Review by Choice Review
With this volume, archaeologist Milner (Pennsylvania State Univ.) gives us a considerable reworking of the popular book of the same name published in 1970 by Robert Silverberg, a volume Milner neither acknowledges nor quotes. There is a reason for this, for Milner expands the scope of his discussion to take in the entirety of Midwestern and southeastern US prehistory; Silverberg focused more narrowly on the Woodland cultures and late prehistoric periods. While one may quibble with Milner's identification of so large a hunk of prehistory with "moundbuilders," to do so, in fact, would seem to be an interesting throwback to the 19th century, in which mounds dominated the discussion. He has certainly produced a stunning volume with color and black-and-white illustrations of sites and artifacts, including the most impressive mounds. The text is informed and readable and punctuated with sidebars keyed to illustrations that draw the reader from the general to the fascinatingly specific. This volume should be of wide, general interest, though perhaps too general for college or university students. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General collections; public libraries. R. B. Clay formerly, University of Kentucky
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Milner (anthropology, Pennsylvania State Univ.; The Cahokia Chiefdom) presents a thorough and comprehensive chronological survey of the history of prehistoric moundbuilding in eastern North America. Prehistoric mounds have fascinated and mystified people since the European settlement of North America began. Moundbuilding began among Native American groups as early as 3400 B.C.E. and continued in some areas of what is now the southern United States until around the time of the first contact with Europeans in the 16th century C.E. The greatest concentration of mound sites occurs in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. Milner gives in-depth descriptions of the various types of mounds that have been discovered and excavated, including burial mounds, flat-topped platform mounds, defensive earthworks, and effigy mounds, which were made in the shapes of animals. The strength of Milner's description lies in his use of accessible, nontechnical language and in his ability to clearly explain how the archaeological evidence found at the various mound sites gives important clues for discerning Native American lifestyles from the distant past. Excellent illustrations (133 b&w, 20 color) and extensive bibliographical references complement the text. Recommended for anthropology and archaeology collections in academic libraries.-Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
