This handbook gathers original, authoritative articles from leading archaeologists to compile the latest thinking about archaeological theory. The authors provide a comprehensive picture of the theoretical foundations by which archaeologists contextualize and analyze their archaeological data. Student readers will also gain a sense of the immense power that theory has for building interpretations of the past, while recognizing the wonderful archaeological traditions that created it. An extensive bibliography is included. This volume is the single most important reference for current information on contemporary archaeological theories.

Contributions by: Kenneth M. Ames, Alex W. Barker, Peter Bellwood, R Alexander Bentley, Reinhard Bernbeck, John Bintliff, Briggs Buchanan, Mark Collard, Tom D. Dillehay, Timothy Earle, Don D. Fowler, Liane Gabora, Andrew Gardner, David W.J. Gill, Kelly Hays-Gilpin, ThomasJ Green, Edward A. Jolie, Sian Jones, Peter Jordan, Stephanie Koerner, Carl Lipo, Ben Marler, Herbert D.G. Maschner, Randall H. McGuire, Ian J. McNiven, Mark Pluciennuk, Steven D. Price, Lynette Russell, Marion Salter, Michael Shanks, Stephen Shennan, Timothy Taylor, Patty Jo Watson, Gillian Wallace, Gary S. Webster, David S. Whitley, David R. Yesner, Marek Zvelebil