Dictionary of Artifacts

While archaeologists, researchers, and students generally know the meanings and terms used for artifacts within their own areas of study, it is difficult to find authoritative definitions for those from periods or cultures outside of their expertise. Containing close to 3,000 words and definitions, the Dictionary of Artifacts is an indispensable reference for anyone working within the field of archaeology.

Written in accessible language, each entry details the specific artifact s classification and typology; raw materials; methods and techniques used to create artifacts; principles and techniques of examination and identification; and instructions for the care and preservation of specimens. Along with a headword and definition, many of the entries are accompanied by drawings or photographs.

Preface.

Entries.

Barbara Ann Kipfer is a lexicographer and archaeologist and has a PhD in linguistics from the University of Exeter and a PhD in archaeology from Greenwich University. She is the author of the 7,000 headword Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology (2000) and The Archaeologist′s Fieldwork Companion (Blackwell, 2007).

"This is a well–planned, well–written and nicely produced volume. ... It will serve its target audience well." ( Reference Reviews , April 2008) "Definitions are written with the general reader in mind and address discovery, typology, dating, conservation, and decoration. ... This is a useful handbook for students and other lay readers interested in archaeology." ( Library Journal ) " The nearly 3,000 entries are written in a style suitable for both specialists and general readers. They clarify terminology relating to many types of artifacts and representing a global range of the archaeological record––examples being cultural assemblages, time periods, and function. Beyond a basic level of identification by form and common characteristics, entries also address, as appropriate, questions of analysis, preservation and proper care, decoration, production methods and technology, well–known examples of each type of artifact, and types that are uniquely classified by their substance of manufacture. These types of data are often present in more general reference works on archaeology, but not usually treated as a separate dimension of the field." ( CHOICE )