple conversion in terms of structural mechanics, logistics, chronology and socio-political implications. The author provides a re-assessment of the fate of the temples - their deconsecration, destruction, preservation, abandonment and re-utilisation - by supplementing and questioning the historical record through reference to the wealth of available archaeological evidence. Detailed chapters on the mechanics and chronology of particular forms of conversion scenario illustrate the emergence of an architectural vocabulary of temple conversion from the middle of the 5th century. In order to assess the impact of change on a local level, these primary issues are addressed through the archaeology of provincial Cilicia. Archaeological, historical and epigraphical evidence from over 250 structures in which the influence of a pre-existing temple has been detected, have been incorporated into a highly detailed database, providing a platform for information management and the analysis of trends in the fate of the temples. By looking beyond the subjective narratives of the primary historical sources, this study demonstrates that the archaeological evidence can provide us with a deeper understanding of the complexity and variability of temple conversion as it occurred in individual urban contexts. This has enabled the formulation of a more coherent picture of its significance and situation in the cultural and physical transformation of the late antique city.

This monograph is a first attempt to present a general outline of the economic evolution of the province of Scythia (4th-6th centuries AD) from a ceramic point of view. The author aims to fill a gap in Romanian archaeological research, where ceramic studies focused more on form and decoration of the ceramic vessels than on the economic inferences to be drawn from this ubiquitous archaeological material. This study will be of interest not only to specialists in Roman ceramics but also to historians of the ancient economy. The monograph is divided into two parts. The first discusses the typology of the ceramic vessels, and the second analyses the economic implications of the ceramic finds themselves.

Why another book on violence in prehistory? Do we have enough evidence to draw meaningful conclusions on the importance and meaning of violent interactions among sedentary and semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers of Europe? What methodological and theoretical questions do we hope to answer with this volume? Many questions on the evidence and meaning of confirmed violent interactions remain unresolved even as more and more books appear on the topic. This volume was prompted by the editor's research in the Iron Gates Gorge and the 8 papers presented here reflect a similar puzzlement felt by each of the participants while examining the evidence of trauma and possible or probable interpersonal violence. As a framework for this volume, Mesolithic societies are defined as sedentary or semi-sedentary prehistoric hunter-gatherers with no temporal or geographical limitations usually associated with this term, allowing for comparisons between temporally and geographically remote regional groups. While the number of societies presented could have been much larger, the 8 articles in this volume present a number of different approaches, focuses and expertise. What seems to unite them is the call for minute examination of osteological evidence and broad understanding of contextual data.

Prior to the last decade, few cylinder seals and no impressed sealings had ever been discovered in Predynastic Egyptian archaeological contexts. This monograph reviews important new finds from Abydos (Upper Egyptian Cemetery U) which demonstrate that cylinder seals were indeed used for sealing purposes, as well as other finds from Egypt and Nubia, which may be reevaluated in light of these discoveries. Seals and sealings from Lower Nubia and the southern Palestinian site of 'En Besor are examined to trace the development of the Predynastic Egyptian glyptic style from the Naqada IId period to the beginning of the First Dynasty. This development is used to suggest a sequence for other Predynastic art works without provenance. The social and political implications of early Egyptian cylinder seal use are also examined using models established in the study of Mesopotamian seal use and sealing practices

The 14 papers in this volume are taken from a conference held in Edinburgh in 2004. When the organisers called for papers for a conference on Games and Festivals they had no idea the response would be so varied-ranging from Minoan bull leaping to Samoan kilikiti-or that the papers would turn out to be so thematically interrelated. The response has shown that it is not so much the mechanics of the games or the actions carried out at ancient festivals that fascinate modern scholars as their social and political significance and the way the theme could be manipulated by writers and artists. Games and festivals were at the heart of Classical societies, playing a much more important role than in modern western societies (even taking football into account). Festivals structured the year and were inextricably bound up with the structures of society. Games and festivals are also closely linked, as most competitive games took place at a festival, or at least in a religious context, even, it seems, cock fighting and dicing, and many festivals contained elements of competition. Competitiveness pervades Greek and Roman life-and this is reflected in literature and art. In this, an Olympic year, a new selection of papers on Classical games and festivals is especially welcome.

