An international conference was held in 1989 in honour of Professor Thurstan Shaw, a doyen of African archaeology. The papers from the conference are by the leading African and other archaeologists of Africa, and treat significant aspects of man's social and cultural stories in Africa within the quarternary/geographic contexts. It addresses the wide range of substantive subjects, disciplines and approaches which African archaeology now embraces and discusses the approaches and perspectives used. Index, refs, illus, maps 370pp. NIGERIA. HEINEMANN EDUCATIONAL BOOKS NIGERIA.

Concise and authoritative introduction to the vast archaeological record of Africa, now in its third edition and drawing on cutting edge archaeological research in fields such as genetics. Fully illustrated account of African archaeology from prehistory and the origins of humanity to the age of European colonisation. The work spans the entire continent from the Mediterranean to the Cape of Good Hope and demonstrates the relevance of archaeological research to the understanding of Africa today. Index, bib, xvi, 389pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

A multi authored introduction to the archaeology of Africa, challenging misconceptions and claims about Africa's past and teaching students how to evaluate these claims. The authors explore the preoccupations and assumptions that have framed research and assess the quality and reliability of evidence and chart emerging research directions. Index, refs, maps, diags, b/w illus, xiv, 490pp, UK. BLACKWELL PUBLISHING.

A new research initiative developed out of the 2001 'Human Responses and Contribution to Environmental Change' project. It investigates how ancient African societies exploited re-sources, developed settlements and established long-distance trade networks. A pan-African project, it aims to develop new models to understand how ancient communities adjusted and responded to political and environmental upheavals; and to demonstrate the potential for more research in the different areas of African archaeology. Maps, col illus, 196pp, TANZANIA. DAR ES SALAAM UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Volume 5 of the Studies in the African Past series. Maps, tables, charts, col photos, b/w illus, 247pp, TANZANIA. DAR ES SALAAM UNIVERSITY PRESS.

From the exodus of early modern humans to the growth of African diasporas, Africa has had a long and complex relationship with the outside world. More than a passive vessel manipulated by external empires, the African experience has been a complex mix of internal geographic, environmental, sociopolitical and economic factors, and regular interaction with outsiders. This book examines African interconnections through Egypt and Nubia with the Near East, multiple Indian Ocean trading systems, the trans-Saharan trade, and through more recent incursion of Europeans. The African diaspora is also explored for continuities and resistance to foreign domination. Commonalities abound in the African experience, as do complexities of each individual period and interrelationship. Mitchell's sweeping analysis of African connections places the continent in context of global prehistory and history. Index, bib, 328pp, BNS, UK. ALTAMIRA PRESS.

Scholars have long acknowledged a gap in the archaeological literature on African herder societies. Utilizing almost 40 years' work, Andrew Smith presents a detailed portrait of modern herdsmen and their historical antecedents. Following the assumption that Africa has never been isolated from the rest of the world, he illuminates key topics ranging from material culture and rituals, to future prospects for pastoralists. Presents evidence detailing African herders' histori-cal relationship to similar societies in the Near East, as well as their present state in the modern world. Index, bib, b/w illus, 250pp, USA. ALTAMIRA PRESS.

Two volume work provides a detailed account of five seasons archaeological research, and aims to provide a comprehensive view of ancient Aksum. BNS, 431 b/w figs, 538pp, UK, OXBOW BOOKS, 1872556138

An inaugural lecture given in the University of Cambridge, 22 October 2002 underlining the importance of archaeology in African and Africa in archaeology. 27pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0521537223

The first updated book on the subject for over forty years, covers all periods from paleoarchaeology to the present. BNS, 19 tables, 29 maps, 3 graphs, 204 b/w ill, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0521633893

Account of the archaeology of the Old Stone Age of Southern Africa. Reviews and analyses key collections in The British Museum and lists all the African collections which it curates. Includes 40 line drawings. BNS, bib, app, 240pp, UK. BRITISH MUSEUM PRESS.

