Granted, I know almost nothing of prehistoric or historical archaeology, and so am not a fit judge of this book for the professional. But for the ever curious, like me, it's fascinating.

One might think that historical archaeology is redundant and unnecessary, given that we have written records. But think - we don't, actually. We have the written records of the elite, by & for the elite. Estate inventories, journals, newspapers, etc. must be compared & related to foundations of burnt houses, contents of buried refuse heaps. gravestone designs, etc. If our interpretations of the lives revealed by these different research methods mesh, great. If there are discrepancies, even better, because then we can apply further scholarship to the puzzle, and learn more details about all the pieces.

For example, think of the ceramics found at a certain site. The ceramics date from a period a generation or so earlier than the residence of the site. And they are quality, luxury items. Our other clue is that the residents were Afro-American [sic] men who were given their freedom in return for service as soldiers in the Revolution. They were not wealthy enough to buy fancy jugs, plates, etc. Ah! Assemble the clues, and realize that the ceramics were secondhand charitable gifts from the richer members of the surrounding community. Now we know enough to look for and understand other clues, and to draw a fairly decent picture of the little community of Parting Ways.

For another example, compare styles of houses in the East. Think of the symmetrical stalwart Georgians, compared to the vernacular unplanned houses that just get built, remodeled, added on to, until they might be the same size as a Georgian, but look almost nothing like it. What does this comparison suggest to you about the worldview of the different people who lived in the different houses? I won't tell you what it suggests to Deetz, but I will say I was convinced by his interpretation.

Very cool, very concise little book. I also liked the illustrations by Cann.

edit - I see that I've read an older edition, and the revised looks so much more thorough that I'm tempted to track it down. I def. rec. you try to read the newer, yourself. ( )