The mound-builders : a reconstruction of the life of a prehistoric American race, through exploration and interpretation of their earth mounds, their burials, and their cultural remains / by Henry Clyde Shetrone.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shetrone, H. C.

Series:

Classics in southeastern archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mound-builders--United States.

Mound-builders.

Mounds--United States.

Mounds.

Burial--United States.

Burial.

Grave goods--United States.

Grave goods.

United States--Antiquities.

United States.

Antiquities.

Physical Description:

xliv, 508 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press, [2004]

Summary:

With this accessible volume, Henry Clyde Shetrone made available to general readers the archaeological research concerning the ancient mounds and earthworks that dot the landscape of eastern North America. Dismissing theories of mysterious giants who built these structures, he explained that their purposes were defensive and ceremonial, that they had been used for habitation, burial, and worship. Their builders were antecedents of the native peoples of America and had been skilled artisans and engineers with successful agricultural practices and structured leadership. Twenty chapters discuss aspects of mound-builder cultures: quarrying of flint and obsidian for knapping into points; mining of copper and iron and its fashioning into tools and ceremonial objects; spinning and weaving materials and methods; smoking customs; carving of calumets and their use in ceremony; freshwater pearls and other items for body ornamentation; and the use of stone burial vaults, cremation basins, and concepts of an afterlife. Data is presented from excavations ranging broadly from Massachusetts to Florida and from Texas to North Dakota.

Contents:

Chapter I Early Theories as to Origin and Identity 5

Chapter II Distribution and Classification of the Mounds 27

Chapter III Architecture and Engineering 36

Chapter IV Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry 54

Chapter V The Mound-Builder Burial Complex 85

Chapter VI The Mound-Builder as an Artist 106

Chapter VII Tobacco Pipes and Smoking Customs 152

Chapter VIII The Ohio Area: I, Adena and Fort Ancient Cultures 165

Chapter IX The Ohio Area: II, the Hopewell Culture 185

Chapter X The Ohio Area: III, Fortifications and Effigy Mounds 223

Chapter XI The Ohio Area: IV, Marginal Subareas 237

Chapter XII A Tour of the Ohio Mound Area 250

Chapter XIII The Great Lakes Area 268

Chapter XIV The Upper Mississippi Area: I, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas 291

Chapter XV The Upper Mississippi Area: II, Northern Illinois, Iowa, and Marginal Districts 316

Chapter XVI The Lower Mississippi Area: I, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Tennessee, Southern Missouri, and Arkansas 341

Chapter XVII The Lower Mississippi Area: II, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama 371

Chapter XVIII The Tennessee-Cumberland Area 409

Chapter XIX The Pennsylvania Area 445.

Notes:

"Originally published by D. Appleton and Company, 1930"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 491-496) and index.

ISBN:

0817350861

OCLC:

52942705