We are happy to announce two new reviews of the Metals Monograph. We are especially pleased , because both reviewers are from outside the world of Southeast Asian studies, thus lending a broader, world-wide perspective. The first review is by Bryan Pfaffenberger, one of the world’s leading scholars of the Anthropology of Technology . He writes in the June 2021 issue of the journal Advances in Archaeomaterials that the monograph is
“…a major milestone in the global archaeological study of copper alloys…” and that “The work’s tone is combative, to be sure, but for reasons that, as I have endeavored to explain and with apologies to Higham, strike me as crucially important and eminently justified …I believe this work should be required reading for students of archaeometallurgy generally. It is exceptionally well written and accessible to those new to the field. “
Here’s the full review.
The most recent review, published in April 2022, is by Gonca Dardeniz in the Turkish journal Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration, volume 167:209-214. She is an archaeologist specializing in Anatolia, and reviews each individual chapter in 2A, 2B, and 2C for its usefulness in interpreting archaeometallurgical remains from Anatolia.
“First, the volumes put Southeast Asian metallurgy in a regional context, which should convince scholars in Turkey–and abroad–to concentrate on micro regional research while also keeping the global context in mind. Regardless of specific subject focus such as geology, geomorphology, archeology, or anthropology, any scholar interested in the field of archaeometallurgy will find a comparanda of their research in the TAM volumes. Second, the volumes, particularly TAM 2A, urge a shift from the linear cultural evolutionary model to the anthropological technology-driven model in the evaluation and interpretation of metallurgical data. This new model, which the editors of the volumes name the New Paradigm, is vital in obtaining a broader understanding and global vision of ancient Anatolian metallurgy.“
We are particularly excited that Gonca Dardeniz and T. Yıldırım have very recently published an article in PLoS One about 3rd millennium BC metallurgy in north-central Turkey that explicitly names our New Paradigm as a strong influence on their thinking. Here‘s their article.
We are very happy that archaeologists from other areas of the world are finding our approach applicable to their new interpretations and understanding of their local archaeological record.