archaeology [n.] [US also archeology]

the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of physical remains. DERIVATIVES archaeologic, adjective; archaeological, adjective; archaeologist, noun.
- ORIGIN from Greek arkhaios ‘ancient’.

Oxford Dictionaries

This page looks at topics from L to Z including Journals, Landscape Archaeology, Language Origins, Marine Archaeology, Neandertals, Public Archaeology, Stone Artifacts, sites and museums.

The First Page looks at Australian Archaeology and topics from A to K including Archaeology of Civilisations, dating methods, Forensic Archaeology and Human Evolution.

All standard Glossaries are now found on this page, listed alphabetically.

Additional unit material will be included as time permits.

Information is aimed at undergraduate level and is listed in alphabetical groupings. Some information may be useful at a higher level.

Be aware some units/topics have different titles at different universities, even though content may be the same or similar. Australian information is supplied wherever possible.

If you are aware of worthwhile information which is not included, suggestions or additions are welcomed.

Archaeologica News. Updated daily. Podcast, link to a forum and other resources. Hear the news in audio.

Archaeology Journals

• American Journal of Archaeology
  Table of Contents, public access articles.
• Antiquity
  Palaeolithic to the Present. Check current issue or purchase archived papers.
• Archaeological Journal
  From the Royal Archaeological Institute, UK. Select from main menu. Tables of Contents.
• Archaeology Magazine
• Current Anthropology
  Linked to archaeology in Britain. Online version of a print magazine.
• Current Archaeology Journal
  Plus Current World Archaeology and other links.
• Discovering Archaeology
  In conjunction with Scientific American. Articles and information with a major theme each bimonthly issue.
• Internet Archaeology
  ‘The premier e-journal for Archaeology’.
• Journal of Archaeological Science
  Free sample issue, tables of contents.
• Journal of Field Archaeology
  ‘An archaeological quarterly published by Boston University’.
• Journal of Human Evolution
• Journal of World Prehistory
• Oxford Journal of Archaeology
  Electronic journal.

Related Journals & Other Materials

• Cambridge Books and Journals
  Cambridge University. Details available books and journals. Fee-based.
• Science Magazine
  Science news, research. Click on Collections and go to relevant sections for articles in Archaeology. Some full text, some summaries. Limited Free use. Full use is Fee-based.
• Scientific American
  Brilliant information on all areas of science including Archaeology. Possibly the best magazine in the world.
• The New Scientist
  Online & print magazine. Keeps you up to date with all science areas including archaeology.
• VL - Archaeological Resource Guide for Europe
  ‘ARGE database contains links to evaluated Internet resources concerning European archaeology’.

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L - R

Landscape Archaeology

• Archaeological Field Survey
  ‘Methodological process by which archaeologists [often landscape archaeologists] collect information about the location, distribution and organisation of past human cultures across a large area’. Primarily an introduction.
• How The Concept of Landscape Archaeology Has Been Applied
  To The Early Stone Age. Extensive article, short bibliography. Good example.
• Landscape Archaeology in West New Britain
  Report, external links. Provides an example of what the topic is all about.
• Landscape Archaeology
  Article covering four major points plus links to related chapters, glossary and bibliography.
• Landscape Archaeology [Wikipedia]
  Introduction, analysis of landscapes, inequality, archaeology, landscape, references, further reading, other links.
• Reading the land
  Article from British Archaeology magazine looking at development of this field over the last half century.

Language Origins, Archaeology of

• Association for the Study ofLanguage In Prehistory
  ‘Encourage and support the study of language in prehistory in all fields and by all means, including research on the early evolution of human language’. Mother Tongue magazine available online.
• Language Origins Without the Semantic Urge
  ‘Attempts to bring a fresh perspective on this old question’.
• OMLL : The Origin of Man, Language and Languages
  European studies in this area. A huge listing is provided. Worth visiting if only for ideas and to see what others are doing.
• The Hypoglossal Canal …
  And The Origin of Human Vocal Behaviour. Abstract, article, figures & tables, references.
• The Origin and Evolution of Human Language
  Books, Websites, and Other Sources.Listing from an American University.
• The Origins of Speech
  Article, Cambridge Archaeological Journal.

