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Archaeology and World Prehistory
Unearthing Our Past
- Christopher R. DeCorse - Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
March 2026 | 400 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Archaeology and World Prehistory: Unearthing Our Past emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the field and its interconnectedness with the four fields of anthropology, sciences, humanities, and beyond. Students new to archaeology will learn key theories and methodologies through rich examples from field work and prehistory. Christopher R. DeCorse challenges ethnocentrism and essentialism by highlighting the differences and similarities across cultures, encouraging critical thinking, cultural appreciation, and global awareness.
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Part I: Uncovering the Past
Chapter 1: Invitation to Archaeology
Chapter 2: Explanation in Archaeology
Chapter 3: The Record of the Past
Part II: Human Origins
Chapter 4: Hominin Evolution
Chapter 5: The Lower and Middle Paleolithic
Chapter 6: Brave New Worlds
Part III: Domestication and Settled Life
Chapter 7: Why Farming?
Chapter 8: The First Farmers in Asia, Africa and Europe
Chapter 9: Farming and Settled Life in the Americas
Part IV: Complexity and the State
Chapter 10: Studying Complexity
Chapter 11: Pyramids, Cities, and States of the Old World
Chapter 12: Complexity in the Americas
Part V: The Past in the Present
Chapter 13: The Past in the Present
Glossary
References
Index
Supplements
Instructor Resource Site
Instructor Resource Site
Online resources included with this text
The online resources for your text are available via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site, which offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.
Instructor Resource Site
Online resources included with this text
The online resources for your text are available via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site, which offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.
A well written and curated textbook, employing clear but precise language that facilitates thorough comprehension for students and professionals alike.
University of Oregon
[Archaeology and World Prehistory: Unearthing Our Past] introduces the development of sociopolitical complexity—a topic that undergraduates often find daunting—in an accessible way. Interweaving cultures and scholarly debates from multiple areas of the world, this textbook would represent a thought-provoking addition to World Prehistory classes.
Lycoming College
This book is well written and very approachable to a student interacting with archaeology and this particular aspect of archaeology for the first time.
Southern Connecticut State University