Ethnoarchaeology of Buildings 1

Edited by María Pastor Quiles

Book cover: Ethnoarchaeology of Buildings 1

Extent: 236 pages

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing

Subjects: World Archaeology

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(August 2026)

ISBN: 9781805833383

7.99 x 10.91 inches

Price: $56.00

In stock

Ethnoarchaeology is key to understanding how past societies built structures, yet remains understudied. This book presents global case studies spanning Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia, offering insights into traditional architecture, social practices, historical development, and the preservation of cultural and archaeological heritage.


An ethnoarchaeological approach is essential for studying the construction processes of past societies. However, this line of research has been relatively underexplored to date. This book brings together a diverse collection of case studies in the ethnoarchaeology of buildings from a wide variety of geographical contexts, from North (Morocco, Egypt) and East Africa (Ethiopia) to Central America (Mexico), Amazonia (Ecuador, French Guiana), the Andes (Argentina) and territories across Europe (Germany, Spain) and Asia (Turkey, Turkmenistan). Together they off er valuable insights and implications for archaeological research into domestic, traditional and vernacular architecture, associated social practices, their history, and the conservation of this scientifi c and cultural heritage.

List of Figures and Tables

Ethnoarchaeology of buildings: Introductory notes on the global research landscape – María Pastor Quiles

Ethnoarchaeology of domestic buildings in Egypt: A tool for the knowledge of the past and the present – María Correas Amador

Unearthing the past: A comprehensive exploration of earthen architecture and ethnoarchaeology in the Egyptian Delta – Marta Lorenzon, Jay Silverstein, Robert J. Littman

How was an Iron Age oven built, used and maintained? Contributions from ethnoarchaeological observations in Al Hoceima area (Rif, Morocco) – Maria Carme Belarte; Maria Anguera; Marta Mateu; María Pastor Quiles

Huts within History: The building of domestic space among indigenous groups in the borderlands of Western Ethiopia – Álvaro Falquina Aparicio

Building traditions through time in the Mazatec Highlands (Mexico). Strategies for heritage valuation and traditional knowledge recovery – Florencia T. Azul U. Ramírez Rodríguez; Luis Fernando Guerrero Baca

Ethnoarchaeological study of pre-Hispanic and current granaries and the constructive forms of agricultural storage (cuexcomates) from the archaeological site of Xochitecatl-Cacaxtla, Tlaxcala, Mexico – Jesús Carlos Lazcano Arce

Evidence, characterisation and the use of orchid mucilage as an adhesive and binder in archaeological and earthen built heritage – Lilian García-Alonso Alba; Luis Fernando Guerrero Baca

‘Te voy a hacer una casa en el aire’. Ethnoarchaeology of indigenous houses in Amazonia – Stéphen Rostain

Multiscale details. Technological choices and gestures in the construction of earthen roofs in the high Andean area – Jorge Tomasi

Solid earth building in central Germany: projecting vernacular building techniques onto prehistoric finds and tracing their origins – Franziska Knoll

Ethnoarchaeological insights into Cantabrian architecture: raw materials, construction techniques and architectural traditions – Lucía Ruano Posada

Dynamic processes of abandonment: The ethnoarchaeology of buildings in Armutalan, Northwestern Anatolia – Stephan W.E. Blum; Jonas Abele; Murat Kaşıkcılar

Ethnoarchaeology of buildings as a method for understanding and valuing earthen building cultures – Louise Cooke

  • Edited by María Pastor Quiles