In Search of Ancient North America: An Archaeological Journey to Forgotten Cultures

by Heather Pringle

Overview

Almost unimaginably immense, North America stretches from a fewdegrees short of the North Pole to a few degrees shy of theequator. Archaeologists are now racing to unravel the mysteriouspast of the forgotten peoples who once inhabited this sprawlingland. In Search of Ancient North America explores many of thesescientists' most fascinating findings as Heather Pringle chroniclesher journeys among the ancient sites of Canada and the UnitedStates. Her enthralling voyage of discovery uncovers the richnessof now-vanished cultures and illuminates the intriguing world ofarchaeology itself.

Journeying from the mosquito-infested forests of the far north tothe bleak deserts of the American Southwest, Pringle accompaniesleading archaeologists and their crews into the field. At theBluefish Caves in the northern Yukon, Jacques Cinq-Mars chases downclues to an Ice Age mystery; at the "immense geometric riddle" thatis Hopeton Earthworks, Mark Lynott scours the countryside forvestiges of ancient village life; in the thorny wilderness of theLower Pecos, Solveig Turpin deciphers the enigmatic rock artpainted more than 3,000 years ago.

What emerges from Pringle's accounts are surprising portraits oflong-lost cultures—the rapacious mariners of southern Californiawho nearly wiped out one of the world's most productive ecosystems;the wealthy nobles of British Columbia who wore salmon-skin shoesand counted their wealth in bottles of salmon oil; the powerfullords of the Mississippi River who won the adoration of theirfollowers with a mysterious medicinal tonic. Equally intriguing arethe controversial new theories that the author presents on a hostof subjects, from the origins of art and hallucinogenic drugs tothe rise of private property, the identities of the earliest NewWorld migrants, and the astonishing extent of trade in prehistoricNorth America.

Complemented by superb color and black-and-white photographs, InSearch of Ancient North America blends incisive science journalismwith evocative travel writing to bring the latest archaeologicalfindings and interpretations to light. Delving into the previouslyunmined saga of this vast continent's lost and extinct cultures,this captivating book is a thrilling invitation to endlessdiscovery.

"Drawing on some of the latest archaeological research, Pringle'sbook is vivid, witty, and responsible in a field too often filledby cranks and bores. All who are curious about life in NorthAmerica before the European invasion will find the book astimulating introduction." — Ronald Wright author of StolenContinents

"In Search of Ancient North America brings the distant past muchcloser and its inhabitants almost become neighbors to us onceagain. A first-rate examination of the mystery and fascination ofmodern archaeological research in North America." — Farley Mowatauthor of The People of the Deer

"Captures the essence of what archaeologists are learning aboutNorth American prehistory. The book is a pleasure to read and willinspire a new awareness of the importance of the history of NorthAmerica prior to European contact." — Bruce Trigger author of TheChildren of Aataentsic

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471042372
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/20/1996
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.42(w) x 9.55(h) x 0.91(d)

About the Author

HEATHER PRINGLE is a science journalist based in Vancouver, Canada. She is a longtime field correspondent for Equinox magazine and has won numerous awards for her writing, including a National Magazine Award in Canada. She has contributed articles to Omni, National Geographic Traveler, New Scientist, Geo, and Saturday Night.

Table of Contents

Dark Passages: Bluefish Caves, Yukon Territory.

Ultramarine: Eel Point, California.

The Rapture: The Lower Pecos, Texas.

The Nouveaux Riches: Keatley Creek, British Columbia.

Ture Believers: Hopeton Earthworks, Ohio.

Desert Prophets: Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

Lord of the Black Drink: Cahokia, Illinois.

Killing Fields: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Alberta.

Vale of Tears: Ball Site Ontario.

Conclusion.

Futher Readings.

Bibliography.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Training her journalist's gaze on North American archaeological sites stretching from the northern Yukon to southern Texas, Pringle spent time with committed archaeologists devoted to unearthing new evidence of ancient cultures. Deserving kudos, Pringle dramatically evokes the passion, dedication, and perseverance of these seemingly inexhaustible scientists. In separate narratives, Pringle reveals how each engages in similar struggles to solve the mysteries of early civilizations amid a gathering of clues. The author's incisive study of the area's prehistoric era contributes to a stimulating discourse, revealing exciting discoveries and instances of scientific progress. At times, attempts to rule out erstwhile theories crystallize in the retelling. Bringing together colorful portrayals of researchers and stirring descriptions of intriguing prehistoric sites, Pringle's book should have broad appeal to readers.

Alice Joyce

A broad survey of the prehistoric cultures of present-day Canada and the US.

Pringle, a Canadian museum researcher, has had long experience working in the field, experience that she brings to bear in discussing patterns of trade, settlement, and daily life among ancient cultures as diverse as the little-known fishing peoples of Eel Point, Calif., and the heavily studied mound-building peoples of the Ohio River Valley. As a look at the ways in which archaeologists puzzle out problems—for instance, why a seemingly complicated system of class stratification would take root among the technologically simple Keatley Creek salmon fishers of British Columbia—Pringle's book has several virtues. She is adept at discussing how artifactual evidence is weighed and used, and she provides good coverage of Canada, which receives too little attention in survey texts in archaeology. However, she makes a few simplistic claims on matters that are still wide open to debate, arguing, for instance, that a particular Chaco Canyon dwelling was likely used for ceremonial purposes, when most specialists in Southwestern prehistory are busy dismantling the long-held view that the ancient Anasazi were an overly ritualistic people. (Her statement, too, that "archaeology is a hard science" is one most specialists would take issue with.) A larger problem is Pringle's uninspired narrative style, which is not helped by her attempts to provide color ("Rumpled and unshaven, with gold-rimmed glasses, bushy mustache, and long, dark hair combed straight back, the fifty-four-year-old scientist looks every bit the old Yukon hand, a character straight from the pages of Robert Service.")

Purists will object to the lack of coverage of Mexico, which is, of course, part of North America and offers plenty of archaeological problems that would lend themselves to discussion here.

Kirkus Reviews