Native Americans Before 1492: Moundbuilding Realms of the Mississippian Woodlands (Sources and Studies in World History) - Hardcover

Shaffer, Lynda N.; Reilly, Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1563240297 ISBN 13: 9781563240294

Publisher: Routledge, 1992

Synopsis

The pre-Columbian culture of the Mississippi woodlands has received surprisingly little attention from historians. Studying this culture, which was in many respects highly advanced, opens an entirely new perspective on what we are used to thinking of as "American" history. This essay by a distinguished historian and teacher is aimed at world history classes and other classes that cover the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans.

About this title

About the Author

Lynda N. Shaffer, Thomas Reilly

Reviews

While the book's title suggests a return to 19th-century archaeology and a rehashing of outdated romantic speculation about the mysterious Mound Builders, Shaffer instead offers a factually sound summary of current archaeological knowledge. Although using the practice of mound building to classify an entire group of people is potentially demeaning, the author convincingly argues that the chronology and distribution of earthen burial and platform mounds and geometric enclosures is still an effective way of organizing information. The book is the most deftly crafted introduction to the prehistory of the eastern United States now available. Especially rewarding is the concluding chapter, in which the author looks at the last 500 years from a global perspective and offers sobering observations on the expansion of Western European culture into the Americas. Highly recommended for the general reader.
- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563240297
• ISBN 13: 9781563240294
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128