Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory (Hardcover)

by Adrian Praetzellis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A European Neolithic burial. A large stone Venus. Nothing unusual about it. . . except that it was found on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Archaeologist Hannah Green and her shovelbum nephew find themselves in a tangled web of competing interests -- avaricious land owners, hungry media, and a cult of goddess worshippers-- while investigating one of the finds of the century. In untangling the mystery of the Washington Venus, Hannah and Sean have to confront questions of archaeological evidence, of ethics, of conflicting interpretation of data, and of the very nature of archaeological truths. Helping them are a cadre of disdainful graduate students who propose various theories-- processualist, marxist , feminist, postmodernist-- to explain the bizarre events. Teach your students archaeological theory in a fashion they'll enjoy, while they solve the mystery in Adrian Praetzellis's delightful textbook-as-novel.

About the Author
Adrian Praetzellis is an archaeologist at Sonoma State University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 174 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742503585
• ISBN-13: 978-0742503588
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,688,764 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, May 14, 2001

By	Dr Cornelius Holtorf "ch264" (Cambridge, Cambs United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory (Paperback)

This book is both a good narrative and an introduction to archaeological theory. It is *very* well written, *highly* competent and insightful (but without any jargon), *beautifully* illustrated, and *extremely* funny -- for archaeologists anyway. What more do you want? I wish there were more books like this that challenged the conventions of archaeological writing and argument in such sophisticated ways. Congratulations to Altamira Press for taking the risk that is necessarily involved in printing such a book *and* selling it at such a good price. These are the kind of publishers that actually move the discipline of Archaeology forward...

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for an Intro Archaeology Class, June 2, 2002

By	sgkr (New Hampton, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory (Paperback)

I bought this book for two reasons; I was curious to see if it would be worth using with an Intro to Archaeology class, and I have a terrible head for theory myself, so am always curious to see how other people approach it.

"Death by Theory" is not great literature, and not really that great of a mystery, but that's ok because it does one important thing very very well. It presents archaeological and anthropological theory in a totally non-threatening way, and in a way that a beginning (or forgetful) student is likely to remember. It's not going to tell the serious archaeology student everything he or she needs to know, but it's a great jumping off point for further discussion, as well as a good, basic reference that students will likely return to.

The illustrations are amusing and insightful, and there's enough humor and plot to keep the reader turning the pages. If I ever have the opportunity, I would definitely use this book with an intro class, and I am quite happy to add this book to my own reference library.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent way of teaching archaeological theory!, December 23, 2001

By	Anita Cohen-Williams (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory (Paperback)

Death by Theory is a novel, but one with a purpose. The author teaches the reader all the concepts of archaeological theory while solving an archaeological mystery. I highly recommend this book for all beginning archaeology students, and anyone interested in the subject. I also got a kick out of the illustrations.