Marine Archaeology

• Naufrágios
  This links to the English version. Portuguese also available. Shipwrecks, archaeology, pictures, magazines, books, links, more.
• Nordic Underwater Archaeology
  ‘Maritime archaeology worldwide, from a north European perspective’. Directories from What is underwater archaeology ? to Tools & Technique. Virtual museum, glossary.
• Marine Archaeology/Shipwrecks
  Western Australian Maritime Museum.
• Methods of Conserving Archaeological Material
  From Underwater Sites. Everything from an introduction through leather, metals, woods, casting & moulding, bibliography. Scroll down to get to these. Texas A & M University.
• Underwater and Maritime Archaeology
  Extensive link collection in sections. Web sites and books included.
• Underwater Archaeology
  French site [in English]. The Discoverers, techniques, site explorations, research teams, The Cosquer Cave.

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Neanderthal Sites

• Archaeological Sites - Combe Grenal
  Article.
• Athena Review
  ‘Modern Human Origins and Neanderthal Extinctions in the Levant’. Article.
• Biological Anthropology Interactive Maps
  Maps of sites, information.
• Cool Links and References
  Mainly Neanderthal links.
• DNA Shows Neandertals Were Not Our Ancestors
  Article.
• French and American Archaeologists
  Find definitive evidence that Neanderthals ate other Neanderthals. Article.
• Homo Neanderthalensis
  From Archaeologyinfo.
• Human Ancestors Hall, Homo Neanderthalensis
  Information, links.
• Internet Archaeology 5. Walker & Gibert
  Article re Neanderthal sites in Murcia Province, Spain.
• Neandertal DNA
  Article from Archaeology Journal.
• Neanderthal
  Wikipedia Entry.
• Neanderthal Bibliography
• Neanderthal Flute
  Article.
• Neanderthal Links
• Neanderthal Man
  View in several languages. Museum, research, education, kids. Some research in other languages. Click on English for that version.
• Neanderthal Man Type Site Rediscovered
  Article.
• Origins
  Article and links to other journal aspects.

Palaeoanthropology

• Palaeontology, Museum of
  University of California. Collections, exhibits, educational resources on the History of Life.
• The Paleonet Pages
  Natural History Museum, London.
• The Paleo Ring
  Some good sites included as part of the Paleo Ring.
• Useful Palaeo. Web Sites
  ‘If you want to access and use the sites other professional palaeontologists use, look here’. Includes Directories, 3D Visualisation, Reference Databases, Infrastructure for Palaeontological Data Analysis and Online Publications.

Public Archaeology

• Archaeology for the Public, Who ? What ? Where ? and Why ?
  ‘The Society for American Archaeology, through its Public Education Committee, has created a set of informational web pages on the topic Archaeology for the Public’.
• Open Archaeology
  From Exarc. European-centric. Does have resources and journal information as well as events and venues.
• Preserving Asia’s Cultural Heritage
  Abstract, information sheet on this topic. Extra links on Cultural Heritage.
• Public Archaeology.com
  11 major directories. Urban archaeology to public archaeology, Archaeology magazine, more.

Rock Art, Archaeology of

• EuRockArt
  European Rock Art Email list.
• Links to Rock Art Sites
  By topic and country/region.
• Petroglyphs, Pictographs and Rock Art [Geology.com]
  Information plus links to further sites.
• Rock Art of India
  Different rock art.
• Rock Art Studies : A Bibliographic Database
• Types of Rock Art
  Brief descriptions compiled by ANU and covering Aboriginal rock art forms.

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S - Z

Sites & Museums

Museums

• Archaeology Museums and Libraries
  Basic listing. No annotations provided.
• Ashmolean Museum
  Oxford. Collections, exhibits, news, what’s on, general information, other sub-sections.
• MAA
  Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Cambridge.

