The Archaeology of Shamanism

The term shaman has been through a process of definition and redefinition over the past 300 years or so, but until now, there has been no general introduction and overview of the subject as it stands in archaeological and anthropological terms. These fourteen essays began life as papers given at the European Association of Archaeologists held in Bournemouth in 1999, and offer a broad chronological survey of shamanism from the Palaeolithic to the present day. Individual case studies look at the different forms of evidence related to shamans and their activities, at issues of gender, social and cultural identity, landscape, art and imagery, and perceptions of animals. Archaeologists have long needed a balanced and well-researched introduction to shamanism, and at last we have it' - Richard Bradley.