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Originally published in 1848 as the first major work in the nascent discipline as well as the first publication of the newly established Smithsonian Institution, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley remains today not only a key document in the history of American archaeology but also the primary source of information on hundreds of mounds and earthworks in the eastern United States, most of which have now vanished. Despite adhering to the popular assumption that the moundbuilders could not have been the ancestors of the supposedly savage Native American groups still living in the region, the authors set high standards for their time. Their work provides insight into some of the conceptual, methodological, and substantive issues that archaeologists still confront. Long out of print, this 150th anniversary edition includes David J. Meltzer's lively introduction, which describes the controversies surrounding the book's original publication, from a bitter, decades-long feud between Squier and Davis to widespread debates about the links between race, religion, and human origins. Complete with a new index and bibliography, and illustrated with the original maps, plates, and engravings, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley provides a new generation with a first-hand view of this pioneer era in American archaeology.
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Synopsis:
Early in the 19th century, as wagon trains streamed into the lowlands of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, settlers came upon vast numbers of abandoned mounds and earth--works that they attributed to a sophisticated race of moundbuilders who long ago had disappeared. Giving rise to often loaded questions about human origins, the mounds and the artifacts they contained became the focus of early American efforts toward a "science" of archaeology. Published in 1848 as the first major work in nascent discipline as well as the first publication of the newly established Smithsonian Institution, this volume remains today not only a key document in the history of American archaeology but also the primary source of information on hundreds of mounds and earthworks in the eastern United States, most of which have now vanished. while adhering to the popular assumption that the moundbuilders could not have been the ancestors of the supposedly savage native American groups still living in the region, the authors set high standards for their time. Their work provides insight into some of the conceptual, methodological, and substantive issues that archaeologists still confront. Long out of print, this t anniversary edition includes an introduction that describes the controversies surrounding the book's initial publication, from a bitter, decades-long feud between Squier and Davis to widespread debates about the links between race, religion, and human origins.
About the Author:
David J. Meltzer is a professor of anthropology at Southern Methodist University, the editor of The Archaeology of William Henry Holmes (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992), and the author of The Search for the First Americans (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996).
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- PublisherSmithsonian Books
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 1560988738
- ISBN 13 9781560988731
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages528
- EditorSquier Ephraim George, Davis E.H.
- Rating
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