The papyri presented in this volume (the second volume in the Lahun series: cf. BAR 1083: 'Letters') range across all categories between letters and accountancy documents (to form the final BAR volume, forthcoming) and five broad groupings have been adopted for this work - 'Religious, Literary, Legal, Mathematical, and Medical'. As in the 'Letters' volume, the printed pages present updated transcriptions with transliterations for all but the smallest fragments. The entire collection is presented in digitized photographic form in the accompanying CD.

This conference in honour of Randi Haaland was held in Bergen in September 2001. Although the title of the conference was ambitious, the aim was to highlight current research problems in fields where Randi Halaand has been particularly active. The current volume contains the proceedings of the conference, thus fulfilling its aims. The largest session was reserved for "Approaches in African Archaeology" since Africa is the continent where the majority of Randi Halaand's work has been conducted.

From 1981 to 1990, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), in conjunction with Texas A&M University (TAMU) and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, excavated a portion of the underwater English colonial city of Port Royal in Jamaica. Port Royal, an important international commercial centre in the late 17th century, was destroyed in 1692 by an earthquake, which sank over half of the city beneath the waters of Kingston Bay. The INA/TAMU investigation has resulted in an extensive collection of artifacts and other material remains contemporary with the disaster. This study examines the ceramic inventory of one of the most fully excavated buildings in the heart of old Port Royal. As household wares, the pottery vessels recovered from the site provide important data on the customs and standard of living of the building's occupants. By extension, they reveal certain social aspects of the town as a whole and provide information about the kinds of material goods that were available to New World colonial settlers at the end of the 17th century. Minimum vessel counts, by ceramic ware, form, and functional classification, are the basis for the analysis. The assemblage is looked at in the general context of all of the ceramics recovered from the Port Royal site, as investigated by INA/TAMU. It is also compared with similarly well-dated groups from two non-Jamaican sites. English pottery inventories from the 17th century and household probate inventories from Port Royal are examined to cast light on ceramic usage and markets. Social commentaries of the period and northern European paintings of interior scenes provide a snapshot of the everyday roles of ceramic vessels.

This new series is in the same format as Studies in the History of Collections and Studies in Classical Archaeology. It is intended for studies in gems and jewellery from ancient to neo-classical, both monographs and the publication of contents of collections, and is inspired by the Beazley Archive's rich resources of gem impressions and casts, gathered first by Sir John Beazley himself. This second volume, Classical Phoenician Scarabs A catalogue and study, is the result of some years of collecting records of the green jasper scarabs of the Mediterranean world in the course of research on other glyptic, Greek and Persian. The principal aim is to present the material in catalogue form, arranged by subject, and accompanied by selective illustration. (The first volume (2003), Classical and Eastern Intaglios, Rings and Cameos, by C. Wagner and J. Boardman, publishes a selection of gems from a private collection formed between 1921 and about 1970. They range from 3rd-millennium BC cylinder seals of Mesopotamia, to Neo-classical engravings of the 19th century AD, and include prime specimens also of Greek, Etruscan, Roman and Sasanian glyptic.

This extensive book is organised into three parts. Part one discusses the changing perspectives of the 'Mesolithic' and 'Neolithic', in particular the changing way that the two periods have been viewed in relation to economy and subsistence. Continuity in economic and subsistence patterns between the 'Mesolithic' and 'Neolithic' of Britain and Ireland are examined in detail. Part two begins with a theoretical chapter which outlines and overviews the past and current use standard social theory. The following chapters look at the evidence for human social behaviour relating to occupation, mobility, clearing woodland, construction, the deposition of artefacts and the distribution and treatment of human and animal skeletal material. The large corpus of literature illustrates the continuity that is present in the empirical evidence between the 'Mesolithic' and 'Neolithic'. Part three, which contains a case study chapter and the conclusion, applies the arguments and observations made in Parts one and two to a case study of the Avebury region. The case study documents the archaeological and environmental data gathered over the last few centuries which identifies continuity in human social behaviour across the 'Mesolithic'/'Neolithic' divide, from the early tenth to the late fifth millennium BP. The case study concludes that a complex and intermeshed patterning of human activity occurred across the landscape from the early tenth to the late fifth millennium BP and that the 'Mesolithic' and 'Neolithic' represent one tradition of 'action', whatever specific verbalised meanings may have been involved. Finally, the book concludes that the current discourse's interpretive approaches adversely affect our ability to identify past human social behaviour which has no direct parallel in either the observed and/or the documented social life of the present or the recent past.

