List of illustrations. Preface. Acknowledgements. Part 1: The Idea of the Past 1. The intellectual history of archaeology 2. The emergence of archaeological methods 3. The recognition and study of artefacts 4. Human origins 5. From hunting to farming 6. The discovery of civilizations 7. Achievements of early archaeology 8. Guide to further reading Part 2: Discovery and Investigation 1. Sites or landscapes? 2. Field archaeology 3. Remote sensing 4. Geographical information systems (GIS) 5. Landscape archaeology 6. Conclusions 7. Guide to further reading Part 3: Excavation 1. The development of excavation techniques 2. The interpretation of stratification 3. Planning an excavation 4. Excavation strategy 5. Records, archives and publication 6. Guide to further reading Part 4: Dating the Past 1. Background 2. Typology and cross-dating 3. Historical dating 4. Scientific dating techniques 5. Absolute techniques 6. Derivative techniques 7. The authenticity of artefacts 8. Conclusions 9. Guide to further reading Part 5: Archaeological Science 1. The nature of science 2. The environment 3. Climate 4. The geosphere 5. The biosphere 6. Humans 7. Artefacts and raw materials 8. Conservation 9. Statistics 10. Experimental archaeology 11. Conclusions 12. Guide to further reading Part 6: Making Sense of the Past 1. Where is archaeology at the beginning of the twenty-first century? 2. Archaeological theory 3. Towards processual archaeology 4. Towards postprocessual archaeology 5. Interpretive archaeology 6. Archaeology and the public 7. Conclusion 8. Guide to further reading Glossary Bibliography Index 50 new topic boxes integrated into chapters.