About this Earth and Planetary Sciences article
The archeology of William Henry Holmes. David J. Meltzer and Robert C. Dunnell (Editors), 1992, Smithsonian Institution Press, L + 397 pp., $34. 95 (paperbound) by Vance T. Holliday is a Earth and Planetary Sciences article available to read on EtoBox.
The name William Henry Holmes probably elicits little recognition among most geoarchaeologists today. His work is more widely known and appreciated in archaeology. As Meltzer and Dunnell point out, he has left a considerable intellectual legacy in archaeological practice and theory. The editors also show, however, that Holmes was a pioneer in the integration of geology and archaeology (also noted, from an expressly geologic perspective, by Gifford and Rapp, 1985). In his work, Holmes emphasized geologic processes based on observation, careful stratigraphic excavation and recording, and the importance of association. In particular, Holmes established the bases for modern investigations of lithic and ceramic technologies. He was not a dabbler in geoarchaeology-he actively practiced the integration of natural science, largely earth science, and the scientific method in archaeology. Indeed, he taught courses at the University of Chicago variously labeled "anthropic geology" and "archaeologic geology" (probably the first such courses anywhere) and was editor of these topics for the first 2 decades of Journal of Geology. The Archaeology of William Henry Holmes is an excellent introductio
It is typically read by researchers, students, and practitioners in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
- Author
- Vance T. Holliday
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons; Wiley (John Wiley & Sons); John Wiley & Sons Inc.; Wiley (ISSN 0883-6353)
- Published
- 1993
- Language
- EN
- Field
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (Physical Sciences)