V. Gordon Childe is probably the most widely read early archaeologist of
the 20th century and one of the world's most renowned prehistorians. A
thorough understanding of the evolution of Childe's theoretical
perspective is crucial to an understanding of the foundations of social
archaeology.For the first time, a diverse collection of Childe's
writings have been brought together in one volume. These fourteen
essays, from his earliest seminal work in 1935 to his reflective essay
"Retrospect" written in 1958 shortly before his death, document the
progression of this dynamic thinker. Essays such as "Archaeology and
Anthropology" show the evolution of Childe's theories from a conception
of the past as a trait-list conceptualization of culture to an
understanding of the profound social importance of social relations in
transforming human history. His understanding of history evolved from a
static notion into a dynamic conception that openly embraced social
interaction and all that it entailed, a transformation that marked the
earliest strains of social archaeology. The introduction by prominent
anthropologists Thomas Patterson and Charles Orser places Childe's work
in a larger context and explores Chile's ongoing value to modern
readers. This volume will be of interest to archeologists,
anthropologists and historians of social archaeology.
