When a historic battlefield site is discovered and studied, the focus is often on the hardware: remnants of weaponry, ammunition, supplies, and equipment that archaeologists carefully unearth, analyze, conserve, and frequently place on display in museums.
But what about the software ? What can archaeology teach us about the humans involved in the conflict: their social mores and cultural assumptions; their use and understanding of power?
In The Archaeology of Engagement: Conflict and Revolution in the United States, Dana L. Pertermann and Holly K. Norton have assembled a...