Amateur, or avocational, archaeologists have made extraordinarily important contributions to our knowledge of prehistory. In order for them to do so, it is essential that they be able to identify the artifacts their discoveries and that, when they find sites that warrant intensive investigation, they report them to those who maintain state records and who can refer them to well-qualified professionals. This book should be very helpful for amateurs who truly care about archaeology and who wish to increase their knowledge and to contribute to the preservation and interpretation of remains of prehistoric cultures.
Learn where to look for and how to identify and preserve your own collection of common and rare stone artifacts in this respected and ethical handbook.
The Native American tribes of what is now the southeastern United States left intriguing relics of their ancient cultural life. Arrowheads, spear points, stone tools, and other artifacts are found in newly plowed fields, on hillsides after a fresh rain, or in washed-out creek beds. These are tangible clues to the anthropology of the Paleo-Indians, and the highly developed Mississippian peoples. This indispensable guide to identifying and understanding such finds is for conscientious amateur archeologists who make their discoveries in surface terrain. Many are eager to understand the culture that produced the artifact, what kind of people created it, how it was made, how old it is, and what its purpose was. Here is a handbook that seeks identification through the clues of cultural history. In discussing materials used, the process of manufacture, and the relationship between the artifacts and the environments, it reveals ancient discoveries to be not merely interesting trinkets but by-products from the once vital societies in areas that are now Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas, as well as in southeastern Texas, southern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana. The text is documented by more than a hundred drawings in the actual size of the artifacts, as well as by a glossary of archeological terms and a helpful list of state and regional archeological societies.
This text is meant to educate and help people with the identification of unusual stones fashioned by early man. Many of these stones are nothing short of true works of art, as you will see. In these pages are photographs and drawings of stones collected over thirty years, and four years to write this book—60,000 words and 318 photos and drawings to help you understand how ancient man used and really looked at a stone, and you will too. There's no book like this on earth!
Useful for academic and recreational archaeologists alike, this book identifies and describes over 200 projectile points and stone tools used by prehistoric Native American Indians in Texas. This third edition boasts twice as many illustrations—all drawn from actual specimens—and still includes charts, geographic distribution maps and reliable age-dating information. The authors also demonstrate how factors such as environment, locale and type of artifact combine to produce a portrait of theses ancient cultures.
Acknowledged by Dr. H. M. Wormington as “very helpful for amateurs who truly care about archaeology,” the nationally recognized first edition is now revised, with a foreword written by Dr. George C. Frison, Professor Emeritus University of Wyoming and Paleoarchaeologist of the Century. This practical, down-to-earth guide for surface collectors of arrowheads and stone artifacts is designed especially for amateur archaeologists and people interested in learning how to study and collect artifacts safely and responsibly.
This practical, down-to-earth guide for surface collectors of arrowheads and stone artifacts is designed especially for amateur archaeologists and people interested in learning how to study and collect artifacts safely and responsibly. The author reveals invaluable tips on: where to look for artifacts; how to identify artifacts; where surface collecting is permissible; starting and caring for your own collection. With more than fifty new photographs and illustrations of common and rare artifacts, this book is the perfect addition to libraries of amateur archaeologists thirsty for knowledge about preserving and interpreting the remains of a prehistoric culture.
This valuable guide shows authentic artifacts which will help the collector recognize great finds when discovered in the field. Includes over 2,000 photos featuring thousands of specimens from the Midwest's ancient past.
"Projectile point" is a collective term for spear and dart points, arrowheads, and hafted knives. The many Native Americans who have inhabited Iowa shaped points primarily of various cherts and chalcedonies found locally or traded regionally. The single point types illustrated in this two-part guide, the first to provide color photographs to scale for all types found in Iowa, show the wide range of variability as forms evolved from the Paleoindian period, 11,100-10,750 BC, to the Late Prehistoric period, AD 1000-1200. The two beautifully illustrated parts depict a total of sixty-one full-size stone point types in color by archaeological period. References are provided for those wishing to learn more about each type shown. Archaeologist Joseph Tiffany lists the stone type for each point as well as its estimated range of use based on calibrated radiocarbon age, catalog number, and the county where it was found. By providing actual-size color images of the typed points, each part is very easy to use in the field, lab, or classroom. From the highly finished Clovis points of the Paleoindian period to the delicate notched and stemmed points of the Woodland period, these tangible remnants of vanished cultures reveal the huge changes in the lifeways of Iowa's native populations over time. Lay and professional archaeologists, collectors, students, and enthusiasts will appreciate the beauty of the photos and the usefulness of the information in this pocket guide to Iowa projectile points.
