The Uses of Style in Archaeology (New Directions in Archaeology)

This book brings together essays that illustrate the different uses and interpretations of style in archaeology. Style is a widely discussed and controversial issue, which has always been central for archaeological interpretation. The collection considers the history of style in archaeology, its relationship to the concept of style in art history and how stylistic analyses will differ according to different initial assumptions. The essays show how stylistic interpretation works at different levels and they debate stylistic terminologies and concepts. Although these essays show that there is no unified theory of style, they underline the importance of continuing creative discussion through different themes and individual case studies.