Book excerpt: This fully updated and revised edition of the best-selling title The Archaeology Coursebook is a guide for students studying archaeology for the first time. Including new methods and key studies in this fourth edition, it provides pre-university students and teachers, as well as undergraduates and enthusiasts, with the skills and technical concepts necessary to grasp the subject. The Archaeology Coursebook: introduces the most commonly examined archaeological methods, concepts and themes, and provides the necessary skills to understand them explains how to interpret the material students may meet in examinations supports study with key studies, key sites, key terms, tasks and skills development illustrates concepts and commentary with over 400 photos and drawings of excavation sites, methodology and processes, tools and equipment provides an overview of human evolution and social development with a particular focus upon European prehistory. Reflecting changes in archaeological practice and with new key studies, methods, examples, boxes, photographs and diagrams, this is definitely a book no archaeology student should be without.