Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction: The Paradox of Material Evidence 1. Archaeological Evidence in Question: Working between the Horns of a Dilemma 2. Archaeology Fieldwork: Scaffolding in Practice 3. Working with Old Evidence 4. External Resources: Archaeology as a Trading Zone Conclusions: Reflexivity Made Concrete Bibliography Index

Promotional Information

A case-based exploration of norms of evidential reasoning embodied in archaeological practice.

About the Author

Robert Chapman is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading, UK. Alison Wylie is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington, USA, and at Durham University, UK.

Reviews

The book is a concise and insightful piece of work ... [It] offers good guidance for the design and conduct of high-quality evidential reasoning in archaeology. * Antiquity *
In the emerging 'engaged philosophy of science' literature, Robert Chapman and Alison Wylie's book sets new standards in its rigor, clarity of argument, and grounding in empirical research. The book is a must-read for everyone interested in scientific reasoning, philosophy of science, especially of social science, and archaeological practice. * Julian Reiss, Professor and Co-Director Centre for Humanities Engaging Science and Society (CHESS), Durham University, UK *
In an important volume, Chapman and Wylie offer a perceptive and reflective critique of theory and method in archaeology focusing on how material evidence is constructed and used in archaeology (missing in much of the theory wars of the previous scholarly generation). Like their intellectual hero, David Clarke, they argue that archaeology is a distinct discipline and (retrospectively) thus foreground the current material turn. * Sturt Manning, Goldwin Smith Professor of Classical Archaeology, Cornell University, USA *