The Routledge Handbook of Global Historical Archaeology

The proposed Handbook of Global Historical Archaeology is designed to offer readers an up-to-date introduction to the rapidly growing, worldwide field of historical archaeology. Whereas the field was once restricted to the United States (largely as an anthropological pursuit) and Great Britain (generally as a historical endeavor called ‘post-medieval archaeology’), today’s historical archaeologists live and conduct important research in places only dreamt of twenty years ago. Given the ever-developing nature of the discipline, the contributors to this handbook will concentrate most of their discussions on archaeological achievements made since about 2006.

The field has traditionally been defined in two ways: as the methodological combination of archaeological and historical sources, and as the archaeological analysis of the post-1500 CE world. Tension has always existed between the two definitions, but most practicing historical archaeologists understand historical archaeology in terms of the second definition. Archaeologists pursuing research under the first definition usually self-define as Mesoamerican, Egyptian, or classical archaeologists rather than as historical archaeologists per se. As such, this handbook uses the second definition and does not intend to describe research in earlier historical epochs. In any case, including information from the broader definition would double the size of the volume. The authors contributing to the handbook will explore the seminal topics posed by today’s practitioners, including new methods, disciplinary histories, core theories, and specific examples of key research.

The target audience for the proposed handbook are undergraduate, post-graduate, and mature students of archaeology, anthropology, history, historical preservation, and geography, as well as members of the general public who have an interest in history and historical archaeology. The handbook will be an important resource for learning about the current theoretical trends of the field, its thematic directions, and the most important sites discovered and excavated during the first years of the twenty-first century.

The growth of the discipline means that readers throughout the world will find the handbook useful. Historical archaeologists now teach and conduct research throughout South and Central America, in Australia and New Zealand, the Pacific and Indian Oceans, in India and Southeast Asia, Africa, and in Western, Central, and Eastern Europe. Historical archaeologists have even conducted research in Antarctica. Given the complexity and breadth of underwater/maritime archaeology, this subject is accorded only one chapter in the proposed volume. A separate handbook would be required to cover that subject in depth.