Book Review

Geoarchaeology: The Earth Science Approach to Archaeological Interpretation,

Second Edition. George (Rip) Rapp and Christopher Hill. 2006. Yale University Press,New Haven, Connecticut and London, UK, xv � 339 pp., $35.00, softcover.

The integration of geoarchaeology into archaeological research requires continued efforts at introduc-ing our methods effectively and teaching the graduate students who will join the ranks of professionalarchaeologists how to successfully work with earth science data. The second edition of George Rapp andChristopher Hill’s well-received introductory volume, Geoarchaeology: The Earth Science Approach to

Archaeological Interpretation, furthers this aim in its orientation toward students and professionals withlimited background in earth science or its archaeological applications. The new edition has been thought-fully restructured with additions to each chapter and a greatly expanded bibliography.

The volume opens with a consideration of history and theory, which highlights the developmentof modern science from the perspective of geoscience. The first section provides a concise history ofimportant milestones in earth science and archaeology through 1950, with reference to their innovators.The subsequent sections bring readers into the 21st century, but rather than emphasize the important contri-butions that define contemporary methods, the authors present a “who’s who” of North Americangeoarchaeology. A more balanced presentation might have addressed the increased output frommany geoarchaeology laboratories, including those in non-U.S. departments, and the expansion ofpublications applying the geosciences to archaeology.

Rapp and Hill present sediments and soils as a complex, dynamic matrix, rich with potentialinterpretative power. Chapter 2, “Sediments, Soils, and Environmental Interpretations,” begins thesubstance of the volume with important explanatory sections on the genesis of sediments and soils(e.g., transportation and weathering) and their analytical properties (e.g., grain size and precipitates). Thesection on color is a fine example of the authors’ ability to concisely summarize the potential explana-tory power of sediments for archaeological deposits.

Context and site formation are given excellent and well-illustrated treatment in Chapter 3, whichemphasizes the unstable nature of various sedimentary contexts such as deserts and alluvial systems. Thesection on caves and rock shelters is particularly useful as the stratigraphy of these contexts can bedaunting without an understanding of natural formation processes. Chapter 4, “Methods of Discovery andSpatial Analyses,” provides a useful introduction to maps and remote sensing, with sections on a widevariety of methods. The chapter would be strengthened by additional figures illustrating remote sensingresults and a discussion of how they might be interpreted.

As a central concern in archaeology, time and the generation of chronologies are covered in mostintroductory texts. The treatment in Chapter 5 has the advantage of focusing primarily on absolute meth-ods and dating the strata on which archeological deposits form. One quibble I have here and elsewhere inthis volume is irregularity in the sizing of figures, which may be at the hands of the publishers. Forinstance, a practical chart of dating methods applicable to artifacts (Figure 5.1) is reduced to a smallarea with tiny text, whereas a simple time/space diagram (Figure 5.6) receives half a page. In this chapter,I found myself looking for a summary table listing methods, date ranges, and limitations to complementthe detailed text.

Reconstructions of past environments are covered in Chapter 6, which considers the major floral,faunal, and geochemical indicators. Each section effectively explains a different method in detail andprovides archaeological examples. However, the impression created here, and elsewhere in the volume,is that these methods may be used in isolation rather than in concert. The integrated research programs

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that have become the norm for many archaeologists are not addressed. In Chapter 2, for example,micromorphology was given a single page without considering that physical, chemical, geochronological,and micromorphological methods are frequently used in tandem, as seen in several recent articles in thisjournal and others such as Quaternary Research. In Chapter 6, the absence of a detailed presentation ofmultidisciplinary paleoenvironmental case studies is a surprising omission. Contemporary students needto know the advantages and pitfalls of trying to integrate different lines of evidence into a rigorous inter-pretative framework.

Chapters 7 and 8 apply Rapp’s extensive knowledge of lithics and mineral sourcing to raw materials andprovenancing. Chapter 7 provides an introduction to natural materials found in the archaeological record,including rock minerals, metals, shell, and clay, and a short section on building materials. Chapter 8continues the emphasis on archaeological materials by explaining the processes by which raw materialsare transformed by people and how we may determine their provenances, including sections on specificnatural materials (e.g., obsidian, chert, metals) and sourcing methods (e.g., INAA, X-ray, mass spectrom-etry). The emphasis on the archaeological record continues in Chapter 9, “Construction, Destruction,Archaeological Resources, Preservation, and Conservation.” This important chapter speaks directly to theconcerns of archaeologists and differentiates the approaches of geoarchaeology from related fields inthe earth sciences by considering such issues as the impact of rock weathering on building materials,structural subsidence, and seismic disturbances.

An important difference between this volume and other introductory geoarchaeology texts is the authors’emphasis on archaeological interpretation. In defining geoarchaeology widely, Rapp and Hill cover a remark-able range of material from site formation to sourcing studies. This provides readers with a broad range ofpotential applications for geoscience methods. An important strength of the volume is the global rangeof archaeological case studies from different physical and temporal settings. Inevitably, this breadth also limitsthe detail provided on each area considered, and the examples are sometimes presented in a highlycompressed manner. For example, a single page may move from the Middle Stone Age in Africa to theAndes ca. A.D. 1000–1100, and then to an international consideration of the Pleistocene (p. 185). Thistemporal and spatial agility may at times overreach the ability of student readers to follow the argument.

Overall, the authors make surprisingly little reference to analytical procedures and their suitability indifferent settings. This may reflect a desire not to alienate readers with a limited scientific background.However, this dearth of methodological detail also makes it difficult to evaluate how the interpretationswere actually made. The novice reader may have little choice but to turn to the case study literature,as methodological sources are sparsely presented. A table of basic methods, with examples of applicationsand references to published methodological discussions, would be a useful addition.

An additional concern I have in considering this volume for graduate classes is the limited emphasison research design. This presentation does not address the question, “How can I use geoarchaeologicalapproaches in my project?” One resolution would be to provide detailed summary sections for eachchapter showing that the diverse methods presented can be effectively integrated in a research project.This could also be addressed through more detailed considerations of case studies that employmultidisciplinary research programs.

Despite these reservations, the second addition of Geoarchaeology is highly readable and it continuesto be an excellent introductory text. In an increasingly competitive publishing market, its strength is theremarkable range of methods and archaeological projects considered and their focus on the explanatorypower of earth science data. Rapp and Hill’s approach makes a strong case for the maturing of geoar-chaeology as a subdiscipline with important contributions to make to the field as a whole.

Melissa Goodman Elgar

Department of Anthropology

PO Box 669410

Washington State University

Pullman, WA 99164-4910

Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI:10.1002/gea.20172

BOOK REVIEW

GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, VOL. 22, NO. 5 DOI: 10.1002/GEA556

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