Introduction: Archaeological approaches to technology. Terminology ; Archaeology and technology studies ; Overview of volume --
Methodology: Archaeological approaches to the study of technology. Archaeological field techniques : discovery/recovery ; The examination of archaeological remains ; Ordering and analyzing data ; Analogy and sociocultural interpretation --
Extractive-reductive crafts. Classification of crafts ; Stone/lithics ; Fibers : cordage, basketry, textiles ; Wood, bone, and other sculpted organics (antler, horn, ivory, shell) --
Transformative crafts. Fired clay ; Vitreous silicates : glazes, faiences and glass ; Metals : copper and iron --
Thematic studies in technology. Technological systems : reed boat production and use ; Innnovation and the organization of labor ; Technological style --
Thematic studies in technology (continued). Value, status, and social relations : the role of new artificial materials in the Indus Valley tradition ; Technologies of religious ritual in the American Southwest --
The analysis of multiple technologies. Cross-craft perspectives ; technological style and cross-craft interactions.

Summarizes the state of ancient technology studies. This book compares the range of pre-industrial technologies, from stone tool production, fiber crafts, wood and bone working, fired clay crafts, metal production, and glass manufacture. It includes socially contextualized case studies, as well as general descriptions of technological processes.