Landscapes of Movement: Trails, Paths, and Roads in Anthropological Perspective (University of Pennsylvania Mus) [Hardcover]

James E. Snead (Editor), Clark L. Erickson (Editor), J. Andrew Darling (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2009 | ISBN-10: 193453613X | ISBN-13: 978-1934536131

Landscapes of Movement originates from the premise that trails, paths, and roads are the physical manifestation of human movement through the landscape and are central to an understanding of that movement. The study of these features connects with many intellectual domains, engaging history, geography, environmental studies, and, in particular, anthropology and archaeology. These diverse fields together provide not only a better understanding of infrastructure but also of social, political, and economic organization, cultural expressions of patterned movement, and the ways in which trails, paths, and roads reflect a culture's traditional knowledge, worldview, memory, and identity.

The contributors to Landscapes of Movement document these routes across different times and cultures, from those made by hunter-gatherers in the Great Basin of North America to causeways in the Bolivian Amazon to Bronze Age towns in the Near East, examined through aerial and satellite photography, surface survey, historic records, and archaeological excavation. The essays consider many factors in the development and use of trails, paths, and roads, including labor, technology, terrain characteristics, landscape features, access, and ownership. Diverse scales of movement are also addressed, ranging from paths between home and fields to roads used for long-distance journeying. Overall, the book makes the case for the centrality of paths, trails, and roads as an organizing element of human lives throughout history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James E. Snead is Associate Professor of Anthropology at George Mason University. Clark L. Erickson is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and Associate Curator of the American Section at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. J. Andrew Darling is Coordinator of the Cultural Resource Management Program at the Gila River Indian Community.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (October 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193453613X
• ISBN-13: 978-1934536131
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #682,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James E. Snead is an archaeologist and historian. He has conducted fieldwork in various parts of the world but is particularly focused on the American Southwest. Currently a member of the anthropology faculty at California State University, Northridge, he explores how archaeology provides insight into human history and how people respond to signs of the past in their own landscapes.