Welcome to the third issue of the European Journal of Archaeology (EJA) for 2017. This is a special issue dedicated to the theme of animal husbandry across the Western Roman Empire. It also includes our regular selection of book reviews.
Silvia Valenzuela-Lamas and Umberto Albarella offer a helpful introduction to the seven articles they have curated for this special issue, all of which provide up-to-date syntheses and discussions of animal husbandry in a range of provinces of the Western Roman Empire. Some key themes are compared and contrasted over space (from Switzerland across to the British Isles and Spain) and time (before and after the Roman conquest). These include the variable impact of ecological conditions, cultural traditions, social differentiation, urbanization, boundaries, and the market economy on animal production (especially cattle and pig) and human dietary practices. Regional variations in the quantity and quality of archaeological data and analyses are also considered.
In our reviews section, eleven new books are evaluated. We begin with praise for an intriguing book stemming from a competition designed to encourage archaeologists to write accessible and engaging archaeological stories for public consumption. There follow reviews of three books dedicated to archaeological theory and method, and in particular to the archaeology of identity, archaeological computational modelling, and hunter-gatherer behaviour. Next come two festschrift volumes celebrating the impact of the work of David Peacock (on archaeological ceramic studies) and Andrew Moore (on Near Eastern and Mediterranean prehistory). Janet Levy then expresses some frustration at Richard Bradley's latest book on deposits of valuables in the landscapes of Europe. We finally have a pair of books that bring together the results of two large projects dealing with regional aspects of Bronze Age Europe, and another pair of edited volumes that contribute to our knowledge of fortified settlements and of sea fishing in medieval Europe.
If you are interested in submitting an article on any aspect of European archaeology, or have recently published a book that you would like us to review, do please get in touch with a member of our editorial team or visit us on https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-journal-of-archaeology
