Series: Themes in Archaeology

The volume assesses religion and ritual through a range of examples from a range of times and places around the world, including prehistoric religions, shamanism, death, landscape and food. The author presents an introductory statement on the archaeology of religion, examining what archaeology can tell us about religion, the problems of defining and theorizing religion in archaeology, and the methodology of the archaeology of religion. He also discusses the history of research and varying theories in this field before looking to future research directions.

The book examines the major debates on death and the dead, such as Neanderthal burial and monumentalising the dead, and includes case studies of bog bodies and cannibalism. Other less frequently discussed issues are examined such as concepts of good and bad death and how these beliefs shaped the treatment of the dead. In exploring this theme the book moves towards a more affective archaeology reflecting a growing interest in the emotion behind the dry bones approach of traditional cemetery analysis.

An introduction not only to issues of chronology and dating, but also to time as a theoretical concept and how this is understood and employed in contemporary archaeology. Provides a full discussion of chronology and change, time and the nature of the archaeological record, and the perception of time and history in past societies.