Archaeology for Historians

Despite the growing importance of interdisciplinarity, long-standing obstacles to dialogue between archaeology and the humanities persist. Archaeology is by far the most rapidly growing source of evidence for the late antique and early medieval past, and historians need a basic background in its methods and debates to facilitate critical engagement with a vast body of data that extends far beyond the documentary record. Given the many difficulties—and potential pitfalls—of launching oneself into the literature of another discipline, Archaeology for Historians provides a practical, hands-on entry to archaeology for students and scholars who want to engage with evidence in a more meaningful way. As an introduction to the field, this volume offers readers access to some of the central debates in late antique and early medieval archaeology, familiarizes them with the benefits and challenges of current interdisciplinary work, and enables them to interpret archaeological research with greater awareness of methodological issues and trends.

Bonnie Effros is Professor of History at the University of British Columbia. Her recent publications include Incidental Archaeologists: French Officers and the Rediscovery of Roman North Africa and The Oxford Handbook of the Merovingian World.