TheOxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual and Religionprovides a comprehensive overview by period and region of the relevant archaeological material in relation to theory, methodology, definition, and practice. Although, as the title indicates, the focus is upon archaeologicalinvestigations of ritual and religion, by necessity ideas and evidence from other disciplines are also included, among them anthropology, ethnography, religious studies, and history. TheHandbookcovers a global span - Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and the Americas - and reaches from theearliest prehistory (the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic) to modern times. In addition, chapters focus upon relevant themes, ranging from landscape to death, from taboo to water, from gender to rites of passage, from ritual to fasting and feasting. Written by over sixty specialists, renowned in theirrespective fields, theHandbookpresents the very best in current scholarship, and will serve both as a comprehensive introduction to its subject and as a stimulus to further research.