The Oxford Handbook of the History of Archaeology offers comprehensive perspectives on the origins and developments of the discipline of archaeology and the direction of future advances in the field. Written by thirty-six archaeologists, historians, and historians of science from all over the world, it covers a wide range of themes, including major debates, scientific techniques, and archaeological fieldwork practices.

Chapters in this handbook also discuss the effect of institutional contexts on the development of archaeology, including legislative parameters and the nature of the work that takes place in museums, universities, and the management of archaeology. Other themes include the cultural and political backdrop that has affected archaeological research, from religion to nationalism and colonialism, and the social history of archaeology, with a focus on women, amateur archaeology, economics, and tourism.

Margarita Díaz-Andreu works for the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies as an ICREA Research Professor at the University of Barcelona. Her previous books include A World History of Nineteenth-Century Archaeology: Nationalism, Colonialism, and the Past and A History of Archaeological Tourism: Pursuing Leisure and Knowledge from the Eighteenth Century to World War II.

Laura Coltofean is an archaeologist and historian specializing in the history of archaeology. She is a member of Research Cluster 5: History of Archaeology at the German Archaeological Institute. Her edited volumes include Interdisciplinarity and Archaeology: Scientific Interactions in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Archaeology (with Margarita Díaz-Andreu).