Description
Book SynopsisRegional identities and practices are often debated in American archaeology, but Middle Atlantic prehistorians have largely refrained from such discussions, focusing instead on creating chronologies and studying socio-political evolution from the perspective of sub-regions. What is Middle Atlantic prehistoric archaeology? What are the questions and methods that identify our practice in this region or connect research in our region to larger anthropological themes?
Middle Atlantic Prehistory: Foundations and Practice provides a basic survey of Middle Atlantic prehistoric archaeology and serves as an important reference for situating the development of Middle Atlantic prehistoric archaeology within the present context of culture area studies. This edited volume is a regional, historic overview of important themes, topics, and approaches in Middle Atlantic prehistory; covering major practical and theoretical debates and controversies in the region and in the discipline.
Each chapter is holistic in its review of the historical development of a particular theme, in evaluating its contributions to current scholarship, and in proposing future directions for productive scholarly work. Contributing authors represent the full range of professional practice in archaeology and include university professors, cultural resources professionals, government regulatory/review archaeologists and museums curators with many years of practical and theoretical immersion in his/her chapter topic, and is highly regarded in the discipline and in the region for their expertise.
Middle Atlantic Prehistory provides a much-needed synthesis and historical overview for academic and cultural resource archaeologists and independent scholars working in the Middle Atlantic region in particular.
Trade ReviewIt is difficult to capture the status of regional archaeology in a single volume. The eclectic compilation by Wholey and Nash dealing with the Middle Atlantic will whet the reader’s appetite for more. -- R. Michael Stewart, associate professor emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Temple University; archaeologist, New Jersey Historic Preservation Office
While some critics may contest the idea that the Middle Atlantic region is a valid cultural or environmental construct, no one will disagree that the contributions to this volume effectively document not only the great aboriginal time depth and, subsequently, very long human occupation of this archaeological province but also the great diversity of scholarly approaches currently employed to characterize and understand that long-term occupancy. The editors have masterfully selected a series of contributors who have effectively defined not only the unique properties of the Middle Atlantic, but also have provided an excellent cross-section of both past and contemporary research. Whether professional or interested laymen, and even if you disagree with the contentions of one or another contributor, you should have this volume in your library. -- J.M. Adovasio, PhD, DSc, director of Archaeology, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University
A stimulating and informative reader detailing the history and practice of archaeology directed to the Native peoples of the Middle Atlantic region in recent decades, providing a useful series of topical syntheses encompassing many of the facts and lessons learned. Written by some of the top practitioners working in the region, whose wealth of local knowledge and experience shines through the pages, this volume deserves to be read by, and belongs on the shelf of, anyone interested in Middle Atlantic archaeology. -- David G. Anderson, University of Tennessee; co-author (with Kenneth E. Sassaman) of Recent Developments in Southeastern Archaeology: From Colonization to Complexity
Table of Contents1: Introduction
Heather A. Wholey and Carole L. Nash
Part 1: Archaeological Practice in the Middle Atlantic
2: A Chronicle of Prehistoric Archaeology in the Middle Atlantic Region
Dennis C. Curry
3: CRM in the Middle Atlantic: Not Quite Like Anywhere Else
Christopher T. Espenshade
4: Public Archaeology and Outreach in the Middle Atlantic Region
Elizabeth A. Crowell
5: The Research Potential of Museum Collections and Their Influence on Archaeology in the Middle Atlantic
6: Not Just Bells and Whistles: Changes in Technological Applications to Middle Atlantic Archaeology
Bernard K. Means
7: Ethnohistoric Studies: Documentary Evidence for Variation in Late Prehistoric Cultures Across the
Middle Atlantic Region
Marshall J. Becker
8: Experimental Research in Middle Atlantic Archaeology
Bill Schindler
Part 2: Topics in Middle Atlantic Prehistory
9: The Use, Misuse, and Abuse of Typology
Roger Moeller
10: The Contributions and Practice of Culture History in the Middle Atlantic Region
Daniel R. Griffith
11: Peopling of the Middle Atlantic Region: A Review of Paleoindian Research
Kurt W. Carr
12: Zoological Perspectives in Middle Atlantic Subsistence Studies with an Emphasis on Virginia
Michael B. Barber
13: Middle Atlantic Region Settlement Pattern Studies: A Review
Robert D. Wall
14: Prehistory and Population in Middle Atlantic Archaeology
Heather A. Wholey
15: A Postcolonial Perspective on the Contact Period Archaeology of the Central Middle Atlantic Region,
or “Got Any Beads?”
Jay F. Custer
16: In Defense of Region: Middle Atlantica
R. Joseph Dent
