Living Communities and Their Archaeologies in the Middle East: An Introduction

Abstract

This chapter introduces the theme and aims of the volume Living Communities and Their Archaeologies in the Middle East. The history of archaeology in the Middle East is deeply rooted in its original colonial enterprise. Hence, ‘doing’ community archaeology is very different from what is practised in countries in Europe and North America, where this archaeological sub-discipline first developed. Therefore, this chapter also serves as an introduction to and contextualization of community archaeology in the Middle East in relation to its development elsewhere globally.