Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley - Softcover

Morse, Dan F.; Morse, Phyllis A.

9780817355777: Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0817355774 ISBN 13: 9780817355777

Publisher: University Alabama Press, 2009

A classic work detailing an 11,000-year period of human culture within the largest river system of North America.

The earliest recorded description of the Central Mississippi Valley and its inhabitants is contained within the DeSoto chronicles written after the conquistadors passed through the area between 1539 and 1543. In 1882 a field agent for the Bureau of American Ethnology conducted the first systematic archaeological survey of the region, an area that extends from near the mouth of the Ohio River to the mouth of the Arkansas River, bounded on the east by the Mississippi River and on the west by the Ozark Highlands and Grand Prairie. One hundred years later, the authors produced this first comprehensive overview of all of the archaeological research conducted in the valley during the interim. It is a well-organized compendium, written with both the professional archaeologist and the layperson in mind, and is profusely illustrated with maps, charts, artifact photographs, and drawings. This volume was the first published history of the archaeology of the region and stands as the basic resource for that work today.

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About the Author:

Dan F. Morse is a retired research archaeologist, Arkansas Archeological Survey.

Phyllis A . Morse is an archaeologist and independent scholar.

Review:

"A significant contribution toward the worthwhile goal of public enlightenment, [this book] is a summary of regional archaeology written with both the professional archaeologist and the layperson in mind and is a good overview of the history and results of more than 100 years of research in this part of the midcontinent."

―American Antiquity

"A balanced treatment of culture history, lifeways, and explanation of culture change. . . . The book is profusely illustrated with maps, photographs of excavations, and finely executed line drawings of artifacts. . . . It is a well-written and systematically organized book that will appeal to a broad spectrum of professional researchers and avocational readers."

―American Anthropologist

"The first published history of archaeological research unique to the region. . . . Recommended to anyone interested in North American archaeology."

―Science

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