Archaeological Theory
by Matthew Johnson

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Book Reviews of Archaeological Theory

Book Review: A most worthy guide to the basics of archaeological theory
Summary: 5 Stars

Contained within its pages is a text aimed at students, and those who need an easy to read guide to archaeological theory. It is written in a way as to explain why theory is relevant, something I questioned before reading this book.

Not only does he address all the relevant questions and themes in archaeological theory, but he does it in a manner that can be understood by someone with no grounding in theory whatsoever. Having some prior knowledge is useful, but unlike books such as Trigger's "A History of Archaeological Thought" (1989) it is not essential.

Obviously for a book of 200 pages, it does not go into huge detail about the topics it covers (pretty much all of them!) but it acts as a superb introduction, which is its purpose. Having read the relevant chapter in Johnson, one can move onto more detailed texts, which are far less accessible.

The only criticism I have for the book is its index, which could cover more terms that are mentioned in the book. However, with a good contents page, it is easy to find the chapter relating to the desired topic, and unlike most texts it is not a chore to read up to the point you need.

Therefore, this book is essential reading for anyone doing work on theory in archaeology, and should sit on the bookshelf of anyone who would ever need to know anything about the subject - something about just about every topic will be in there somewhere!

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