Description: Transformation by Fire offers a current assessment of the archaeological research on the widespread social practice of cremation. Editors Ian Kuijt, Colin P. Quinn, and Gabriel Cooney chart a path for the development of interpretive archaeology surrounding this complex social process.
Review Quotes: "This is a novel contribution which not only focuses on the actual material cultures, but also highlights and discusses the different research traditions in Europe and America when it comes to the study of death and mortuary remains."--Norwegian Archaeological Review
"The significance of this volume cannot be overstated. . . . [It] provides much food for thought about the physical processes and social meanings inherent in cremation practices across time, space, and cultures."--Canadian Journal of Archaeology "The compilation is a seriously considered assessment of the many issues confronting archaeology on the subject of cremation. The chapters and the brief commentary on some of them interspersed through the book provide a wonderful assessment of where we stand."--James A. Brown, Northwestern University "Transformation by Fire is different from other books on mortuary archaeology in its emphases on the series of events involved in cremation, the impacts of transformations through cremation on social relations and concepts of personhood, and the potential parallels between burning and burying bodies, structures, and material items."--Christopher B. Rodning, Tulane University