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V. Gordon Childe is probably the most widely read early archaeologist of the 20th century and one of the world's most renowned prehistorians. A thorough understanding of the evolution of Childe's theoretical perspective is crucial to an understanding of the foundations of social archaeology. For the first time, a diverse collection of Childe's writings have been brought together in one volume. These fourteen essays, from his earliest seminal work in 1935 to his reflective essay 'Retrospect' written in 1958 shortly before his death, document the progression of this dynamic thinker. Essays such as 'Archaeology and Anthropology' show the evolution of Childe's theories from a conception of the p...
Although V. Gordon Childe died 36 years ago, he remains the world's most renowned prehistorian. His What Happened in History, first published in 1942, is probably the most widely read book ever written by an archaeologist. His influence and reputation endure despite the fact that many of the theoretical ideas he propounded, as well as his interpretations of European and West Asian prehistory, have been profoundly modified, or even rejected, since his death. With contributions from such distinguished prehistorians as Kent V. Flannery, David Harris, Leo S. Klejn, John Mulvaney, Colin Renfrew, Michael Rowlands, and Bruce Trigger, The Archaeology of V. Gordon Childe is an attempt to evaluate Chi...
Although Gordon Childe was not appointed to his first job in the field of prehistoric archaeology until he was 35 years of age, his achievements earned him general recognition as the most eminent and influential scholar of European prehistory in the twentieth century. An unconventional and eccentric character, he was totally dedicated to his chosen field and is remembered throughout the world as a pioneer in the study of prehistory: fresh excavations and discoveries had produced a wealth of archaeological evidence, but no one before Professor Childe had brought the data together and related them to a broader view of the history of civilization.
V. Gordon Childe was the first scholar to attempt a broad and sustained socioeconomic analysis of the archaeology of the ancient world in terms that, today, could be called explanatory. To most, he was remembered only as a diligent synthesizer whose whole interpretation collapsed when its chronology was demolished. There was little recognition of his insistence that the emergence of craft specialists, and their very variable roles in the relations of production, were crucial to an understanding of social evolution. The interrelationship between sociopolitical complexity and craft production is a critical one, so critical that one might ask, just how complex would any society have become with...
First published in 1942. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
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