Society for Georgia Archaeology » Book notes

Periodically, we mention publications about topics related to archaeology. Some true reviews, while others simply introduce publications you may be interested in. We try to emphasize the classics, and new and informative titles. We also mention downloadable volumes.

There are 12 articles in this category. Each excerpt below links to the full article (click on the article headline or the 'Click here to read' link!)

Must-have book: Hudson’s Southeastern Indians

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

Hudson_SE_Indians_cover_CU.jpgCharles Hudson’s book The Southeastern Indians, originally published in 1976, remains a must-have book for the library of anyone seriously interested in Georgia’s past. This book, with its maps and black-and-white photographic plates, is an excellent place to learn about the native peoples who lived in Georgia. It remains available in paperback at a reasonable cost.

How important was cooking in human evolution?

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

campfire_at_night_CUPublished in spring 2009, Richard Wrangham’s book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (Basic Books) argues that the ability to use fire for cooking foodstuffs allowed the changes that have made humans a distinct species. What do you think of this argument? Read more about the book and Wrangham’s hypothesis in the full story.

Maritime and inland transportation networks over time

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

Cunliffe_cover_CUExamination of the regions of the world shows that not all are similarly easy to traverse on foot or via waterways—and coastlines—as ancient peoples would. Yet, people exchanged goods and information via networks that spanned great distances. Compare the European and Southeastern North American regions with these concepts in mind.

Moundville comes to life in slim new volume

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

Moundville_GoogleEarth_CUJohn H. Blitz doesn’t mince words. Answering the question who built the mounds at the famous Mississippian settlement next to the Black Warrior River at Moundville, Alabama, Blitz writes: “We don’t know” (page 4). Nevertheless, Blitz presents a useful summary of the settlement, research relevant to interpreting it, and the history of how it came to be the 320-acre Moundville Archaeological Park in a new book.

“Preserving Georgia’s Historic Cemeteries”

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

cemetery_marker_GA_cuThe Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has a downloadable sixteen-page booklet dated November 2007, titled Preserving Georgia’s Historic Cemeteries that you may find interesting.

Tasty tidbits versus wild fruit

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

cultures_of_habitat_CUIn Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture, and Story (Counterpoint, 1997) ethnobotanist and essayist Gary Paul Nabhan argues that modern peoples tend not to have opportunities for discovery in the natural world, and that this distance from our environment means we don’t grasp the complexity of the world and of ecology. Do you agree?

Outliers and rare events

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

data_plot_example_b_swan_cuIn a data set, an outlier is a point or value that is far different from expectations. You don’t have to be a statistician to consider the impact of true outliers, especially in archaeological radiocarbon data sets, for example. This Weekly Ponder broaches the subject of outliers, as discussed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (2007, Random House).

New experimental archaeology/primitive technology book

Submitted by Tom Gresham (searcheo@aol.com)

Long time SGA member and primitive technology researcher Scott Jones has just published a book that is a compilation of his articles from the past decade related to primitive technology and experimental archaeology. Scott has practiced primitive technology for two decades and now makes a living presenting the subject to the general public (always with [...]

Archaeology for Dummies

Submitted by Nancy White (nwhite@cas.usf.edu)

Wiley Publishing has just issued Archaeology for Dummies ($21.95) by SGA member Nancy White. The book tells how archaeology is detective work and traces over 2 million years of prehistoric human cultures. It demonstrates how archaeology uncovers things about historic times that history can’t, and shows how archaeological knowledge is useful for modern issues like [...]

Choctaw dictionary

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

choctaw_ahe_wordsWe are fortunate to have dictionaries of some of the languages of Native Americans Southeastern North America recorded in the early nineteenth century and even earlier, before much of that information was lost.

Consider downloading a digital copy of this 1915 volume A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language, available free from the Internet Archive.

Motel of the Mysteries

Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

David Macaulay is an author and illustrator who has written many interesting books. One of my favorites is Motel of the Mysteries, published in 1979 by Houghton Mifflin (Boston). The book is now out of print, so I always look for a copy at yard sales and flea markets—and every once in a while I’m [...]

Frontiers in the Soil, 2nd edition

This entertaining, colorful cartoon book is about archaeology, particularly in Georgia; it is accurate and amusing. The book features hand-lettered text accompanied by eye-catching, vivid, often humorous artwork. The volume also provides various ideas for archaeological projects. Although oriented toward Georgia and Southeastern archaeology, this volume is useful for understanding general concepts in the archaeology [...]