Product Description
This new addition to the Oxford Archaeological Guides series introduces the reader to The Midi, from the Massif Central to the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. World expert Henry Cleere concentrates on the rich archaeological heritage of this region, from the cave art of the Paleolithic period, when our ancestors were decorating caves and rock shelters with dramatic depictions of hunting and ritual, through the end of Roman Gaul, visiting such tourist centers as Carcassonne, Arles, Avignon, Provence, and Nice. After being annexed by Rome in the 2nd century BC, the prosperous new province was endowed with many fine public buildings, such as the amphitheaters and theaters at Arles, Nimes, and Orange, the network of roads, and massive town walls. In addition, these areas offer a wealth of information about everyday life, such as the water mill at Barbegal, the potteries of La Graufesenque, and the houses of the town dwellers at Vaison-la-Romaine. Complete with maps, listings of museums, suggestions for further reading, and extensive coverage of sites, Southern France is the perfect guide for tourists and lovers of archaeology alike.Amazon.com Review
The mountainous regions of southern France, historian Fernand Braudel observed, were settled earlier and more heavily than most other regions in the Mediterranean. The coastal town of Lattes, writes British archaeologist Cleere by way of example, has been settled since the early Neolithic, or nearly six millennia, its inhabitants then as now drawn by its handsome lagoons and fertile fields.

Cleere describes 104 sites in the region, from the Gironde to the Maritime Alps, keying directions to the Michelin 1:200,000 series of maps. A few of those sites will be well known to travelers with an interest in ancient history: the Maison Carrée and the fine Roman arena at Nimes, for instance, or the great amphitheater at Arles. Other sites are less well known but of great historical significance, such as the stone hill forts on the Plateau de Jastres where the Arveni chieftain Vercingetorix suffered defeat at the hands of Julius Caesar, and the great limestone caverns at Le Mas d'Azil, where magnificent examples of late Magdalenian period cave art have been found. The book is illustrated with high-quality photographs, maps, architectural plans, and line drawings, and accompanied by sidebars explaining points of historical and cultural interest. This includes, for example, notes on the eerie Celtic "severed head cult" and the development of the Aretine pottery industry in southern France.

The book makes a splendid companion for travelers seeking a window into the ancient past, one that will take them away from the crowds and into little-explored country. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unique guide for archaeology minded traveler
The little known Oxford Archaeological Guides series provides information that you cannot find elsewhere This guide was written by Henry Cleere in 2001 and gives information about many of the (mostly Roman) archaeological sites of southern France. Sites are described in great detail with an emphasis on how the site might have looked in ancient times and changes occurring over centuries. Information is provided here that I have not seen in any other guidebook. The amazing Roman bridge the Pont du Gard, near Nimes, is described in great detail. This immense stone structure was built in 20 BC over the river Gard to supply water to the expanding settlement of Nemausus (present day Nimes). The automobile-sized stone blocks of which the bridge is built were quarried from a site less than a kilometer upstream. There is no better illustration of the power and wealth of ancient Rome than that such a massive structure was built (50 meters high and 275 meters wide) merely to provide abundant water for a minor settlement. Other not-to-be missed sites are given the attention they deserve: The very similar amphitheaters of Arles and Nimes are well described. The beautiful Roman theater and the triumphal arch at Orange are explored in detail I have not seen elsewhere. This book would not be suitable as the only guidebook to take with you on a trip, the information provided is far too specialized. I'd recommend taking along the Michelin Green guides or the Knopf guide for Provence as well. Some minor drawbacks: the drawings and maps are not as detailed as they could be and the few photographs that are provided are black and white and of poor quality. These complaints are not critical flaws; the book would still be invaluable even if it didn't contain a single illustration. ... Read more

Product Description
This richly illustrated report recounts the excavation and analysis of the 12th & 13th C AD levels at the site of Gritille in SE Turkey, a provincial settlement interesting particularly for its place on the border between Islamic and Christian states. The authors use historical archaeology to investigate daily life in the Anatolian 'badlands'. ... Read more

Product Description
Drawing data from a classic region for Paleolithic research inEurope, this book explores how early modern humans obtained lithic rawmaterials and analyzes the different utilization patterns for locallyavailable materials compared with those from a greater distance. Theauthor locates these patterns within an ecological context and arguesthat early modern humans selected specific mobility strategies toaccommodate changes in subsistence environments. ... Read more

