Death by Theory ─ A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory

"The author's droll humor helps incorporate theory within many other aspects of archaeology---cultural resources management, field methods, the public, even issues of professionalism. Having taught archaeological theory for many years, I appreciate the revised edition, which is nicely updated to include more illustrations, concepts such as `agency,' and new references and websites."---Nancy White, author of Archaeology for Dummies

"If students feel that theory will be the death of them, this book is the cure. It is an amusing way to tackle theory, with many points for productive discussion."---Sarah Milledge Nelson, University of Denver

"Is [Death by Theory] a witty mystery, appealing to aficionados with references to Conan Doyle and all manner of genre stereotypes? Is it a teaching collection of capsule definitions of archaeological theories and stances? Is it an inside joke book for archaeologists? Actually it is all of these."---Caroline Stewart Steele, Antiquity

A European Neolithic burial. A large stone Venus. Nothing unusual except that it was found on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Archaeologist Hannah Green and her shovelbum nephew, Sean, find themselves in a tangled web of competing interests---avaricious land owners, hungry media, and a cult of goddess worshippers---while investigating one of the finds of the century. In untangling the mystery of the Washington Venus, Hannah and Sean have to confront questions of archaeological evidence, conflicting interpretation of data, and the very nature of archaeological truths. This thoroughly updated version of an archaeological classic allows you to learn the basics of archaeological theory while puzzling out a mysterious turn of events.

Adrian Praetzellis is professor of anthropology and director of the Anthropological Studies Center at Sonoma State University.