Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 10

Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 10 focuses on the progress of methodologies, approaches, techniques, and principles employed in archaeological method and theory. The selection first elaborates on the formation of ethnographic collections, colonization of islands by humans, and shellfish gathering and Shell midden archaeology. Discussions focus on archaeological excavation and interpretation of Shell middens, shellfish gathering in practice and theory, island geometrical properties relevant to colonization, archaeological applications of biogeographical principles, and principles of museum collecting. The text then takes a look at the formation processes of archaeobotanical record and archaeofaunas and butchery studies, including identification of taphonomic agents, a taphonomic approach to the analysis of butchering, approaches to understanding differential preservation, cultural transformations of the archaeobotanical record, and environmental transformation processes. The book examines bioarchaeological interpretations of subsistence economy and behavior from human skeletal remains, as well as activity patterns in the archaeological past, changing directions in bioarchaeology, and health and disease in the archaeological past. The selection is a valuable reference for archaeologists and researchers interested in archaeological method and theory.