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Top 8 Books in Theoretical Archaeology

By , About.com Guide

There isn't a really good way to rank these kinds of books; each of the books listed below are all different and do what theoretical texts ought to do---tickle the brain in new ways.

1. Archaeological Theory and Scientific Practice

This book by Andrew Jones may just have CRM professionals reading about theory for the first time since graduate school.

2. An Archaeology of the Soul

Subtitled "North American Indian Belief and Ritual", Robert Hall's Archaeology of the Soul, a collection of essays on cross-cultural connections throughout the Americas.

3. Archaeologies of the Contemporary Past

An edited volume by Victor Buchli and Gavin Lucas investigates the value of modern material culture.

4. Fragmentation in Archaeology

John Chapman takes a post-processual look at the Mesolithic through Copper periods of central and eastern Europe, and piques this reader's interest mightily.

5. Interpretations of Native North American Life

This collection of articles brings together the techniques and data from the studies of ethnohistory and archaeology to assist in the interpretation of past cultures of the North American continent.

6. Archaeological Studies of Gender in the Southeastern United States

This collection of articles, edited by Jane M. Eastman and Christopher B. Rodning includes six case studies in the American southeast which prove that identifying both female and male roles in prehistoric societies is possible and fruitful.
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7. The Archaeology of Difference

Edited by Robin Torrence and Anne Clarke, this book discusses the archaeology of Oceania at the time when Europeans first made contact.
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8. The Archaeology of Communities

Subtitled "A New World Persepctive, this boook edited by Marcello A. Canuto and Jason Yaeger consists of 13 articles covering topics on communities in central, south, and north Americas.
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