The only critical guide to the theory and method of Mesopotamian archaeology, this innovative volume evaluates its theories, methods and approaches from its origins in the nineteenth century up to the present day.

Roger Matthews was Director of the British Institutes of Archaeology in both Baghdad and Ankara. He has directed excavations and surveys in Iraq, Turkey and Syria, and currently lectures at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. His recent publications include. The Early Prehistory of Mesopotamia (2000).

Chapter 1 Defining a discipline; Chapter 2 Tools of the trade; Chapter 3 Tracking a transition; Chapter 4 States of mind; Chapter 5 Archaeologies of empire; Chapter 6 People's pasts; Chapter 7 Futures of the Mesopotamian past; Bibliography; Index;