Product Description
Few open-air sites of this age have the same extent, complexity and diversity of deposits, as was found at the site of Solvieux in South-west France. The complexities of the site and the intensity of the archaeological investigation called for new and novel methodologies to be devised which are discussed in detail. The history of the project, methodologies, results and analysis of finds are complemented by a large number of drawings, outlines of typologies and essays on Upper Palaeolithic traditions and the contribution of the Solvieux results in this regard. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first comprehensive guide book in English devoted to the Roman remains of southern France. The book embraces Province, the Riviera and Languedoc-Roussillon from the Alps to the Pyrenees. It ranges from sites such as the extensive Roman remains at Vienne in the Rhone valley, the great aqueduct of Pont du Gard, the beautiful ruined temple of Vernegues, to the striking museum collections of Arles and Avignon. The book is easy to use, with a large number of maps, site plans and photographs and it will enable the traveller to explore the major cultural contribution made by the Romans to this part of France. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

For the "Romano-phile" in Southern France Only
If you are interested in Roman history, and plan to travel to southern France, this book might interest you, otherwise look no further.

The subject matter is narrow in scope, and rarely is their a diversion in text.Southern France (note Lyon is not included) is saturated in Roman ruins, and untangling the more interesting from the less is a challenge this book helps to navigate.

The maps can be hard to follow when visiting sites.The terminology is at times quite technical (ie. in describing elements of architecture). The emphasis is specifically on the existing ruins and less on the history of the sites reviewed.

This book did help me organize my visit to southern France. I know of no other book on this subject.It took 6 weeks to receive it from an Amazon associated seller, presumably because it is such a rare book.

scholarly but readable
This book proved to be most useful when I was planning a recent trip to Provence. I took it with me and found it to be a wonderful companion guide. The author clearly has a deep knowledge of the subject. Along with his descriptions of the various sites I especially liked his digressions into subjects like Roman theater and spectacles.I think some of the discussions of small local museums could have been cut and the photographs should be of better quality. Also the maps could be adapted for the general reader. Something to think about if they publish another edition. That said, if you are interested in the ancient Roman remains of Southern France, this is the book to have.

One of a kind!
This book came highly recommended on various chat and message boards for fans of Southern France.I totally understand why.As the South of France and Riviera was a tremendously wealthy Roman area, it is literally full of some of the best ruins and museums devoted to the glory that was Rome to be found anywhere outside of Rome.However, while the Roman areas of Italy are extensively documnted, there is very little on sites in France.This book is the only and best guide to those remains.

This book reviews unearthed Roman towns, such as Vaison La Romain which is 2nd in the world to Pompeii in terms of intact towns.It maps out both the town itself, and also the layouts of many of the larger mansions that are partially standing, along with various anecdotes about the ruins.

This book reviews of course, the larger aqueducts, theaters,forums, and the like, with startling amounts of backround information on each, but this book finds many items of interest that are completely off the radar screen, such as chasms carved into rock that brought the water to towns, old Roman pipework, roadside monuments in the middle of nowhere, the best places at which to examine the old Roman roads, etc.

I have used this book on two trips to the region, and find it amazing.Even at the larger, marked, and serviced monuments, this book can take you just a little farther up the hill, or put what you are examining in a certain perspective so as to get 'the rest of the story' as Paul Harvey says.

This is an amazingly god book, for the intrepid traveler, the armchair archaelogist, and the itinerant tourist.Pick it UP!

One of a kind!
This book came highly recommended on various chat and message boards for fans of Southern France.I totally understand why.As the South of France and Riviera was a tremendously wealthy Roman area, it is literally full of some of the best ruins and museums devoted to the glory that was Rome to be found anywhere outside of Rome.However, while the Roman areas of Italy are extensively documnted, there is very little on sites in France.This book is the only and best guide to those remains.

This book reviews unearthed Roman towns, such as Vaison La Romain which is 2nd in the world to Pompeii in terms of intact towns.It maps out both the town itself, and also the layouts of many of the larger mansions that are partially standing, along with various anecdotes about the ruins.

