An Archaeology of Art and Writing offers an in-depth treatment of the image as material culture. Centring on early Egyptian bone, ivory, and wooden labels--one of the earliest inscribed and decorated object groups from burials in the lower Nile Valley--the research is anchored in the image as the site of material action. A key aim of this book is to outline a contextual and reflexive approach to early art and writing as a complement to the traditional focus on iconographic and linguistic meanings. Archaeological and anthropological approaches are integrated with social theories of practice and agency to develop a more holistic perspective that situates early Egyptian imagery in relation to its manufacture, use and final deposition in the funerary context. The dialectical relationships between past embodied practitioners and materials, production techniques, and compositional principles are examined for the insight they provide into changes and continuities in early Egyptian graphical expression across time and space. The electronic version of this book is accompanied by an online database of the inscribed labels, enabling the reader to explore via hyperlinks the fascinating body of evidence that underpins this innovative study. Kathryn Piquette lectures on the archaeology of ancient Egypt and the Near East at the University of Reading. She also lectures in digital humanities at University College London, where she serves as a senior research consultant in advanced digital imaging techniques for cultural heritage. Recent publications include the co-edited Writing as Material Practice: Substance, surface and medium.

An Archaeology of Art and Writing offers an in-depth treatment of the image as material culture. A key aim of this book is to outline a contextual and reflexive approach to early art and writing as a complement to the traditional focus on iconographic and linguistic meanings.

This volume – which has come about through a collaborative venture between Dragos Gheorghiu (archaeologist and professional visual artist) and Theodor Barth (anthropologist) – aims at expanding the field of archaeological research with an anthropological understanding of practices that include artistic methods.

Writing as Material Practice grapples with the issue of writing as a form of material culture in its ancient and more recent manifestations, and in the contexts of production and consumption. Fifteen case studies explore the artefactual nature of writing — the ways in which materials, techniques, colour, scale, orientation and visibility inform the creation of inscribed objects and spaces, as well as structure subsequent engagement, perception and meaning making. Covering a temporal span of some 5000 years, from c.3200 BCE to the present day, and ranging in spatial context from the Americas to the Near East, the chapters in this volume bring a variety of perspectives which contribute to both specific and broader questions of writing materialities. The authors also aim to place past graphical systems in their social contexts so they can be understood in relation to the people who created and attributed meaning to writing and associated symbolic modes through a diverse array of individual and wider social practices.

Archaeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of objects and architecture that surrounds people. It is often considered a branch of socio-cultural anthropology, but also draws from biological, geological and environmental systems. The archaeological record, which is the body of physical evidence about the past, consists of artifacts, biofacts and cultural landscapes. Archaeologists study human prehistory and history. Prehistory is the period between the use of the first stone tools and writing systems, while history follows the invention of writing systems. The discipline involves surveying, excavating and analyzing data to learn more about the past. This book provides comprehensive insights into the field of archaeology. It is compiled in such a manner, that it will provide in-depth knowledge about the theory and practice of this field. This book will serve as a reference to a broad spectrum of readers.

Beautifully written and illustrated, The Life Within is the first full study of the vitality and materiality of Classic Maya art and writing and the quest for transcendence and immortality.

"This new edition of Writing Material Culture History examines the methodologies currently used in the historical study of material culture. Touching on archaeology, anthropology, art history and literary studies, the book provides history students with a fundamental understanding of the relationship between artefacts and historical narratives. The role of museums, the impact of the digital age and the representations of objects in public history are just some of the issues addressed in a book that brings together distinguished scholars from around the world"--