Kirjahaku

In AD 1492, Christopher Columbus stumbled across the Americas while searching for a route to the spice rich Orient. This was a unique moment in world history, akin to an encounter with alien species in our own time. What Columbus, and his successors encountered was an unsuspected continent, a New World, full of civilisations strangely different from European societies in their languages, appearances, institutions, religions, architecture and ideas of life and death.From the great empires of the Aztecs in Mexico and the Incas in Peru, to their innumerable prehistoric ancestors, and the mosaic of tribes living in highland valleys and tropical rainforests, the evidence pointed to a phenomenon of human culture which had developed in isolation from the rest of the world for at least 20,000 years. Pre-Columbian America represents a singular example of the human genius for creating civilisation.Through a stimulating account of the major civilisations in Mesoamerica and the Andes, this book aims not only to give state-of-the-art syntheses of each culture, but also to build a living picture of the fundamentally different nature of indigenous Amerindian societies.

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the Great War stands at the furthest edge of living memory. There are a handful of men alive who fought in the trenches of the Somme and Flanders. Within their own lifetimes, their memories have become epic history. Hardly a month passes without some dramatic and sometimes tragic discovery being made along the killing fields of the Western Front. Poignant remains of British soldiers buried during battle and then forgotten - lying in rows arm in arm, or found crouching at the entrance to a dugout. Whole 'underground cities' of trenches, dugouts, and shelters, preserved in the mud of Flanders - with newspapers and blankets scattered where they were left. There are field hospitals carved out of the chalk country of the Somme, tunnels marked with graffiti by long dead hands, and tons of volatile bombs and gas canisters waiting to explode. Yet, while there are innumerable books on the history of the war, there is not a single book on its archaeology. Nicholas J. Saunders' new book is therefore unique. In an authoritative and accessible way, it would bring together widely scattered discoveries, and offer fresh insights into the human dimension of the war.

The Great War of 1914-1918 now stands at the furthest edge of living memory. And yet, hardly a month passes without some dramatic and sometimes tragic discovery being made along the old killing fields of the Western Front. Graves of British soldiers buried during battle – still lying in rows seemingly arm in arm or found crouching at the entrance to a dugout; whole ‘underground cities’ of trenches, dugouts and shelters have been preserved in the mud; field hospitals carved out of the chalk country of the Somme marked with graffiti; unexploded bombs and gas canisters – all of these are the poignant and sometimes deadly legacies of a war we can never forget. Killing Time digs beneath the surface of war to uncover the living reality left behind. Nicholas J. Saunders brings together a wealth of discoveries to offer fresh insights into the human and often barbaric aspect of warfare. He uses discoveries in the trenches, family photographs, diaries and souvenirs to give the dead a voice. You cannot fail to be fascinated and moved by what he unearths.

Over recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the multidisciplinary archaeology and anthropology of modern conflict. Yet whilst students from a variety of backgrounds are increasingly inspired by an anthropological approach to this new type of archaeology whose subject matter has shaped the modern world, few books have actively addressed the subject from this perspective. As such, this volume provides both a welcome overview of the opportunities afforded scholars by the integration of anthropology and history, as well as a specific investigation into how such an approach can reinvigorate our understanding of the First World War. Gathering together twelve discipline-defining journal articles and chapters published by Nicholas Saunders since 2000, together with two entirely new chapters and a substantial introduction and conclusion, the volume demonstrates the huge potential of an anthropological approach to the archaeology of 20th and 21st century conflict through the lens of the First World War. From trench art to aerial photography, spirituality to the material culture of landscapes, the book draws upon a rich variety of topics and approaches often overlooked by traditional histories, but which can tell us much about the conduct and legacy of modern conflict.

Over recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the multidisciplinary archaeology and anthropology of modern conflict. Yet whilst students from a variety of backgrounds are increasingly inspired by an anthropological approach to this new type of archaeology whose subject matter has shaped the modern world, few books have actively addressed the subject from this perspective. As such, this volume provides both a welcome overview of the opportunities afforded scholars by the integration of anthropology and history, as well as a specific investigation into how such an approach can reinvigorate our understanding of the First World War. Gathering together twelve discipline-defining journal articles and chapters published by Nicholas Saunders since 2000, together with two entirely new chapters and a substantial introduction and conclusion, the volume demonstrates the huge potential of an anthropological approach to the archaeology of 20th and 21st century conflict through the lens of the First World War. From trench art to aerial photography, spirituality to the material culture of landscapes, the book draws upon a rich variety of topics and approaches often overlooked by traditional histories, but which can tell us much about the conduct and legacy of modern conflict.