This book reviews of course, the larger aqueducts, theaters,forums, and the like, with startling amounts of backround information on each, but this book finds many items of interest that are completely off the radar screen, such as chasms carved into rock that brought the water to towns, old Roman pipework, roadside monuments in the middle of nowhere, the best places at which to examine the old Roman roads, etc.

I have used this book on two trips to the region, and find it amazing.Even at the larger, marked, and serviced monuments, this book can take you just a little farther up the hill, or put what you are examining in a certain perspective so as to get 'the rest of the story' as Paul Harvey says.

This is an amazingly god book, for the intrepid traveler, the armchair archaelogist, and the itinerant tourist.Pick it UP! ... Read more

Product Description
A fascinating book which provides a guide to the illustrative material available in art galleries, libraries, and archives in York and elsewhere for the study of the city's medieval parish churches. Includes prints, drawings and paintings of the churches, architects' plans and elevations, sketches of fittings and brass and stone rubbings. Essays on the development of topographical art in York, the techniques used by artists and printers and the history of York's parish churches in general are included, as well as introductory notes for each church. ... Read more

Product Description
Contents include: Bifaces, booze and the blues. Anecdotes from the life and times of a Palaeolithic archaeologist (A. J. Lawson & A. Rogerson); J. J. W. A tribute from the Upper Thames n(R. J. MacRae); On the Move. Theory, time averaging and resource transport at Olduvai gorge (J. McNabb); Elandsfontein and Klasies river revisited (H. J. Deacon); The Pleistocene history and early human occupation of the river Thames valley (D. R Bridgland); As represented by the Thames valley (D. A. Roe); Quaternary stratigraphy and lower Palaeolithic archaeology of the Lark valley, Suffolk (S. G. Lewis); Hoxne, Suffolk: Time matters (B. Gladfelter); Unity and diversity in the early Stone Age (J. A. J. Gowlett); Observations on the artefacts from the Breccia at Kent's cavern (J. Cook & R. Jacobi); Clactonian and Acheulian industries in Britain (F.F. Wenban-Smith); Twisted ovate bifaces in the British lower Palaeolithic (M. J. White); Handaxes and Palaeolithic individuals (C. Gamble); Southern Rivers (K. Scott); Pleistocene deposits and archaeological horizons in the Ariendorf gravel quarry (E. Turner); Discoidal core technology on the Paleolithic at Oldbury, Kent (J. Cook & R. Jacobi); The archaeology of distance: perspectives from the Welsh Palaeolithic (S. Aldhouse-Green); Pushing out the boat for an Irish Palaeolithic (P. C. Woodman); Long blade technology and the question of British late Pleistocene/ early Holocene lithic assemblages (R. N. E. Barton); A preboreal lithic assemblage from the lower Rhineland site of Bedburg-Konigshoven, Germany (M. Street0; Early Mesolithic settlement in England and Wales (M. J. Reynier); Early Mesolithic mastic: radiocarbon dating and analysis of organic residues from Thatcham III, Star Carr and Lackford Heath (A. J. Roberts, R. N. E. Barton & J. Evans); The methods used to produce a complete harpoon (J. Lord); Two assemblages of a later Mesolithic microliths from Seamer Carr, North Yorkshire: fact and fancy (A. David); Mesolithic sites at Two Mile Bottom, near Thetford, Norfolk (P. Robbins); Studying the Mesolithic period in Scotland (A. Saville); The surface of the Breckland (F. Healy); John Wymer, a bibliography. ... Read more

Product Description
To put this book into English, and thus to hand it on to thousands who
might not otherwise have enjoyed it, has been to me a very congenial and
interesting task. It would be difficult, I imagine, to point to any work of
its scope and character which is better calculated to give lasting delight
to all classes of readers. For the skilled archaeologist, its pages contain
not only new facts, but new views and new interpretations; while to those
who know little, or perhaps nothing, of the subjects under discussion, it
will open a fresh and fascinating field of study. It is not enough to say
that a handbook of Egyptian Archaeology was much needed, and that Professor
Maspero has given us exactly what we required. He has done much more than
this. He has given us a picturesque, vivacious, and highly original volume,
as delightful as if it were not learned, and as instructive as if it were
dull.

