The Archaeology of Disease - Softcover

Charlotte A. Roberts

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0752457500 ISBN 13: 9780752457505

Publisher: The History Press, 2010

Synopsis

The Archaeology of Disease shows how the latest scientific and archaeological techniques can be used to identify the common illnesses and injuries that humans suffered from in antiquity. In order to give a vivid picture of ancient disease and trauma the authors present the results of the latest scientific research and incorporate information gathered from documents, from other areas of archaeology and from art and ethnography. This comprehensive approach to the subject throws fresh light on the health of our ancestors and on the conditions in which they lived, and it gives us an intriguing insight into the ways in which they coped with the pain and discomfort of their existence.

About this title

About the Author:

Charlotte Roberts is Senior Lecturer in Biological Anthropology at the University of Bradford. Books she has contributed include An Introduction to Forensic Archaeology and Burial Archaeology. Her main interest lies in the biocultural approach to palaeopathology.

Review:

"As close to perfection as a book can come. . . . The Archaeology of Disease is highly recommended to all who are interested in the history of diseases and their scientific investigation. The clear, precise, and elaborate description and interpretation of paleopathological observations the world over, from many different time periods, provide excellent insight into life and death hundreds to thousands of years ago."―Andreas G. Nerlich, JAMA, September 20, 2006

"Well structured, clearly written, and extremely accurate from both a historical and scientific point of view."―The Lancet (reviewing a previous edition)

"A concise, informative, and very readable introduction to the field of paleopathology."―Journal of the History of Medicine (reviewing a previous edition)

"Details how skeletal discoveries at archaeological sites reveal much about illnesses in earlier eras and how they were treated. Dead men do tell tales."―Anneli Rufus, East Bay Express.com, 25 January 2006

"This is a fabulous book. It is stocked full of useful data, is well organized, and devoid of most of the pseudoscience that plagues this area of study. It covers the entire field in a practical, no-nonsense style. If you are interested in ancient disease, then this is the "bible," the finest text to date."―Journal of the American Association of Forensic Dentists

About this edition

• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0752457500
• ISBN 13: 9780752457505
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352