The History of Conflict Archaeology

Abstract

The chapter acknowledges the wide range of themes and approaches that sit beneath the overarching umbrella of conflict archaeology. These include battlefield archaeology, which, as this chapter proposes, is a distinct subfield of conflict archaeology rather than a less nuanced precursor to conflict archaeology as some practitioners have implied. Over recent decades, conflict archaeology has been among the fastest growing subdisciplines within the wider archaeological academy. It does however have a deeper history, and this chapter traces its evolution in Europe and the United States over the last century and more, identifying key landmarks and providing summary case studies where appropriate. The Western focus of the chapter is primarily due to space constraints; wherever possible, references have been made to non-Western contributions.