D.R. Brothwell and A.M. Pollard have got together to create the first large scale review of the many sciences which contribute to modern archaeology for over 30 years. The Handbook of Archaeological Sciences is intended to bring together a substantial overview of the sciences in archaeology in one complete volume. The book is organised under eight broad headings: dating, quaternary palaeoenvironments, human palaeobiology, developments in biomolecular archaeology, resource exploitation, archaeological prospection, conservation science in the archaeological context and statistical and computer applications. The contributors, who are all well-known in their own areas of expertise, bring together in each chapter the basic science and the relevance of this science to the overall goal of archaeology - understanding humans in the past. This book is an invaluable source of reference for those interested in archaeology, anthropology, quaternary studies, geography, palaeoecology, computing, biology, chemistry and physics, those involved in commercial and local authority field archaeology units, museums and archaeological organisations.

Table of Contents:
List of Contributors. Foreword: Martin Aitken FRS. Acknowledgements. Introduction: Archaeological Science: a current Perspective (D. Brothwell & A. Pollard). Section 1. DATING. Overview - Dating in Archaeology: Past, Present and Future (R. Hedges). 1. Quaternary Geochronological Frameworks (J. Lowe). 2. Radiocarbon Dating (R. Taylor). 3. Dendrochronology and Other Applications of Tree-ring Studies in Archaeology (P. Kuniholm). 4. Trapped Charge Dating (ESR, TL, OSL) (R. Grün). 5. Uranium-Series Dating (A. Latham). 6. Magnetic Properties and Archaeomagnetism (R. Sternberg). 7. Obsidian Hydration Dating (W. Ambrose). 8. In Situ Cosmogenic Isotopes: Principles and Potential for Archaeology (F. Stuart). Section 2. QUATERNARY PALAEOENVIRONMENTS. Overview - Environmental Reconstruction (K. Edwards). 9. Modelling Quaternary Environments (A. Wise). 10. Insects as Palaeoenvironmental Indicators (M. Robinson). 11. Non-Marine Mollusca and Archaeology (R. Preece). 12. Mammals as Climatic Indicators (D. Yalden). 13. Peat Stratigraphy and Climate Change (K. Barber & P. Langdon). 14. Archaeology and Soil Micromorphology (D. Davidson & I. Simpson). 15. Taphonomic Investigations (R. Nicholson). 16. Global Biogeochemical Cycles and Isotope Systematics - How the World Works (A. Pollard & L. Wilson). Section 3: HUMAN PALAEOBIOLOGY. Overview - Human Palaeobiology: Then and Now (J. Buikstra). 17. Pleistocene and Holocene Hominid Evolution (D. Brothwell). 18. Human Palaeobiology as Human Ecology (H. Schutkowski). 19. Disease Ecology (D. Ortner). 20. Assessment of Age at Death and Sex in the Adult Human Skeleton (M. Cox). 21. The Study of Preserved Human Tissue (M. Zimmerman). 22. Palaeodemography (A. Chamberlain). 23. Body Tissue Chemistry and Palaeodiet (J. Sealy). 24. Cremated Bone (J. McKinley & J. Bond). Section 4: BIOMOLECULAR ARCHAEOLOGY. Overview - Archaeological Science in the Biomolecular Century (A. Pollard). 25. Ancient DNA (T. Brown). 26. Blood Residues in Archaeology (P. Smith & M. Wilson). 27. Survival and Interpretation of Archaeological Proteins (A. M. Gernaey, E. R. Waite, M. J. Collins, O.E. Craig and R. J. Sokol). 28. Lipids in Archaeology (R. P. Evershed, S. N. Dudd, M. J. Lockheart and S. Jim). 29. Archaeological Microbiology (G. Grupe). Section 5: BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE EXPLOITATON. Overview - At the Beginning of the Task: The Archaeology of Biological Remains (C. Higham). 30. Biological Resource Exploitation: Problems of Theory and Method (M. Charles & P. Halstead). 31. Human Impact on Vegetation (L. Dumayne-Peaty). 32. Archaeobotany and the Transition to Agriculture (M. Jones & S. Colledge). 33. Dietary Evidence from the Coprolites and the Intestinal Contents of Ancient Humans (T. Holden). 34. Vertebrate Resources (A. Jones & T. O'Connor). 35. The Exploitation of Invertebrates and Invertebrate Products (K. Thomas & M. Mannino). Section 6: INORGANIC RESOURCE EXPLOITATION. Overview - Materials Study in Archaeology (M. Tite). 36. Ceramic Petrology, Clay Geochemistry and Ceramic Production - From Technology to the Mind of the Potter (I. Whitbread). 37. Lithic Exploitation and Use (M. Edmonds). 38. Glass and Glazes (J. Henderson). 39. Science, Speculation and the Origins of Extractive Metallurgy (D. Killick). 40. Pyrotechnology (J. McDonnell). 41. The Provenance Hypothesis (L. Wilson & A. Pollard). Section 7: ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION. Overview - The Role and Practice of Archaeological Prospection (A. David). 42. Surface Collection Techniques in Field Archaeology: Theory and Practice (T. Wilkinson). 43. Geophysical Prospection in Archaeology (Y. Nishimura). 44. Remote Sensing (D. Donoghue). 45. Geochemical Prospecting (C. Heron). 46. Archaeological Data Integration (M. Van Leusen). Section 8: BURIAL, DECAY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSERVATION. Overview - Degradation, Investigation and Preservation of Archaeological Evidence (C. Caple). 47. Defining the Burial Environment (R. Raiswell). 48. Electrochemical Processes in Metallic Corrosion (M. McNeil & L. Selwyn). 49. Post-Depositional Changes in Archaeological Ceramics and Glasses (I. Freestone). 50. The Deterioration of Organic Materials (J. Cronyn). 51. The Deterioration of Bone (A. Millard). 52. Maximizing the Life Span of Archaeological Objects (D. Watkinson). Section 9: STATISTICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODS. Overview - Numbers, Models, Maps: Computers and Archaeology (R. Drennan). 53. Spatial Information and Archaeology (M. Gillings). 54. Multivariate Analysis in Archaeology (M. Baxter). 55. Applications of the Bayesian Statistical Paradigm (C. Buck). 56. Animal Bone Quantification (T. O'Connor). 57. Quantification of Broken Objects (M. Shott). 58. Numerical Modelling in Archaeology (M. Lake). 59. Synthesizing Analytical Data - Spatial Results from Pottery Provenance (H. Neff). General Index. Site Index. Species Names and Taxonomic Groups Index.