A History of Archaeological Thought

This is by far the most thorough and complete history of the development of archaeological theory. At times, the material is rather dense (certainly not for the lay armchair archaeologist), but it is informative none the less. All students of archaeology should read this text.

Trigger's work, first published in 1989, is one of the best syntheses available on the history of archaeology as a discipline and on the theoretical perspectives which have accompanied each stage of the development of the discipline. Trigger carefully links each of the theoretical perspectives - such as unilineal evolution, cultural materialism, Marxism, postprocessual and historical theory - with the historic and cultural developments in archaeology and in Western and world society that each perspective is based on. Besides the value of this work to archaeologists, members of the general public who want to gain an understanding of why archaeologists "do" archaeology and anthropology should read Trigger's work as well. Very well done, and highly recommended.

It's not just the updated and critical revision of the historiographic literature of the last 18 years; necessary for all those archaeologist, historians, philosophers, or in general, social scientists interested in the historic study of the different dimensions of archaeological practice and theory. But, above all, it is the aufhebung of Trigger's previous work that allow us to put into a wide perspective the current issues of worldwide archaeology, inside the context of the social sciences as part of the global history of the modern world.

Trigger's book, "A History of Archaeological Thought", is an excellent addition to any archaeological method and theory (M & T) class at the graduate or undergraduate level. I purchased this book, as recommended by a professor of mine, to read in addition to all the readings assigned in my graduate M & T class. Trigger articulates in few words what many archaeological theorists take pages to explain (eg. Binford). It was extremely helpful, and made wading through different theoretical paradigms much more enjoyable.

Trigger's comprehensive synthesis traces the origins and developement of archaeological theory from antiquity to post-processualism. With a global perspective, Trigger explorers the philosophical and scientific milestones that altered or redirected archaeological thought throughout its history. An excellent and readable reference.