Image for Symbolic and Structural Archaeology

Symbolic and Structural Archaeology

Hodder, Ian(Edited by)
Part of the New Directions in Archaeology series
See all formats and editions

This volume presents a searching critique of the more traditional archaeological methodologies and interpretation strategies and lays down a firm philosophical and theoretical basis for symbolist and structuralist studies in archaeology.

A variety of procedures, ranging from ethnoarchaeological studies and computing techniques to formal studies of artefact design variability, are utilized to provide models for archaeologists within the proposed framework and the theory and models are then applied to a range of archaeological analyses.

This particular approach sees all human actions as being meaningfully constituted within a social and cultural framework.

Material culture is not simply an adaptive tool, but is structured according to sets of underlying principles which give meaning to, and derive meanings from, the social world.

Thus structural regularities are shown to link seemingly disparate aspects of material culture, from funerary monuments to artefact design, from the use of space in settlements, to the form of economic practices.

Read More
Special order line: only available to educational & business accounts. Sign In
£33.99 Save 15.00%
RRP £39.99
Product Details
Cambridge University Press
0521035503 / 9780521035507
Paperback / softback
930.101
05/02/2007
United Kingdom
English
research & professional Learn More
Selected conference papers.