World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways Through Time - Tapa dura

An excellent overview for the introductory student in Prehistory and Archaeology. Taking a globalized focus to social complexity, Chazan has created a text that holistically takes humans from their earliest hominin origins through the expansion of civilizations around the world. In doing so, Chazan includes introductory archaeological principles, new information on hominin evolution, and does not preclude the State as a necessity of social complexity.

- Brad Biglow, Florida State College at Jacksonville, USA

An Integrated Picture of Prehistory as an Active Process of Discovery

World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time, fourth edition, provides an integrated discussion of world prehistory and archaeological methods. This text emphasizes the relevance of how we know and what we know about our human prehistory. A cornerstone of World Prehistory and Archaeology is the discussion of prehistory as an active process of discovery. Methodological issues are addressed throughout the text to engage readers.

Archaeological methods are introduced in the first two chapters. Succeeding chapters then address the question of how we know the past to provide an integrated presentation of prehistory. The fourth edition involves readers in the current state of archaeological research, revealing how archaeologists work and interpret what they find. Through the coverage of various new research, author Michael Chazan shows how archaeology is truly a global discipline.

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers will be able to:

* Gain new perspectives and insights into who we are and how our world came into being.

* Think about humanity from the perspective of archaeology.

* Appreciate the importance of the archaeological record for contemporary society.