Archaeologists have long recognised that they study past worlds which may be quite unlike our own. But how are we to cope with the difference of the past if our own circumstances are unique within human history? What if archaeology itself depends on ways of thinking that are specific to the modern western world? This is the first book-length study to explore the relationship between archaeology and modern thought, showing how philosophical ideas that developed in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries still dominate our approach to the material remains of ancient societies. It discusses the modern emphasis on method rather than ethics or meaning, our understanding of change in history and nature, the role of the nation-state in forming our views of the past, and contemporary notions of human individuality, the mind, and materiality. Julian Thomas also addresses the modern preoccupation with depth, which enables archaeology to be used as a metaphor in other disciplines. The book concludes by advocating a 'counter-modern' archaeology, which refuses to separate material evidence from political, moral, rhetorical and aesthetic concerns, as well as meaning. As the first book to place archaeology in the context of the history of ideas, and to highlight the complex and profound nature of modern society's relationship with archaeology, this text offers important insights for everyone involved with the discipline
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN-13
9780415271561
eBay Product ID (ePID)
94681826
Product Key Features
Author
Julian Thomas
Publication Name
Archaeology and Modernity
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Subject
Archaeology
Publication Year
2004
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
288 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
234mm
Item Width
156mm
Item Weight
612g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Julian Thomas
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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