As regards the practical side of Archaeology, it ought to be unnecessary to
point out that its usefulness is strictly parallel with the usefulness of
public museums. To collect and exhibit objects of ancient art and industry
is worse than idle if we do not also endeavour to disseminate some
knowledge of the history of those arts and industries, and of the processes
employed by the artists and craftsmen of the past. Archaeology, no less
than love, "adds a precious seeing to the eye"; and without that gain of
mental sight, the treasures of our public collections are regarded by the
general visitor as mere "curiosities"--flat and stale for the most part,
and wholly unprofitable.

I am much indebted to Mr. W.M. Flinders Petrie, author of _The Pyramids and
Temples of Gizeh_, for kindly translating the section on "Pyramids," which
is entirely from his pen. I have also to thank him for many valuable notes
on subjects dealt with in the first three chapters. To avoid confusion, I
have numbered these notes, and placed them at the end of the volume.

My acknowledgments are likewise due to Professor Maspero for the care with
which he has read the proof-sheets of this version of his work. In
departing from his system of orthography (and that of Mr. Petrie) I have
been solely guided by the necessities of English readers. I foresee that
_Egyptian Archaeology_ will henceforth be the inseparable companion of all
English-speaking travellers who visit the Valley of the Nile; hence I have
for the most part adopted the spelling of Egyptian proper names as given by
the author of "Murray's Handbook for Egypt."

Touching my own share in the present volume, I will only say that I have
tried to present Professor Maspero's inimitable French in the form of
readable English, rather than in a strictly word-for-word translation; and
that with the hope of still further extending the usefulness of the book, I
have added some foot-note references.

... Read more

Product Description
When the painted cave of Altamira in northern Sapin was discovered in the late nineteenth century few believed that the decoration was the work of stone age man. As further discoveries were made in France and Spain and archaeologists proved the antiquity of the remarkable art, modern man realised the great skill and artistic ability of his forebears during the extreme cold at the end of the ice age. Between 35,000 and 12,000 years ago, hunters penetrated deep into caves to paint and engrave images of wild animals, many of them, like the mammoth and wooly rhinoceros, now long extinct. Because of the risks involved, this was clearly done for some special, perhaps religious or ceremonial purpose. At caves like Lascaux in France many parts of the walls and ceilings were covered with spectacular and colourful paintings, while other caves were carved or engraved with the lifelike figures. This book describes the evidence of the way of life of the artists and how archaeologists pieced together the evidence of this remote period. It analyses how the art was executed and is dated, what it portrays and where it is to be found.The animals depicted are described and the interpretations behind the decoration explored. The book is written as an introduction to a complex and fascinating subject which is seldom presented and explained in an uncomplicated fashion. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume reports on the excavation of a series of six Iron Age cemeteries in Champagne, France: Menil-Annelles, Ville-sur-Retourne, Juniville, Alincourt, Saulces-Champenoises and Quilly. All the Champagne cemeteries were located by their distinctive ditched enclosures which served as the focus of each burial group. The excavations were conducted by a French-British team of archaeologists between 1971 and 1982. In this report they describe the spatial arrangement of each cemetery and its burials, and consider the relative chronology of the series, from Hallstatt and La Tene to the Gallo-Roman period. They compare the cemeteries with other known burial sites from the region, and discuss the local evidence for changing funerary rituals. Specialist chapters deal with the celtic coins, pottery and petrographic analyses, glass vessels, metalwork (including weapons and jewellery), Roman artefacts, human and animal bones, and the Iron Age and Roman landscape. All pots from each burial are further described and illustrated in a complete inventory at the end of the volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Presents findings from the three principal mesolithic sites on the Cotentin peninsula in Lower Normandy - Auderville-Roc de Gite, Flamanville-EDF and Flamanville-Dehus - with more limited discussions of the excavation of Digulleville, Hatainville, Surtainville, Cosqueville and Jobourg-Perreval II. The final section of the work serves as a synthesis for the findings from individual sites, seeking to identify characteristics of tools and debitage common to the Mesolithic of the North Cotentin, with comparison in brief to those of Horsham in Sussex. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Amerian Southwest and Mesoamerican Trade Relations
Although this book was published in 1986, it remains relevant to today's archaeological scene. The editors, Frances Joan Mathien and Randall H. McGuire, have assembled some of the more informed academic scholars on the subject of prehistoric trade relations between the American Southwest and Mesoamerica. If you are an academic or just an 'educated fool' with an interest in this topic, this book is a must read.

