Part 1: Materials and methods of working: 1. Pottery; 2. Glazes; 3. Glass and enamels; 4. Copper and copper alloys; 5. Iron and steel; 6. Gold, silver, lead and mercury; 7. Stone; 8. Wood; 9. Fibrcs and threads; 10. Textiles and baskets; 11. Hides and leather; 12. Antler, bone, horn and ivory; 13. Dyes, pigments and paints; 14. Adhesives, 15. Some other materials. Part 2: The examination of artifacts. 16 General principles; 17. Examination of stone artifacts; 18. Examination of pottery and glasses; 19. Examination of metal objects. 20. Examination of organic material. The author states that the book is not a history of technology, but an endeavour to show how, from the artifacts of early man, one may acquire the necessary facts from which to construct a history of technology, especially that of a preliterate people. The first part of the book is intended to give a short account of the materials and techniques likely to have been used by early man, while the second part deals very briefly with the technological examination of artifacts and gives an outline of the methods of study adopted by specialists in various fields of the natural sciences.