John M. Coles

Experimental Archaeology John M. Coles

Experimental Archaeology is an approach to the study of life in the past which attempts to throw light on early man's activities by practical reconstruction. This book, first published in 1979, picks out the major trends in experimental archaeology but the choice of work described is selective and represents the author's interest in archaeological experiment as an important means of retrieving and explaining evidence about early societies. Included is a new Preface to the 2010 Printing by Roeland Paardekooper describing the continued development of the subject of experimental archaeology as a course of study, its role in research, and its integration into more general studies of the past through archaeology. The first chapter is an historical treatment of experimental archaeology, questioning the evidence and devising new approaches. The following chapters look at ocean voyages, the production of food and the building of houses, the manufacture and use of tools and weapons, achievements in arts and music, the erection of monumental structures for the dead and, finally, modern attempts to experience 'life in the past'. The conclusion sums up the achievements and the potential of experimental archaeology and stresses the great opportunities that exist for future work. Anyone, from the amateur to the professional archaeologist or ethnographer, will find this book stimulating and enlightening, and it will be invaluable to all students and teachers. It provides an approach which helps archaeologists tackle the perennial problem how the surviving relics can throw light on the life of the past.