Sites

• Atapuerca - a World Heritage Site
  Atapuerca, Spain. See human fossils found there. Virtual fossils, stone tool information, human evolution information, more.
• Dmanisi
  History, Archaeological site, Homo Georgicus, References, Links, more. From Wikipedia.
• Petra
  Information about this 2 000 year old city and discoveries made there. From Wikipedia.
• The Cave of Lascaux
  Visit via the internet. Use your mouse as a torch, see the wonders.
• The Cave of Chauvet
  Visit the cave online. The cave today, research, different contexts for the cave and its work, more.

Software

Software that is Freeware unless otherwise noted.

• Aristarchos
  ‘Allows the user to search for abbreviations commonly used for periodicals, series and monographs in archaeology’.
• BCal
  ‘On-line Bayesian radiocarbon calibration tool hosted by the Department of Probability and Statistics at the University of Sheffield. Allows researchers from around the world to make use of an integrated framework in which to interpret radiocarbon data and a priori chronological information. Designed for use by researchers already familiar with the radiocarbon dating and calibration process. Has a step-by-step, user-friendly interface’.
• Happydigger
  ‘Can be used for cataloguing archaeological finds. Intended both for semi-professional use and by amateurs [e.g. metal detectorists] who want to keep track of their finds. If images are available, they will be displayed together with the find information’.
• OxCal
  ‘Intended to provide radiocarbon calibration and analysis of archaeological and environmental chronological information. A variety of different chronological models can be included in the analysis. The information for such analysis can be entered using the user interface or in the form of text command files’. Online or download.
• Stratify
  ‘The aim is to lay out the Harris diagram automatically, taking all available information on chronology and groupings into account. Stratify stores the data of the contexts and their stratigraphic relationships in a data base. Interactive and automatic checks are supported in order to detect inconsistent, missing, or contradictory relationships’.
• TimeMap
  ‘Product of the Archaeological Computing Laboratory, University of Sydney. TimeMap TMJava is a novel mapping applet which generates complete interactive maps with a few simple lines of HTML. It provides a way of easily enriching web pages with historical or contemporary information that goes far beyond static jpg map images’.

Stone Artifacts, Archaeology of

• A Catalogue of Lithic Tool Types
  ‘Definitions, descriptions, and illustrations of stone tools from southern New England [US]. Illustrations by Tara Prindle and photographs from the Bull Collection. A separate catalogue of projectile points is also available’. From adze to utilised flake.
• Lithics
  Collection of links categorised for ease of use.
• The Lithics Site
  ‘Archaeologists must be able to draw on the wealth of the earth sciences as well as cross-disciplinary fields such as archaeometry and material sciences. This webliography is intended to aid in this endeavor, providing links not only to archaeological sites of value to lithic archaeologists, but also to relevant sites from those other fields as well’.
• Lithic Technology
  ‘A peer-reviewed journal concerned with dissemination of knowledge about archaeological stone tools. In addition to articles, Lithic Technology publishes comments, book reviews, brief communications, summaries of recent exhibits, knap-ins and other events’.
• Prehistoric Stone Artefacts
  ‘A growing resource designed to introduce you to the archaeology of stone artefacts in Australia. This is an introduction to stone artefacts found in archaeological sites in Australia’.
• SARC
  ‘Reference program containing information about the Typology, Technology, Raw Materials And Study Methods of the Stone Age’.
• What is Lithic Analysis?
  Introductory information relating to the analysis of stone artifacts. Information on chipping, grinding AND battering.

Tutorials

• Archaeology Tutorials by Topic
  Tutorials from Ceramics to Method & Theory.
• MATRIX
  Making Archaeology Teaching Relevant in the Twenty First Century. ‘Designed as a source of information, ideas, and course materials for college and university professors in the United States who teach undergraduate archaeology. The materials provided for each course are complete : Lectures, Bibliography, Assignments, Discussion Topics, Exams. Visual Aids or References are included. In addition, the designers of each course have explained their reasoning for teaching the course the way they teach it in an introductory narrative’.
• Welcome to Internet Archaeologist
  ‘Free, interactive tutorial to improve your Internet research skills in archaeology’..

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