The Society for Georgia Archaeology proudly sells Frontiers in the Soil, a softcover book about archaeology in Georgia. Author Roy S. Dickens, Jr. and illustrator James L. McKinley convey details about Georgia’s ancient past through engaging text and colorful cartoons. The book includes exercises for studying Georgia archaeology.
If you don’t already have a copy of Frontiers in the Soil, click here to access an order form! Clocking in at over 100 pages, Frontiers tells the story of young archaeologists working on an excavation project, using lively text and humorous cartoon illustrations. This classic volume will be enjoyed by everyone curious about Georgia’s archaeological heritage. There’s also a free lesson plan based on the book.
While the Etowah mounds are large and imposing, and people used them over several hundred years during the Mississippian period, they were not continuously occupied. Read the story of the Etowah mounds in detail in Adam King’s Etowah: The Political History of a Chiefdom Capital (2003; University of Alabama Press), which is now available in paperback and ebook versions.
Robert Skarda and the Scull Shoals site show will be broadcast on the GPB’s “Georgia Traveler” series April 29th at 8PM and April 30th at 7PM. The broadcast is in conjunction with Scull Shoals Festival day. This unique event is linked with the Float Georgia event which is when canoes and kayaks full of interested parties stop at Scull Shoals for a Georgia history rest break. Be sure to watch the program!
Recently, members of the SGA received Archaeological Encounters in Georgia’s Spanish Period, 1526-1700: New Findings and Perspectives, edited by Dennis B. Blanton and Robert A. DeVillar. The SGA used the book to raise awareness of special topics in Georgia archaeology as well as reward its membership with the opportunity to receive special publications. Currently, all available copies have been distributed to the SGA membership and institutional members of SGA, such as libraries. If you are looking for this particular book, these libraries should have an available copy.
Ethnohistorian Robbie Ethridge, in Creek Country: The Creek Indians and Their World (2003: University of North Carolina Press) describes “a distant, lost world—the world of the Creek Indians at the close of the eighteenth century.” She unites archaeological and historical data to illuminate this largely overlooked period. Read Dr. Ethridge’s book and you will understand Georgia’s early history anew.
Get your copy today! Volumes in Historical Archaeology: No. 49 Colonoware Examined: Another Heritage Remembered. This volume is an overview of past and current research on South Carolina and Georgia colonoware: Including initial assessment of representative, excavated pottery and shards and comparison with known ceramic technology.
Long-time SGA member Pat Garrow’s new book, The Chieftain Excavations, 1969-1971 reports the results of excavations Pat conducted on the Chieftains site, home of Cherokee leader Major Ridge (died, 1839) in Rome from 1969 to 1971. Analyses clearly indicate that George Lavender’s Store had been located in the north side yard of Major Ridge’s home, and had stood over the stone-lined cellar found during the excavations. Read more about this interesting research—and follow a link to order the volume in paperback or as a PDF—in the full story.
Ellis Whitt announces the availability of a book he has been compiling since 2008, titled Extraordinary Fluted Points of the Tennessee Valley Region. It has nearly 200 pages and contains full-page photographs of 170 extraordinary fluted Paleo artifacts with key bits of information about several of the photographed artifacts.
Rebecca Burns uses photographs and archival information to tell the history of Atlanta in her 2010 book Atlanta: Yesterday & Today. The author tells Atlanta’s story by neighborhood, with thematic sections, rather than through a single chronological storyline. The lively text is augmented by historical and modern images to convey “the character, moxie, and extraordinary history that combined to earn Atlanta its status as the capital of the New South.” Consider how the order and organization of a history may affect how the reader perceives the places and times discussed.
Charles 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.
The 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.
Site Loss in Georgia is a special issue of Early Georgia, published in Spring 2005. The first article, “When the Past is Destroyed: Loss of Archaeological Sites Due to Urbanization,” by Stephen Kowalewski, evaluates the state of preservation of Georgia’s archaeological sites. Here, for the first time, objective lines of evidence useful in assessing the [...]
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 [...]
Resources at Risk: Defending Georgia’s Hidden Heritage is a special issue of Early Georgia, published in May 2001. The goals of this issue were 1) to expand public perception of what archaeology is and what archaeologists do; 2) to call attention to the urgent need for the preservation and stewardship of archaeological resources, or at [...]
Long-time SGA member Rita Elliott edited this 1992 special issue of Early Georgia; its full title is ‚“Archaeology in the Classroom: By Teachers for Teachers—Used Archaeology: Practical Classroom Ideas for Teachers by Teachers.” Notes Ms. Elliott in the Foreward: Welcome to a new partnership. The past decade has seen a growing relationship between the world [...]
The Profile Papers: Technical Papers from the First Seventy-Five Issues of the Society for Georgia Archaeology Newletter was compiled by Patrick H. Garrow and George S. Lewis. The SGA reprinted useful and important articles that were difficult to obtain in the days before digital publications and widespread use of the Internet.