August 2002 Issue
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In recent years, one might argue that Romano-British archaeology has been lost in the shadow of its more fashionable prehistoric relation, but now it appears to be asserting its independence. While technical monographs publishing the results from past excavations of important sites such as Silchester, Catterick, Alchester and Alcester (to name but a few) have appeared in the last few months, more user-friendly and synthesised studies have also become available. For good, solid background information to all aspects of Roman Britain, the general reader and the archaeologist would do well to consult the recent run of well-illustrated books by the publisher Tempus, many of which expertly steer the reader through the theories and debates that currently guide Romano-British archaeology. | |||||||
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Book Feature: What has 623 people, 55 dogs, 202 horses, 41 ships and 49 trees? The answer is of course the Bayeux Tapestry! If there is anyone out there who doesn't know what the Bayeux Tapestry is, then shame on you. The tapestry, which is 230 feet long and 20 1/2 inches tall, tells the story of the events of the years 1064 to 1066 and the contested accession between England and the Duke of Normandy, culminating in the Battle of Hastings. And for those of you interested in the pictorial narrative, a brand new edition of the classic book by Lucien Musset contains the most superb colour photographs and is sure to pique your interest. | |||||||
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Of all the new books that have passed over the desks of the Oxbow staff this month, these, for whatever reason, are the ones that grabbed their attention.
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| INTERVIEWS | ||||||||
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Meet the Author: Joan Oates
Joan Oates and her husband David met on Max Mallowan and Agatha Christie's excavations at Nimrud in the 1950s. Since then they have excavated throughout the Near East and are currently working at Tell Brak (ancient Nagar), which is one of the most important 3rd millennium cities in northern Mesopotamia. Dr Oates is now based at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Cambridge. Joan and David Oates have recently written a semi-popular account of work at Nimrud: Nimrud: An Assyrian Imperial City Revealed In this interview Joan talks about the new book, the ongoing work at Tell Brak, and the current state of archaeology in Iraq. | |||||||
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Meet the Publisher: Richard Stoneman of Routledge, UK Richard Stoneman made the mistake of visiting us at the Oxbow office a few weeks ago, allowing us to corner him with our polaroid camera ... and in the face of this intimidation he agreed to answer a few questions about his role at Routledge. | |||||||
Who is Toumai and why is he so important?
Whilst on holiday in the South of France my host, having ascertained what I did for a living, asked me what I thought of the new discovery made in Chad - he had been reading an in-depth report in his morning newspaper Le Figaro. I had to admit that this one had passed me by ... after all, I had been out of the country for ten days!? ... but I soon found out that the discovery of the near-complete homonid cranium dating to between 6 and 7 million years old is being described as one of the most important palaeoanthropological finds of recent times.
Conference: Dog burials and Dung beetles at Durham?
Oxbow Books will be having a book display at the 9th Conference of the International Council of Archaezoology (ICAZ). ICAZ only hosts an international conference once every four years, and the next assembly is about to be held on the 23rd to the 28th of August at the University of Durham, UK. This is the first time the ICAZ conference will be held in Britain. The general aim of this year's conference will be to place the study of zooarchaeology within the framework of broader archaeological questions which centre on the theme of human behaviour. Session topics range from Milk and Dairying to Ritual and Religion. A complete list of session themes, times, and individual paper titles can be found at the conference website: http://www.dur.ac.uk/icaz.2002/scientific.html
Oxbow Books will be publishing individual sessions as books within an ICAZ Conference 2002 series.
Conference: Coins coins coins
Numismatists from around the world are descending on New York this weekend for the American Numismatic Association's Coin Fair, the 111th anniversary convention of the association. Lectures will be given and seminars and auctions will be held from July 31 to August 4 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. A final schedule for the meeting can be found at: http://www.money.org/annualcvnschnyc2.html
The David Brown Book Company will be there with a wide range of books on numismatic subjects ... and more besides.
Meanwhile, if you haven't heard about the record $7.59 million sale last week of the mysterious 1933 double eagle coin, a $20 gold piece that shouldn't exist, then take a look at this news story: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/3767832.htm
For other forthcoming conferences see our list of meetings.
After years of Kalamazoo and Leeds we felt it was time to flavour other types of Medievalism so we joined the re-enactors at 'Joust' for a weekend of Medieval jollifications at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
Books in bags? books in boxes? books by the shelf full? No! books by the ton! Actually there were four and a half tons; they came on nine pallets and when unloaded and unpacked they made a mighty pile. They comprise the latest delivery of older British Academy titles which have been transferred from Oxford University Press's warehouse to us, and they include some super books that you will want. All of them are at new (=changed) and attractive (=lower) prices.
View the complete list of new titles.
New Catalogue
Oxbow has recently launched a new catalogue,
Archaeology: Method, Theory & Practice 2002.
This is an A4 subject catalogue containing new and recently published books on archaeological theory,
methodology, the environment, technology, conservation, museums and heritage and underwater archaeology.
This catalogue can be downloaded from our website in PDF format, or is available in 'old-fashioned' paper
format upon request.
Download PDF: Archaeology: Method, Theory & Practice 2002
New Releases
Oxbow Books is happy to announce the publication of a volume which celebrates the (theoretical) retirement of Professor Don Brothwell, one of the leading lights in the field of all things dead, and a colleague, mentor and friend to many.
Bones and the Man:
Studies in honour of Don Brothwell
Most of the papers were first presented at a two-day conference attended by Don's friends and colleagues from many parts of the world, held at the University of York in September 1999; and they are augmented by papers from colleagues who were unable to attend. The broad range of themes reflects only some of Don's diverse research interests over the last four decades. There are major reviews of human palaeopathology, dental anthropology and the zooarchaeology of the black rat; and wide-ranging additional contributions which include the importance of measurements, horse in Macedonian burials, myopia in Orangutans (and prehistoric humans), animal bones as evidence of belief and short-term processes and even papers on ancient stomach contents and preserved brains. The volume is a small testament to a truly remarkable career.