There are 15 papers presented with a wide range of opinions involving individuals with knowledge of numerous areas in both the Southwest and Mesoamerica. The individual papers tend to focus on a given area and/or temporal period, based on the author's area of expertise. The result is that the book itself provides the reader with a regional overview with specific areas of convergence.

The title of the book is a little vague, however the subtitle: 'New Considerations of Southwestern-Mesoamerican Interactions' is more informative of what this book is about. If you are interested in learning how these two areas influenced each other during the prehistoric period, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The behaviour of social groups, objects, preparation and consumption areas and the diet are just some of the elements that allow us to move from the kitchen to the dining table thanks to the abundant bibliography used in this work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An impressively informed and informative contribution
Over the past couple of decades there has been a virtual explosion of informative data on and about the pre-Columbian native populations of Central and South America. A seminal work of dedicated academic scholarship, "Ethnic Identity In Nahua Mesoamerica: The View From Archaeology, Art History, Ethnohistory, And Contemporary Ethnography" is the collaborative effort of a team of researchers and academics that includes Frances F. Berdan (Professor of Anthropology, California State University - San Bernardino); John K. Chance (Professor of Anthropology, Arizona State University); Alan R. Sandstrom (Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Antrhopology, Indiana University - Purdue University at Fort Wayne); Barbara L. Stark (Professor of Anthropology, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University); James Taggart (Lewis Audenreid Professor at Franklin and Marshall College); and Emily Umberger (Professor of Art History, Arizona State University). A compilation of eight major papers ranging from Professors Stark and Chance's 'Diachronic and Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Mesoamerican Ethnicity', to Professors' Sandstrom and Berdan's "Some Finish Thoughts and Unfinished Business", provides the reader with a multifaceted, multidisciplinary survey on Mexico's Nahuas population's ethnic identity, history, and social conditions drawing upon perspectives provided by archaeological researches, contemporary ethnographical studies, historical overviews, and art appreciation. Enhanced with the inclusion of figures, tables, notes, reference citations, and an index, "Ethnic Identity In Nahua Mesoamerica" is an impressively informed and informative contribution which is confidently recommended for academic library reference collections, as well as Native American Studies, Mexican History, and Nahua Ethnographic Studies supplemental reading lists.
... Read more

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A comprehensive investigation of household life during the Upper Paleolithic era. ... Read more

Product Description
The collection of almost 1,000 clay pipes from the quarantine port of Pomegues provides a unique insight into pipe production and use throughout the Mediterranean and further afield. The authors exhaustive study makes a significant contribution to knowledge both of pipe production and circulation in a number of different ways. Although these have already been recognised and published from a range of sites throughout the Mediterranean basin, the Pomegues collection, arriving off Marseilles on ships from many ports of origin, is by far the most extensive and varied yet collected. This study establishes a logical nomenclature for the formal and technical variables that can be observed on these pipes. The Pomegues assemblage demonstrates clearly that a wide range of stylistic and constructional forms, many previously though to be late, coexisted over a wide geographical area. All existing dating typologies for Ottoman-style pipes will now have to be revised. Using existing published groups from specific sites and areas the author has attempted to identify the origins of the pipes within the Empire - whether from north Africa, the Near East, Asia Minor or Greece. Quite apart from the Ottoman-style pipes, the author provides an interesting study of the extensive Dutch element in the Pomegues collection. The pipes derive from a large number of makers and a number of probable centres and include a range of qualities, including possible copies. An attempt to combine stem-bore analysis, bowl form and maker information in a single dating statement for each pipe provides an original contribution to the study of Dutch pipes from this kind of context. The English pipes are fewer in number and more difficult to source with few distinctive regional forms or makers marks. This study describes and identifies for the first time a major pipe production centre in Venice, producing thrown pipes in a specific technology, contrasting with the well-known moulded types from Chioggia. Finally, the author has defined, albeit tentatively, a range of 18th-century products from France and provides some indication of how such pipes can be identified in the future. This is important as very little research has been carried out on the products of an industry which, from the documentary sources, was a significant one. ... Read more