Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory

by Praetzellis, Adrian

• ISBN13: 9780742503595
• ISBN10: 0742503593
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-01
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

A European Neolithic burial. A large stone Venus. Nothing unusual about it -- except that it was found on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Archaeologist Hannah Green and her shovelbum nephew find themselves in a tangled web of competing interests -- avaricious land owners, hungry media, and a cult of goddess worshippers -- while investigating one of the finds of the century. In untangling the mystery of the Washington Venus, Hannah and Sean have to confront questions of archaeological evidence, of ethics, of conflicting interpretation of data, and of the very nature of archaeological truths. Helping them are a cadre of disdainful graduate students who propose various theories -- processualist, marxist, feminist, postmodernist -- to explain the bizarre events.

Author Biography

Adrian Praetzellis is an archaeologist at Sonoma State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
``A'' Is for Archaeology
In Which Dr. Green and Mr. Doyle Are Enlisted	1	(14)
``A'' Is (Also) for Artifact
In Which We Learn That Sometimes a Rock Is Just a Rock	15	(16)
``B'' Is for Binford
In Which We Learn What's New about Archaeology	31	(12)
``C'' Is for Culture Process & ``E'' Is for Ethnoarchaeology
In Which We Learn How the New Archeology Grew Old	43	(16)
``D'' Is for Diffusion
In Which Dr. Green Goes from Diffusion to Confusion	59	(18)
``M'' Is for Materialism
In Which We Look into the Mind of a Cannibal	77	(22)
``G'' Is for Gender
In Which Controversy Is En-Gendered	99	(20)
``M'' Is for Marx (Karl, That Is)
In Which Mr. Doyle's Ancestors Are Outed	119	(18)
``P'' Is for Postmodern
In Which a Postmodern Kind of Truth Is Told	137	(14)
Epilogue In Which Everyone Gets Just What They Get	151	(4)
For Further Reading	155	(6)
Talking Points	161	(4)
Glossary	165	(8)
Index	173	(2)
About the Author/Illustrator	175