Paul Bahn Books

From deserts to hidden corners of busy cities, quiet mountain tops to caves submerged deep underground, Great Sites of the Ancient World is a tour of our human past.

The decorated Ice Age caves are some of mankind's greatest artistic achievements, and there is no substitute for seeing the caves themselves. There you can see the art – paintings, engravings, bas-reliefs or drawings – in its original, natural setting, and stand where the artists did 30,000–10,000 years ago. For speleologists and holidaymakers alike – indeed anyone who wants to add a visit to a cave to their itinerary – here is an essential handbook. The first guide to all the decorated Ice Age caves in Europe that are open to the public, Cave Art covers more than 50 caves in England, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, as well as relevant museums and centres. This second edition has been fully revised and includes one additional cave and three new facsimiles.

Global in perspective and covering over four million years of history, this accessible volume provides a chronological account of both the development of the human race and the order in which modern societies have made discoveries about their ancient past. Beginning deep in prehistory, it takes in all the great archaeological sites of the world as it advances to the present day. A masterful combination of succinct analysis and driving narrative, Archaeology: The Whole Story also addresses the questions that inevitably arise as we gradually learn more about the history of our species: what are we? Where did we come from? What inspired us to start building, writing and all the other activities that we traditionally regard as exclusively human? A concluding section explains how we know what we know: for example, how seventeen prehistoric shrines were discovered around Stonehenge using magnetometers, ground-penetrating radars, and 3D laser scanners; and how DNA analysis enabled us to identify some bones discovered beneath a car park in Leicester as the remains of a fifteenth-century king of England.

Widely praised for its comprehensive coverage, excellent graphics and well-organized layout, this invaluable introduction for students and enthusiasts of archaeology has been expanded to incorporate all the latest developments

Traces the development of archaeology up to the sophisticated explorations of the present day and surveys each major discovery and excavation

This 'Very Short Introduction' provides an up-to-date account of the problems, concerns and nature of archaeology, with reference to all the latest archaeological techniques, theories, and excavations.

For the Fourth Edition, new theoretical approaches, such as agency, materiality, and engagement theory, are added and earlier approaches analyzed afresh. Field methods and scientific techniques have been updated throughout, and new emphasis is placed on climate change and its impact on human affairs. The latest information on topics as varied as the Iceman, Pleistocene extinctions, and Ilama domestication is included, along with the most up-to-date material on GIS and surveying technology. New topics will be introduced to emphasize the ever-changing face of modern archaeology, and additional special box features will be included, as well as discussion of the archaeological techniques needed to study the material culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A key component of the new edition will be the introduction of a dedicated Web site and study guide to accompany the textbook itself.

Nothing is more evocative of past civilizations than the hoards of treasure that are found by archaeologists. Many come from tombs and burial chambers, but they have been found too in sunken wrecks and underwater cities, in shrines and temples and royal palaces the world over. Paul Bahn and his team tell us of the extraordinary treasures, and of the equally extraordinary men and women who spent their lives on quests for the unknown.

This text describes 100 of the world's most important archaeological discoveries. Alongside the well-known are placed the equally important but less-familiar, all of which have helped our understanding of the past. However, the book acts as more than a catalogue: it is a celebration of the rich variety of subjects that archaeology encompasses - from fossil hominids to writing systems, from lost cities to shipwrecks, and from pre-history to medieval times.

This dictionary of archaeology is an up-to-date resource designed to be of interest to students, amateurs or professionals with an interest in the subject. The dictionary includes definitions of terms and concepts but also coverage of sites and artifacts. 3000 entries are included.