LibGuides: Archaeology: Reference sources

What are reference sources?

Reference sources are resources used to locate basic information and secondary literature.

There are many types of reference sources, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, handbooks, guides, and style manuals.

They are a fantastic places to begin your research, especially if you are exploring a new topic.

Reference sources can help you to:

define your topic in general terms
find background information, including themes and key points
identify keywords and alternative terms for conceptualising your subject, and for database searching.

Reference sources for Archaeology

The titles which appear below are a selection of both print and online material. You can also use the tabs on the side to see Dictionaries, Handbooks and Encyclopaedias on Archaeology. The online reference sources are all frequently updated, searchable, and contain substantial entries written by experts.

The Oxford Companion to Archaeology by Neil Asher Silberman
ISBN: 9780199735785
Publication Date: 2012
In 700 entries, this second edition text covers historical archaeology, the development of archaeology as a field of study, and the way the discipline works to explain the past. In addition to these theoretical entries, other entries describe the major excavations, discoveries, and innovations, from the discovery of the cave paintings at Lascaux to the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics and the use of luminescence dating. Recent developments in methods and analytical techniques which have revolutionized the ways excavations are performed are also covered; as well as new areas within archeology, such as cultural tourism; and major new sites which have expanded our understanding of prehistory and human developments through time.
A Companion to the Archaeology of Religion in the Ancient World by Rubina Raja (Editor); Jörg Rüpke (Editor)
ISBN: 9781444350005
Publication Date: 2015
This text gives an overview of a wide range of topics relating to the practices, expressions, and interactions of religion in antiquity, primarily in the Greco-Roman world.
An Illustrated Companion to Japanese Archaeology by Werner Steinhaus (Editor); Simon Kaner (Editor)
ISBN: 1784914258
Publication Date: 2017
This text provides a novel and comprehensive visual introduction to a wide range of sites and finds from the earliest occupation of the Japanese archipelago prior to 35,000 years ago to the early historical periods and the establishment of the Chinese-style capital at Heijo-kyo; modern-day Nara, in the 8th century AD. The volume originated in the largest ever exhibition of Japanese archaeological discoveries held in Germany in 2004, which brought together over 1500 exhibits from 55 lenders around Japan, and research by over 100 specialists.
A Companion to Chinese Archaeology by Anne P. Underhill (Editor)
ISBN: 9781444335293
Publication Date: 2013
This text covers the current state of archaeological research in one of the world's oldest civilizations. It presents a collection of readings from leading archaeologists in China and elsewhere, providing diverse interpretations about social and economic organization during the Neolithic period and early Bronze Age.
Companion to the Archaeology of the Roman Republic by Jane DeRose Evans (Editor)
ISBN: 9781405199667
Publication Date: 2013
This text investigates the archaeology of the Roman Republican period with reference to material culture, landscape, technology, identity and empire.
A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient near East by D. T. Potts (Editor)
ISBN: 9781405189880
Publication Date: 2012
An overview of ancient material culture from the late Pleistocene to Late Antiquity. This work features up-to-date surveys and the latest information from major new excavations such as Qatna (Syria), Göbekli Tepe (Turkey). It includes major reviews of the origins of agriculture, animal domestication, and archaeological landscapes, and includes chapters dealing with periods after the coming of Alexander the Great, including studies of the Seleucid, Arsacid, Sasanian, Roman and Byzantine empires in the Near East, as well as early Christianity in both the Levant and Mesopotamia.