Archaeologists today need a wide range of scientific approaches in order to delineate and interpret the ecology of their sites. Dena Dincauze has written an authoritative and essential guide to a variety of archaeological methods, ranging from techniques for measuring time with isotopes and magnetism to the sciences of climate reconstruction, geomorphology, sedimentology, soil science, paleobotany and faunal paleoecology. Professor Dincauze insists that borrowing concepts from other disciplines demands a critical understanding of their theoretical roots. Moreover, the methods that are chosen must be appropriate to particular sets of data. The applications of the methods needed for an holistic human-ecology approach in archaeology are illustrated by examples ranging from the Paleolithic, through classical civilizations, to recent urban archaeology.

‘The text is comprehensive ... as an overview of many aspects of environmental archaeology and related subjects it is hard to beat.’

Hannah O’Regan Source: The Palaeontological Association Newsletter

‘In short, any archaeologist who seeks to place their cultural studies into an environmental context should read this book, regardless of whether they are practising environmentalists or not.’

Adam Gardner Source: The Holocene