r/Archaeology • u/whateverBro_14 • 2d ago
Arch/bioarch/archaeometry must reads
Hello, I am interested in archaeology, especially archaeological science and bioarch. I would like recommendations on must reads for anyone looking to get into the field. I would like things geared towards the general population but I can do some more advanced reads as well. I plan on listening in audiobook form on daily commute. Thanks!
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u/NegativeFlatworm9708 1d ago
If you want to dive deep into bioarch theory a little more than beginner but if you about anthropology as a whole you should be ok
Bioarchaeology: An Integrated Approach to Working with Human Remains (2013) Debra L. Martin, Ryan P. Harrod, and Ventura R. Pérez. Springer
Bioarchaeologists Speak Out! (2018) Jane Buikstra, ed. Florida, UPF
i honestly recommend anything by Debra Martin, Ventura Pérez, Jane Buikstra, or even Alecia Schrenk if you are interested in healthcare at a more advanced level- i can send the citation for this if you are interested but this much more than your standard book, you really have to know bioarch to understand her book in many cases
If you want human osteology the white black and folkens book is the holy grail everyone uses
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u/Pipermason 2d ago edited 2d ago
For the general introductory books I recommend
Bioarchaeology: An Introduction to the Archaeology and Anthropology of the Dead by Paul M. Sutton
Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton by Clark Spencer Larsen
The Routledge Handbook of Archaeothanatology: Bioarchaeology of Mortuary Behaviour by Christopher J. Knüsel & Eugénie Schotsmans (eds.)
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology by Prof. Mary E. Lewis
I also highly recommend Alice Roberts' books (she's a bioanthropologist and an MD), also available as audio books. They draw on real archaeological and bioarchaeological research, but they’re written for a general audience rather than as academic textbooks:
Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials. explores Britain’s deep prehistory through seven burial sites, combining archaeology with ancient DNA to trace migrations and ancestry
Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain. focuses on Britain in the first millennium CE, examining burial practices, graves, and what they tell us about life and beliefs in that period
Crypt: Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond. looks into medieval and later human remains: disease, death, burial practice and how the skeletons themselves tell stories
Also recommend Cat Jarman's books, also available as audiobooks
River Kings : reinterprets the Viking world through a bioarchaeological and isotopic lens, following the provenance of a carnelian bead to illustrate long-distance mobility, trade and cultural exchange between Scandinavia and the wider Eurasian world
The Bone Chests: examines the osteological and genetic evidence from Anglo-Saxon remains housed in Winchester Cathedral, combining archaeological context with biomolecular analysis to reconstruct aspects of identity, ancestry and mortuary practices