A World of BArgAIns: - Oxbow Books

AfricaWhen ordering, please quote the reference number 344 - 09Legacy on the RocksThe Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers of theMatopo Hills, Zimbabweby Elspeth Parry, illustrated by Janet DuffThe Matopo Hills, an area of rugged and majestichills in Zimbabwe, contain a staggering number ofprehistoric rock paintings. These rock paintingsare a unique record of hunter-gatherer societyand provide insights into the relationship betweenhunter-gatherers and immigrant pastoralists,evidence that is generally lacking in the archaeologyof the area.144p, 16p col pls, 144 b/w illus (Oxbow Books 2000)hardback, 9781842170106, $40.00.Reduced to $12.98The Prehistory of Eastern Zambiaby David PhillipsonResults of three archaeological rock-shelterexcavations and surveys of minor sites conductedin eastern Zambia in 1966, 1970 and 1971revealing an archaeological sequence covering thelater phases of the Middle and the developmentof the Late Stone Age. The author discusses thetechnology and economy of the inhabitants inrelation to the changing environmental conditionsof eastern Zambia, and to contemporary events inother regions of south-central Africa demonstratingthat these industries were an essentially localdevelopment.230p, 1454 illus (British Institute in Eastern Africa1977, Memoir) paperback, 9780500970034, $30.00.Reduced to $12.98The Year of the GhostAn Olduvai Diaryby Derek RoeIn January 1983 Derek Roe embarked on his firstjourney to Tanzania as ghost writer to Mary Leakey,a name synonymous with the famous palaeolithicsite of Olduvai Gorge. This diary covers Roe’sthree trips to visit Mary and also includescorrespondence between them both before andafter 1983, as well as snippets from their earliermeetings. It is an honest, at times intimate andfrank record of their relationship, of Mary’s life andwork in Africa, of the site of Olduvai Gorge andthe impact that the discoveries made there havehad on the archaeological world.186p, illus (Western Academic and Specialist Press2002) hardback, 9780953541850, $35.00.Reduced to $9.98Kalambo Falls Prehistoric SiteVolume IIIby J D ClarkThe local basin in the Kalambo River valley abovethe famous Falls on the boundary between Zambiaand Tanzania provides one of the longest andrichest records of human activity so far recoveredfrom a single site in the African continent.Successive human occupation levels and horizonscover the past 60,000 years from the close of theAcheulian Industrial Complex to the present day.This third, and final, volume of this major sitereport deals with the Middle and Earlier Stone Ageperiod.704p, illus (Cambridge University Press 2001)hardback, 9780521200714, $400.00.Reduced to $49.98The Nok CultureArt in Nigeria 2500 Years Agoby Gert Chesi and Gerhard MerzederThis comprehensive overview of the art of Africa’sancient Nok civilization presents the oldest knownfigurative sculptures south of the Sahara. In 1928,in central Nigeria, tin miners uncovered clayshards which, when reconstructed, were found tobe fragments of terracotta sculptures. The uniquerepresentations of human heads and other figuresdate from 500 BCE and are attributed to a cultureknown today as Nok. One hundred authenticatedpieces, many shown here for the first time, arecollected in this exciting introduction to anenigmatic culture that is thought to be the oldestknown organized civilization in sub-SaharanAfrica. While much about the Nok people remainsunknown, their craftsmanship and attentionto detail speak volumes about their talents,understanding of beauty, and sophistication.Lavishly illustrated throughout and with essaysdiscussing Nok art, this collection offers anintriguing glimpse into an important chapter inthe history of African art.160p, illus (Prestel 2006) hardback, 9783791336466,$110.00. Reduced to $39.98MandaExcavations at an Island Porton the Kenyan Coastby Neville ChittickStructures include early burnt brick buildings;buildings of stone; sea walls built for landreclamation. Chinese ceramics and Islamic potteryand glass provide evidence of trade and date: ninthcentury onwards. Exports would have includedmangrove poles, ivory and iron - for whichevidence of smelting.257p, 167 figs, 47 pls (British Institute in EasternAfrica 1984, Memoir) hardback, 9781872566054,$45.00. Reduced to $14.98The Archaeology of Islamin Sub-Saharan Africaby Timothy InsollThis comprehensive study of the impact ofIslam in sub-Saharan Africa charts the historicalbackground and archaeological evidence attestingto the spread of Islam across the Sudan, Ethiopia,Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and Nigeria.Surveying a time span from the immediate pre-Islamic period through to the present, TimothyInsoll analyzes the processes (jihad, trade,missionary activity, prestige) by which Islamspread. This book is relevant to scholars, studentsand all readers interested in Africa, archaeology,religion and Islam.486p (Cambridge University Press 2003) paperback,9780521657020, $48.00. Reduced to $19.98Soba IArchaeological Researchat a Medieval Capital on the Blue Nileby D A Welsby and C M DanielsSoba was the ‘rich and prosperous’ capital of theMedieval Kingdom of Alwa in Central Sudan.Situated on the Blue Nile, some 20 km aboveKhartoum, its remains today are no more than aheap of mounds. This report records the results ofsurvey and excavation between 1981 and 1986,and provides detailed description of the buildingslocated, as well as sections by specialists on thepottery, small finds, textiles, glass, inscriptions andbotanical remains.363p, 202 illus, 29 pls (British Institute in EasternAfrica 1991, Memoir) hardback, 9781872566023,$72.00. Reduced to $29.98Soba IIRenewed Excavationswithin the Metropolis of the Kingdomby Derek A WelsbyThe second archaeological campaign at Soba Eastbetween 1989 and 1992, of which this volume isthe record, focused on a number of widely-spreadareas around the periphery, targeting those ofspecial interest and including a rescue excavationof a vaulted tomb containing multiple burials.312p, 70 b/w pls (British Institute in Eastern Africa1998) hardback, 9780714119038, $125.00.Reduced to $39.98KibiroThe Salt of Bunyoro, Past and Presentby Graham ConnahArchaeological investigations at Kibiro on theUgandan shore of Lake Albert have revealed atradition of salt making which has lasted for nearly1000 years. Women still exploit the salt-rich soilaround the hot springs of this arid area, using anoriginal technique of preparing and recycling thissoil in what are aptly called ‘Salt Gardens.’ Thispublication includes an ethnographic and historicalstudy of the Kibiro village which, together withthe excavation results, shed fascinating light oneight centuries of a local industry and trade whichonce provided a vital economic resource for theruler of Bunyoro, one of the most powerful inthis interlacustrine region of East Africa. Of vitalimportance to archaeologists working in this region(and including a stratified pottery sequence), thisbook will also be more widely useful as a carefullyworked out account of an industry common tomany areas of the world.224p, 158 illus (British Institute in Eastern Africa1996, Memoir) hardback, 9781872566085, $65.00.Reduced to $24.98The David Brown Book Co. www.oxbowbooks.com — toll-free 1-800-791-9354