Ancient Civilizations

Shadreck Chirikure is an archaeological scientist based in Oxford where he is Professor of Archaeological Science. His research combines approaches from historical, anthropological and physical sciences to study ancient materials and technologies and how their production, distribution and consumption precipitated the rise, flourishing and decline of ancient societies and civilisations. He is Editor in Chief of the journal Archaeometry. His recent publications include Great Zimbabwe: reclaiming a confiscated past and Metals in Past Societies.

Charles Golden is a Mesoamerican archaeologist, whose research has focused on the borders between ancient Maya kingdoms in Mexico and Central America, and the economic, social, and ritual ties that bound rural villages into larger political communities. He is Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and editor of the recent volume, Realizing Value in Mesoamerica: The Dynamics of Desire and Demand in Ancient Economics, as well as Continuities and Changes in Maya Archaeology: Perspectives at the Millennium, and Maya Archaeology, Vols. 1–3.

Chris Scarre is an archaeologist specializing in the prehistory of western Europe, with a particular interest in the archaeology of Atlantic façade (Portugal, France, Britain and Ireland). His key research interests are the relationship of prehistoric monuments to their landscapes, including the way that megalithic blocks were selected and quarried, and prehistoric connectivity along the western seaways. He is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Durham University, UK, and editor of the textbook on world prehistory The Human Past.