Early and Middle Palaeolithic studies have recently been greatly improved by the application of modern technological methods. These studies are very much based upon lithic production systems, basically the methods by which ancient peoples made their stone tools, and their relative aspects in terms of culture, environment and economic values. Up until recently many previous studies have been concerned with different flaking methods, and how they have varied. This BAR is about one of these methods known as the 'discoid flaking method' and follows on from previous studies. There are fifteen papers in this study, nine of which are in French. These articles discuss the discoid assemblages of Europe and its environs, either to outline the main features of discoid lithic tools, or to illustrate the layout of a particular archaeological context, or in order to show the varying levels of technology used by the Palaeolithic peoples who made these tools. The discoid method is not very well known, and is also often unclear in many areas for which it is present. The editor starts by defining exactly what this flaking procedure is, and relates it to previous examples, expecting new information gained from a more scientific approach. The majority of the contributions to this study are focused on newly acquired results either from recent excavations, or from the re-examination of older sites, and how these results relate to the definition of variability of the discoid flaking method. The number of reports in French indicate how France is the central area of study for discoid lithic technology, as well as being the main area of lithic research in general.

This volume presents a selection from a large private collection of engraved gems, finger rings and cylinder seals. It was created from 1921 through the 1960s from various sources, and includes many examples from old collections that had come on to the market, notably the Evans, Southesk, and (for later gems) Poniatowski, as well as many purchased from dealers and in auctions. They are now in the possession of the collector's son, who encouraged this publication. Boardman had already published a selection, mainly of the Greek and Etruscan gems from the collection, in Intaglios and Rings (London, Thames and Hudson, 1975), and these stones have since been purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu (except for nos. 9, 17, 86, 149, 154, 205-208). The present selection also includes some early gems, omitted from the earlier publication for various reasons, but it is mainly devoted to the Hellenistic and Roman, as well as to a choice of the many Sasanian stones, cylinder seals, other eastern, and Neo-classical. The selection has been determined by the apparent interest of each piece for either its style or its subject, but also represents a fairly typical range of gem engraving through the Greek and Roman worlds, and outside it - including Etruscan, Greco-Persian, Syrian, Persian, Phoenician, Sasanian and the early production of cylinders in the near east. This is the type of material that was available for collectors in the first half of the last century. The catalogue takes the form of a descriptive handlist rather than a catalogue raisonné, with select comparanda, and with more attention paid to the puzzling or important pieces. Of these there are several of the highest quality, and several of exceptional archaeological or iconographic interest. The prime motive has been to make much of the collection known to scholars who might wish to take study of individual pieces further. To this end the publication of mainly unprovenanced engraved gems is of no less importance than that of unprovenanced decorated vases. This volume inaugurates the new series Studies in Gems and Jewellery.

Proceedings of the Second International Meeting of Anthracology, Paris, September 2000

Edited by Peter Attema, Gert-Jan Burgers, Ester Van Joolen, Martijn Van Leusen and Benoît Mater.The 7 sections in this volume represent the proceedings of the three-day international conference 'Regional Pathways to Complexity' held in April 2000 at the University of Groningen. They bring together expert contributions on a broad range of common themes in Mediterranean landscape archaeology - including: the comparison of settlement histories across projects and regions; the methods and methodologies involved in analysing regional settlement data; the relationship between pottery technology and production and societal proceses such as urbanisation and colonisation; the potential of land use models based on land evaluation techniques; and the archaeological study of past landscape perception from an urban and colonial perspective. To students of Italian archaeology, and Mediterranean archaeology in general, the papers and workshop discussions will serve as an excellent introduction to these subjects and their complexities, conveying the state-of-the-art in Mediterranean landscape archaeology.