Exploring Ancient Native America: An Archaeological Guide

Written by a leading expert, this beautifully illustrated volume is a marvelous introduction to ancient Indian cultures throughout the United States and Canada, describing the rise and decline of the numerous Indian tribes who settled throughout North America, from their arrival in prehistoric times to the fateful collision of cultures between Native Americans and European explorers.

The archaeological remnants of the first Americans tell a story of advanced civilization and culture. From the Pueblo dwellings of the Southwest to the buffalo jumps of the Great Plains to the coastal villages of the Northwest, the author combines the latest field research with accounts of tribal life to offer a new perspective on Native American history, culture and ritual.

Using a chronological and regional framework, Thomas describes each of the prehistoric early native cultures, including Paleoindians of the North, the moundbuilding Mississippian cultures, and the ancient Anasazi peoples of the Southwest. Covering nine million square miles and 25,000 years, Exploring Ancient Native America suggests more than four hundred accessible sites where individuals can observe the remains of prehistoric American cultures today. Thomas also includes relevant contributions from Native American scholars, poets, and activists on topics such as language, oral tradition, contact, and sacred sites. The most comprehensive guide available, Exploring Ancient Native America is an excellent primer on early Native American cultures in every region of the country for both the intrepid explorer and the armchair traveler.

Booknews

Text and about 100 color and b&w photographs, drawings, and maps bring to life the evidence left behind by ancient Native Americans throughout North America. Thomas (archaeologist and curator, American Museum of Natural History in NY) combines the latest findings with accounts of tribal ways of life that shed light on Native American history, culture, and ritual. He provides useful advice for visiting the ruins, practical information on where to get hands-on archaeological experience, and state-by-state listings that indicate where ruins, artifacts, and reconstructions of sites are located. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

David Hurst Thomas has been a curator at the American Museum of Natural History for over twenty years and is a Founding Trustee of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. He has excavated hundreds of sites, has edited more than eighty volumes, and is the author of Archaeology (1998) and Archaeology: Down to Earth (1999).