Reviews

Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and Culture History

By Susan Toby Evans (Thames & Hudson,2004; 608 pgs.,illus.,$70 cloth; www.thamesandhudson.com)

In Ancient Mexico & Central America, Susan Toby Evans has produced a monumental survey of the prehistoric cultures of Mesoamerica, the region between north-central Mexico and Costa Rica. The Olmec, Maya, Toltec, Aztec, and others produced the most sophisticated cultures of the New World, rivaling in many ways those of Europe and China, only to fall to the invading Spaniards in 1521. Over the past 50 years, archaeologists have made giant strides in understanding these great cultures. They have decoded much of the writing and iconography. Calendrics and numbers have been figured out. Economies and trade are better understood. Complex politics and religions are being unraveled. Numerous excavations in the jungles and arid plateaus have yielded mountains of new information.

Evans, a professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, has brought all of this knowledge together in this wonderfully produced volume. Writing in a flowing narrative that avoids technical terminology, the author tells the story of Mesoamerican civilization. There are 459 illustrations, 80 in color, to supplement the text. Numerous timelines, charts, and maps keep the reader in context. Many of the most important sites, like La Venta, Monte Albán, Teotihuacán, Palenque, and Tenochtitlan, are explored in depth from their earliest origins to their fall. Thirty-three specific topics, including colossal stone heads, the ball game, metalworking, and child-raising, are explored in special boxed features.

Ancient Mexico & Central America contains so much information it might overwhelm the casual reader, but instead it is organized in such a friendly manner that it is a pleasure to read and easy to understand. The publisher, Thames and Hudson, has produced an outstanding series of books on archaeology suitable for the interested layperson. This may well be the best so far. Early Art of the Southeastern Indians: Feathered Serpents & Winged Beings

By Susan C.Power (University of Georgia Press,2004; 288 pgs.,illus., $40 cloth; www.ugapress.org)

The prehistoric people of the southeastern United States produced some of the richest and most sophisticated Native art. Cultures we know as Mississippian, Caddo, Hopewell, Adena, and Poverty Point thrived in the eastern Woodlands and collected exotic materials from great distances to turn into elaborate works of art.

Author Susan C. Power, a professor of art at Marshall University, traces the development of this rich artistic tradition from its origins in the archaic period some 6,000 years ago to the European conquest. We are introduced to an extraordinary assemblage of objects described and pictured, many in color, in this tome. Some are clearly ceremonial, others probably functional, including pipes, figurines, ceramics, beads, and copper objects. Of course, perishable items are rare, which skews our sample. The most complex works according to Power were linked to powerful leaders (mostly male) who wore bold ensembles consisting of symbolic colors, sacred media, and complex designs. Four large ceremonial centers are the focus of much of this art—Etowah in Georgia, Spiro in eastern Oklahoma, Cahokia near St. Louis, and Moundville in Alabama.

Early Art of the Southeastern Indians is a visual journey through time that demonstrates the exemplary abilities of master artists and craftsmen. Their remarkable achievements delight the senses and give us a brief glimpse into their symbolic world.

The Seminole Wars: America’s Longest Indian Conflict

By John and Mary Lou Missall (University Press of Florida,2004; 304 pgs.,illus., $30 cloth; www.upf.com)

Three Seminole wars in Florida lasted from 1817 to 1858, the longest, bloodiest, and most costly of all the Indian wars fought in the United States. They were of major concern to the entire nation and often had international implications as the United States struggled with the European powers for control of the continent. In fact, the Seminoles were allies of both Britain and Spain and hostile to the young, expanding republic.

General Andrew Jackson, fresh from his victory over the British at New Orleans in 1815, led the first conflict, which was part of the plan to drive Spain from the Florida Territory. The second took the lives of 1,500 U.S. soldiers and countless Indians over seven years. The third war was fought on the eve of the Civil War in an attempt to remove the surviving Seminoles from their homes in the Everglades.

Unlike the Plains wars, the Seminole wars were soon forgotten, an embarrassment in their brutality. While the government side is well documented, there is little from the Seminoles. Clearly there is a role for archaeologists to help document this tragic episode in American history. Surely, this well-written history will not be the last word on one of America’s darkest eras.

Shovel Bum: Comix of Archaeological Field Life

By Trent de Boer (AltaMira Press,2004; 129 pgs.,illus., $23 paper; www.altamirapress.com)

Half the “fun” of being an archaeologist in America is the experience of fieldwork. Shovel bums endure weeks of flea-bitten motel beds, greasy roadhouse food, temperamental vehicles, and long stretches of boredom to practice that most romantic of intellectual endeavors—archaeology. Underpaid and unappreciated they have struck back at the archaeological bureaucracy that never gets its hands dirty with this collection of comix. Developed by Trent de Boer while on assignment in Arkansas and supplemented by his friends and colleagues, Shovel Bum takes a humorous look at the trials and tribulations of American field archaeologists. Some of the episodes will have you in stitches; others will have you in tears. It’s all great fun (in retrospect) for old hands and an education for aspiring archaeologists. —Mark Michel

Reviews

Artifact: The Hunt for Stolen Treasurers

Board game from Outset Media,2004 ($30 at www.boardgames.com)

Bored with Trivial Pursuit and Clue? Artifact is an entertaining strategy game that sends players around the world to recover missing treasures. You are in charge of Interpol’s Artifact Recovery Team. Your mission is to discover the location of missing artifacts and return them to their countries of origin. The stories are based on true events and filled with interesting information. From Armenia to New Zealand, you search the world for lost and stolen artifacts. You must exchange information with other team members, retrieve information from the database of stolen art, and use secret informants. Good training for a growing worldwide problem. Challenging and fun. Ages 12 and up. 2–6 players. Optional rules for ages 3–12.