Africa has the longest record - some 2.5 million years - of human occupation of any continent. For nearly all of this time, its inhabitants have made tools from stone and have acquired their food from its rich wild plant and animal resources. Archaeological research in Africa is crucial for understanding the origins of humans and the diversity of hunter-gatherer ways of life. This book is a synthesis of the record left by Africa's earliest hominid inhabitants and hunter-gatherers, combining the insights of archaeology with those of other disciplines, such as genetics and palaeo-environmental science. African evidence is critical to important debates, such as the origins of stone tool making, the emergence of recognisably modern forms of cognition and behaviour, and the expansion of successive hominids from Africa to other parts of the world. 602pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

An introduction to Africa's past covering four million years and examining the important aspects of Africa's human story. Topics include Nubia, Ancient Egypt, Aksum, the church in Ethiopia, Greek and Roman North Africa, Igbo Ukwu, Benin City, Great Zimbabwe, and ancient sculpture in Nigeria. Index, b/w illus, maps, xiii, 193pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

Available once again following a reprint. This permanently useful compilation has been put together just in time; in another few years it will be impossible, for everyone with first hand knowledge of the first seventy years of archaeological exploration in Africa will be dead ... The most interesting chapters are the personal memoirs of the three most distinguished living anglophone archaeologists, Desmond Clark, Thurstan Shaw and Peter Shinnie. (John Alexander in African Affairs). 416pp, UK. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS.

Attempts to draw together all the information on this fascinating people and their history. The author has been directing fieldwork in the area since 1982 and uses both ancient classical sources and modern data from archaeological excavations to show how the kingdom interacted over the centuries with Egypt. 81 b/w and 12 col ill, notes, bib, index, 240pp, UK. BRITISH MUSEUM PRESS, 071410986X

2002 Hardback

This book attempts to reconstruct the hunter-gatherers' life from archaeological findings and from the astonishing wealth of tantalising images, which are presented here in the most accurate drawings ever produced. Illus. bib. x, 134pp. UK. OXBOW BOOKS.

The story of the origins of humans, the discovery of the skeleton of Lucy in the Ethiopian savannah and the life of the French scientist who helped to understand her importance. First published in French in 1999. Bib, gloss, 176pp, SOUTH AFRICA. PROTEA BOOK HOUSE, 1919825894

Drawing on their practical experiences in eleven countries the contributors analyse problems and attitudes involved in the development of links between museum personnel and archaeologists, underlining the existing gaps and suggesting possible improvements. The country case studies are Ghana, Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Cape Verde, Cameroon and Kenya.. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS, 0852552378

Historical perspective of the ancestral burial sites over which shrines, mausoleums, houses or monuments are erected. BNS, 104pp, NIGERIA. ONYOMA RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS, 9783507516

This book demonstrates the very special position Africa occupies in the evolution and creative development of humankind. After almost a century of scientific research into the archaeology, palaeontology and rock art of the region, southern Africa has become known as the cradle of humankind. Illustrated throughout in colour. 160pp, SOUTH AFRICA. DOUBLE STOREY BOOKS.

Now available in paperback. A thought provoking examination of the earliest ancestors of human beings. The central thesis is that all modern humans have descended from one migration from Africa and over the course of thousands of years, populated the earth. Illustrated with colour photographs. Index, notes, app, tables, diags, maps, xxi, 440pp, UK. CONSTABLE & ROBINSON, 1841198943

Recent archaeological research in Eastern and Southern Africa by individuals trained in Swedish funded programmes. Figs, many maps, refs, bib, index, TANZANIA. DAR ES SALAAM UNIVERSITY PRESS, 9976603444

Seventeen papers demonstrating the relevance of Africa to a whole range of archaeological debates. Topics include early hominid development, food production, the development of metallurgy, formation of complex societies, and the impact of long distance trade. BNS, tables, 200pp, UK. OXFORD UNIV. SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, 0947816585

An archaeological survey of the Shanga site on the East African coast. The site was an important Muslim trading centre from the 8th to the early 15th century, and was excavated as part of a project to examine the origins of Islam in the region. Comprises details of the excavation, the architecture, tombs and layout, with analysis of artefacts, economy and coinage. Illustrated with b/w diagrams, line drawings and photographs. Index, bib, xvi, 458pp, UK. OXBOW BOOKS, 187256609X

A report recording the results of the survey and excavation at Soba East, on the Blue Nile above Khartoum, conducted by the British Institute in Eastern Africa from 1981 until 1986. This excavation shed new light on the southward spread of early Christianity and on the little known medieval kingdom of Alwa. Includes detailed descriptions of building locations, small finds, pottery, textiles, cordage, glassware, painted wall plaster and palaeobotanical remains. Well illustrated with b/w diagrams, line drawings and maps. Index, bib, apps, xviii, 363pp, UK. OXBOW BOOKS, 1872566022

The studies in this volume were written between the early 1930s and 1998. they span the growth of Nubian studies from the evolutionary archaeology of the early 20th century through the ethnic prehistory of the 1940s and 1950s. 270pp. UK. ASHGATE PUBLISHERS, 0860788938