The Moundbuilders: Ancient Peoples of Eastern North America - Rilegato

Milner, George R.

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 050002118X ISBN 13: 9780500021187

Casa editrice: Thames & Hudson, 2004

Riassunto

Nineteenth-century explorers of the American continent were amazed to find great monuments built of earth in the Eastern Woodlands. Thousands of these mounds were discovered in the plains and forestssome up to a hundred feet high, some merely overgrown hillocks, some conical, others flattopped. Speculation was rife as to the identity of the moundbuilderscould they have been Israelites? Romans? Phoenicians? And what meaning might the mounds have held for their creators? As George Milner shows, research over the last century demonstrates conclusively that the mounds were in fact erected by the Native Americans themselves. In a period ranging from 3,000 BC to the sixteenth century AD, Native Americans quarried tons of earth to form these monuments, which vary widely in location, size, and purpose. Some contained thousands of burials, others served as platforms for chiefs' residences, and many were low-lying "effigy" mounds in the form of serpents, panthers, and other sacred beasts. Many beautiful objects have been found inside the mounds, including artifacts of shell, copper, and mica. The Moundbuilders covers the entire sweep of Eastern Woodlands prehistory, with an emphasis on how societies developed from hunter-gatherers to village farmers and town-dwellers. Great strides have been made in recent research, and many of the most impressive mounds, such as Poverty Point, Cahokia, and Moundville, are described and discussed in detail. This wide-ranging and copiously illustrated book, complete with a gazetteer of sites to visit, will be the perfect guide to the region for archaeologists and students as well as for the tourist and traveler. 153 illustrations, 20 in color.

Su questo libro

Product Description:

Book by Milner George R

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Thames & Hudson
• Data di pubblicazione: 2004
• ISBN 10: 050002118X
• ISBN 13: 9780500021187
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 224