In 2002 the annual conference of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology was directed at a theme of international interest, Cities in the World, 1500-2000. This volume results from that conference and sets out to investigate a wide range of new archaeological and historical approaches to the development of large towns and cities in Britain, Europe and the world in the early modern period. Post-Medieval archaeologists working in European contexts should find much of interest in the experiences, investigations and interpretations of 19th and 20th century cities such as Boston, Jamestown and New York in North America and Sydney in Australia. Papers drawing upon recent research provide a contemporary international perspective on recent research in urban historical archaeology.