The Moundbuilders: Ancient Peoples of Eastern North America (Ancient Peoples and Places)

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 forests--some up to a hundred feet high, some merely overgrown hillocks, some conical others flattopped. Speculation was rife as to the identity of the mounbuilders--could 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 face erected by the Native Americans themselves. In a period ranging from 3,000 B.C. to the sixteenth century A.D., Native American 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 prehistoty, 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.