Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, Second Edition, provides an invaluable and vastly updated overview of geoarchaeology and how it can be used effectively in the study of archaeological sites and contexts. Taking a pragmatic and functional approach, this book presents: 

• a fundamental, broad-based perspective of the essentials of modern geoarchaeology in order to demonstrate the breadth of the approaches and the depth of the problems that it can tackle.
• the rapid advances made in the area in recent years, but also gives the reader a firm grasp of conventional approaches. 
• covers traditional topics with the emphasis on landscapes, as well as anthropogenic deposits and site formation processes and their investigation. 
• provides guidelines for the presentation of field and laboratory methods and the reporting of geoarchaeological results. 
• essential reading for archaeology undergraduate and graduate students, practicing archaeologists and geoscientists who need to understand and apply geoarchaeological methodologies, and help foster the dialog among diverse researchers investigating archaeological sites.  

Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, Second Edition, is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students in archaeology, and a great practical reference for practicing archaeologists and geoscientists who need to understand and apply geoarchaeological methodologies internationally. 

Paul Goldberg is a geologist and Professor in the Department of Archaeology, Boston University. He has carried out geoarchaeological research ranging from Quaternary landscapes and associated archaeological sites in the Near East, California, and Texas, to cave sediments in China, South Africa, Europe, and the USA.

Richard Macphail is a Senior Research Fellow at University College London, investigating archaeological sediments, soils, and occupation deposits across Europe and the USA. He was a researcher for English Heritage for 20 years, and is currently a Research Fellow at Boston University and was professor invité at Université de Tours.

Sarah Sherwood is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems at Sewanee University, USA.

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 - Sediments

Chapter 3 - Stratigraphy

Chapter 4 - Soils

Chapter 5 - Slopes and slope deposits

Chapter 6 – Rivers (Y. Zhuang, Goldberg, P and Macphail, R. I.)

Chapter 7 – Lakes (Y. Zhuang, Goldberg, P and Macphail, R. I.)

Chapter 8 – Aeolian settings (C. Carey, Goldberg, P and Macphail, R. I.)

Chapter 9 – Marine Coasts

Chapter 10 – Caves and Rock shelters

Chapter 11 – Human impact: Changes to the Landscape on landscape

Chapter 12 – Human Use of materials

Chapter 13 – Anthropogenic Deposits

Chapter 14 – Experimental and Ethno- Geoarchaeology

Chapter 15 – Geoarchaeology in Forensic Science and Mortuary Archaeology

Chapter 16 – Field-based methods: Documenting Context (C. Carey, Goldberg, P and Macphail, R. I.)

Chapter 17 – Laboratory Techniques 

Chapter 18 – Reporting and publishing

Chapter 19 – Concluding remarks and the geoarchaeological future 

Appendices

Index