Boone Before Boone: The Archaeological Record of Northwestern North Carolina Through 1769

by Tom Whyte

Overview

Native Americans have occupied the mountains of northwestern North Carolina for around 14,000 years. This book tells the story of their lives, adaptations, responses to climate change, and ultimately, the devastation brought on by encounters with Europeans. After a brief introduction to archaeology, the book covers each time period, chapter by chapter, beginning with the Paleoindian period in the Ice Age and ending with the arrival of Daniel Boone in 1769, with descriptions and interpretations of archaeological evidence for each time period. Each chapter begins with a fictional vignette to kindle the reader's imaginings of ancient human life in the mountains, and includes descriptions and numerous images of sites and artifacts discovered in Boone, North Carolina, and the surrounding region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476683423
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	11/13/2020
Series:	Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies , #49
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tom Whyte is a professor in the anthropology department at Appalachian State University. For more than 40 years he has been doing archaeology research in the Appalachian Mountains and has published more than 50 articles and written more than 60 technical reports on his investigations. He lives in Sugar Grove, just west of Boone, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments x

Preface 1

Introduction 3

1 Paleoindian Period: 11,500-9,500 BCE 17

2 Early Archaic Period: 8,000-6,000 BCE 38

3 Middle Archaic Period: 6,000-3,000 BCE 57

4 Late Archaic Period: 3,000 to 1,000 BCE 75

5 Early Woodland Period: 1,000 BCE-200 CE 96

6 Middle Woodland Period: 200-900 CE 112

7 Late Woodland Period: 900-1400 CE 128

8 Contact: Late May 1540 CE 153

Conclusion 159

Bibliography 161

Index 173

Editorial Reviews

That Whyte teaches anthropology at Appalachian State University, centered on the town and region which are subjects of the book, means that the instructor doth know what he professes. Whyte draws upon decades worth of regional archaeological research.”—The Watauga Democrat

From the Publisher