Archaeologies of the Middle East: Critical Perspectives (Wiley Blackwell Studies in Global Archaeology)

Archaeologies of the Middle East provides an innovative introduction to the archaeology of this fascinating region and a window on both its past and present. Written by some of the top archaeologists of the Middle East: scholars from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of interests and intellectual approaches Coverage spans 100,000 years: from the Paleolithic to Hellenistic times Explores the connections between modern-day politics and the social context of archaeological practice and various underutilized approaches to archaeological interpretation Designed for student use A Cultural-historical Framework / Reinhard Bernbeck And Susan Pollock -- Producing And Disseminating Knowledge About The Ancient Near East / Reinhard Bernbeck And Susan Pollock -- Who Has Not Eaten Cherries With The Devil? Archaeology Under Challenge / Caroline Steele -- Archaeology And Nationalism In The Holy Land / Adel Yahya -- Archaeology Goes To War At The Newstand / Susan Pollock -- The Past As Fact Or Fiction From Historical Novels To Novel Histories / Reinhard Bernbeck -- Reassessing Evolutionary Firsts / Reinhard Bernbeck And Susan Pollock -- Bleeding Or Breeding : Neandertals Vs. Early Modern Humans In The Middle Paleolithic Levant / John Shea -- Lumps Of Clay And Pieces Of Stone : Ambiguity, Bodies, And Identity As Portrayed In Neolithic Figurines / Ian Kuijt And Meredith Chesson -- The State : The Process Of State Formation As Seen From Mesopotamia / Jean-daniel Forest -- Archaeology, Bible, And The History Of The Levant In The Iron Age / Israel Finkelstein -- Imperialism / Mario Liverani -- Constructing Arguments, Understanding Perceptions / Reinhard Bernbeck And Susan Pollock -- Ethnoarchaeology, Analogy, And Ancient Society / Marc Verhoeven -- The Ancient Sumerians In The Tides Of Time / Petr Charvát -- Reliquaries On The Landscape : Mounds As Matrices Of Human Cognition / Sharon Steadman -- Archaeology And Texts In The Ancient Near East / Paul Zimansky -- Representations, Reality, And Ideology / Jennifer Ross. Edited By Susan Pollock And Reinhard Bernbeck. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 'Archaeology of the Near East', a collection of newly commissioned chapters written by experts in the field, seeks to provide an overview of this central area of archaeological research and teaching, and to provide a rich treatment of this fascinating subject It is ever more common these days for archaeologists to acknowledge that their profession is a Western product that emerged, like so many other academic disciplines, in the context of the European Enlightenment.