Why should archaeologists think about sex?

Status, age and gender have long been accepted aspects of archaeological enquiry, yet it is only recently that archaeologists have seriously started to consider the role of sex and sexuality in their studies.

Archaeologies of Sexuality is the first volume to explore this original archaeological research and meet the challenges of integrating the study of sex and sexuality within archaeology. It presents a strong, diverse body of scholarship, investigating locations as varied as medieval England, the ancient Mayan civilizations, New Kingdom Egypt, prehistoric Europe, prehistoric as well as colonial and Victorian North America, and convict-era Australia. Above all, this work demonstrates that variability in sexual expression is not solely a modern phenomenon. Sexuality has been an important and changing ingredient of human social life for thousands of years.

This pioneering volume will serve both as a valuable reference text for archaeologists pursuing similar studies, and as the essential introduction to sexuality studies for archaeologists who have not explored the topic before.