Prehistory of North America

Paperback (Routledge Ed, 2016)Ch 1 covers geography and periods of NA and history of archaeology.Ch 2 begins the coverage on Paleo-Indians but focuses on pre-Clovis evidence, and includes analysis of South America too.Ch 3 continues coverage of Paleo-Indians.Structure of Ch 4 to 13 start with geography then major themes and history of research before covering different periods. Each chapter concludes with Natives at contact and further reading.Regions in order:Arctic (divided into Western and Eastern Arctic)Northwest CoastPlateauCalifornia (like Snow includes Baja California with California)Great Basin (including Mojave Desert)SouthwestGreat PlainsNortheast (includes Adena for Fort Ancient)Southeast (includes Hopewell context for Mississippians)SubarcticThe organization is similar to Neusius and Gross (2006) with major different of Neusius and Gross including the Subarctic with the Arctic.Ch 14 covers post-contact studies.Pros:Extensive bibliography with names in bold and each entry has hanging font to help differentiate entries and aid in searching.In-text citations include links to online resources.Each major region has its own chapter rather than being grouped together with other regions. Gives the subarctic its own chapter rather than generalizing or collapsing it with the arctic, and one of my main reasons for buying the book. Like Neusius and Gross (2006), Sutton dedicates an entire chapter to California.Very comprehensive, and covers periods that have little to no info. Sutton covered Hohokam to 1500 and Mogollon to 1700 rather than stopping both at 1400 connecting them to contemporary Natives.Uses dating system of literature in the region, meaning BP (years ago), except the Southwest which uses BC/AD.Cons:Meaning of abbreviations not always explained.Chapter on California was hard to follow due to too many sub-regions (about 6 or 7 to keep track).Lacks of coverage on legal and ethical matters, so see Neusius and Gross (2006).Comparing with Fagan (2019):Fagan converts dates and uses BCE/CE system, while Sutton uses BP (same system as his sources) which makes understanding the literature easier.Fagan briefly covers pre-Clovis, but Sutton does a much better job covering most of the evidence over 15 pages, while Fagan covers pre-Clovis in about 3 pages.Fagan in Ch 3 covers Plains (10,000 to 6900 BCE) and Eastern Woodlands (9000 to 4500 BCE), rather than dedicating chapters to those regions, while Sutton covers the Plains from settlement to contact in one chapter. Sutton covers the Eastern Woodlands in chapters on the Northeast and Southeast.Fagan’s coverage of the Arctic focuses more on the eastern Arctic. Sutton splits the Arctic into western and eastern, and covers both sub-regions evenly.Fagan for some reason includes the Eastern Subarctic in the Eastern Woodlands, while Sutton gives the Subarctic its own chapter.Fagan has a chapter on Adena-Hopewell, followed by a chapter on Mississippians and one on the Iroquois. Unlike other sections of Fagan’s books, these chapters work well and are on par with Sutton’s coverage.Too much of Fagan’s book jumps around to different regions. Sutton avoids jumping around by having chapters dedicated to each region.Fagan has 3 chapters dedicated to post-contact and modern Natives, while Sutton covers contact studies in his last chapter.Comparing with Snow (2010):Like Fagan, Snow converts dates (to BC/AD system) and same issues apply to Snow’s book.Snow has better coverage than Fagan of pre-Clovis over about 6 pages, but Sutton by far has the best treatment.Snow generalizes the Arctic, while Sutton splits the Arctic into Western and Eastern sub-regions, allowing for better understanding of their differing histories.While Snow has California grouped with the Northwest Coast, his writing was easier to follow. Sutton’s writing is harder to understand than Snow, but has better structure. Snow also groups together the Great Plains, Great Basin, and the Plateau, covering only parts of their history, while Sutton is able to take a comprehensive approach due to each region having its own chapter. Snow also has broader coverage of what North America is, and includes Mesoamerica, which overextends his book. While Snow covers the Hopewell in their own chapter, when he covers the Mississippians, he fails to connect them to Hopewell. The geographic approach by Sutton allows for more nuanced and varied coverage of cultures and provides historical context.Snow briefly covers Polynesian contact with North America via the Chumash in California. Sutton does not make any mention of Polynesian contact. Considering the controversies surrounding the topic, I would have liked Sutton to touch on it, but Kirch (2017) has two pages laying out the evidence.Conclusion:If like me, you had no idea where to begin, then this book is a solid introduction and the best among the four other books out there.Other books referenced in this review:Brian Fagan, Ancient North America: Archaeology of a Continent (Fifth Ed, 2019)Sarah Neusius and Timothy Gross, Seeking the Past: An Introduction to North American Archaeology (2006). A second edition came out but I have not read it.Dean Snow, Archaeology of Native North America (2010). A second edition came out in 2019, but I have not read it.Patrick Kirch, On the Road of the Winds (Revised Ed, 2017)

The title says this book is about the prehistory of North America but is instead a history of North America of archeological sites, where they are, who found them and what was found their. A listing of artifacts, where they were found and who found them is the history of North American archeology, not its prehistory

An all inclusive book covering the earliest known evidence of early man in North America through paleoindian, archaic and woodland periods right up to first contact with the europoeans.

I read this as a textbook for a class. It is well-written, well-organized, and informative.

This is a great overview of North American ancient lifeways.

Arrived in good time.Good textbook, not too dry.