ARCHAEOLOGY / FOODWAYS
Salt in Eastern North America and the Caribbean History and Archaeology Edited by Ashley A. Dumas and Paul N. Eubanks Case studies examining the archaeological record of an overlooked mineral Salt, once a highly prized trade commodity essential for human survival, is often overlooked in research because it is invisible in the archaeological record. Salt in Eastern North America and the Caribbean: History and Archaeology brings salt back into archaeology, showing that it was valued as a dietary additive, had curative powers, and was a substance of political power and religious significance for Native Americans. Major salines were embedded in the collective memories and oral traditions for thousands of years as places where physical and spiritual needs could be met. Ethnohistoric documents for many Indian cultures describe the uses, taboos, and other beliefs about salt.
FEBRUARY 6 X 9 / 232 PAGES / 29 B&W FIGURES / 9 MAPS / 4 TABLES ISBN 978-0-8173-2076-8 / $69.95s HARDCOVER ISBN 978-0-8173-9333-5 / $69.95 EBOOK CONTRIBUTORS Ian W. Brown / Ashley A. Dumas / Ann M. Early / Paul N. Eubanks / Hannah Guidry / Nancy A. Kenmotsu / Larry McKee / Heather McKillop / Steven M. Meredith / Maureen Meyers / Joost Morsink / Timothy K. Perttula / Kevin E. Smith / Alyssa Sperry “Salt in Eastern North America and the Caribbean offers several new datasets from across the region as well as innovative conceptual frameworks for understanding salt production and consumption. To my knowledge, it is the first interregional consideration of indigenous salt production in this part of the world since Ian Brown’s seminal publication in 1980—now nearly 40 years old.” —Alice P. Wright, author of Garden Creek: The Archaeology of Interaction in Middle Woodland Appalachia
ALSO OF INTEREST Baking, Bourbon, and Black Drink: Foodways Archaeology in the American Southeast Edited by Tanya M. Peres and Aaron Deter-Wolf
ISBN 978-0-8173-1992-2 / $64.95s CLOTH EBOOK AVAILABLE
ARCHAEOLOGY of
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FALL 2020
The volume is organized into two parts: Salt Histories and Salt in Society. Case studies from prehistory to post-Contact and from New York to Jamaica address what techniques were used to make salt, who was responsible for producing it, how it was used, the impact it had on settlement patterns and sociopolitical complexity, and how economies of salt changed after European contact. Noted salt archaeologist Heather McKillop provides commentary to conclude the volume. Ashley A. Dumas is associate professor of anthropology and director of the Fort Tombecbe Archaeological site, University of West Alabama. Paul N. Eubanks is assistant professor of anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University.
