The four-volume Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World offers comprehensive coverage of the ancient world, from prehistory to the fall of Rome, including Western and non-Western cultures and civilizations. An introduction outlines the key milestones in the development of human society, from the peoples of the Ice Age whose way of life was so vastly different from ours to the citizens of Greece and Rome whom we easily recognize from history books. The 69 signed entries--including 14 on "major" topics with more in-depth coverage--provide readers with an overview of the various...

This book provides a broad overview of the current research questions facing archaeologists working in Europe. The book uses a case-study method in which a number of archaeologists discuss their work and reflect on their goals and approaches. The emphasis is on the intellectual process of archaeology, not just the techniques and results. Chronological coverage is provided from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age and over much of the European continent.

The Origins of Human Society traces the development of human culture from its origins over 2 million years ago to the emergence of literate civilization. In addition to a global coverage of prehistoric life, the book pays specific attention to the origins and dispersal of anatomically-modern humans, the development of symbolic expression, the transition from mobile foraging bands to sedentary households, early agriculture and its consequences, the emergence of social differentiation and hereditary ranking, and the prehistoric roots of ancient states and empires.

Drawing extensively on anthropological theory and ecological models of human adaptation, Forest Farmers and Stockherders explores the single most radical transformation in all European prehistory - the growth of a food-producing economy in the period 5000 3000 BC. Dr Bogucki seeks to develop a coherent view of the introduction of food production to north-central Europe, identifying new environmental zones being exploited for the first time and new ecological adaptations being adopted by both indigenous and colonizing populations. He lays particular emphasis on the strategies developed by...