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Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley Kindle Edition

by E. H. Davis (Author), E. G. Squier (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 91 ratings
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The fact of the existence, within the valley of the Mississippi river and its tributaries, of many ancient monuments of human labor and skill, seems to have escaped the notice of the adventurers who first made known to the world the extent and fertility of that vast region. Except some incidental allusions by La Vega, and the Portuguese chronicler of De Soto's unfortunate expedition, to structures bearing some analogy to those of the West, (and which seem to have been occupied, if they were not built, by the Indians of Florida,) we find no mention made of these monuments by any of the earlier explorers. No sooner, however, had trade been opened with the Indians beyond the Alleghanies, and the valley of the Mississippi begun to attract the attention of the rival nations that laid claim to this division of the continent, than the less prominent features of the country became subjects of observation and remark. Then, for the first time, we find these ancient monuments distinctly alluded to. It was not however until some time afterwards, when settlements had been established at various prominent points within the valley, and the tide of emigration began to flow thitherward, that any special attention was directed to them. Carver in 1776, and Hearte and others in 1791, were among the earliest of these observers at the North. Their accounts, however, served scarcely to make known the existence of these remains, and failed to convey any clear idea of their extent or character. But as the country became better known and more densely populated, notices of their existence became more numerous, and some detailed accounts of particular groups were presented to the world, in the form of incidental notices in books of travel and local gazetteers, or in contributions to the pages of periodicals, and to the transactions of learned societies.
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  5. Publication date
    August 9, 2016
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David J. Meltzer is a professor of anthropology at Southern Methodist University, the editor of The Archaeology of William Henry Holmes (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992), and the author of The Search for the First Americans (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996).

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01IVQYFTG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ anboco (August 9, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 9, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 15115 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 699 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 91 ratings

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E. G. Squier

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
91 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert O. DeVries
5.0 out of 5 stars The Smithsonian Institution's First Publication
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2012
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This is a reprint of the September 1848 world classic. David J Melter adds an extended introduction setting the book in proper historical context, and recounting the sad story of lifelong rivalry of Squier and Davis which followed the book's publication.

Squier and Davis divide the ancient earthworks into three categories--works of defense, sacred enclosures, and anomalous mounds. In my opinion, some modern archaeologists are a little too ready to dismiss the extensive documentation which the authors provide showing that many locations were in fact defensive in nature.
Squier and Davis were the first to reveal to the world the Great Serpent Mound in Adams County, one of the most striking locations in American archaeology, and now preserved as an Ohio State Memorial.

Writing at the dawn of the scientific age, it is hardly surprising that Squier and Davis make a number of rookie mistakes. It is certainly doubtful whether the scientific evidence justifies their conclusions about extensive human sacrifice in ancient Ohio. And their theory that the moundbuilders were a "vanished race" not related to modern North American Indians has long ago been discredited. This myth did have one advantage however. The scientists of 1848 were not hampered in their work as are the archaeologists of today by the excessive zeal of some Native American tribes regarding the supposed special respect due the remains of ancient ancestors.

This is a "must have" book for those who have a strong interest in American archaeology. For the more casual reader, a more recent and less technical book would probably be of greater interest.
10 people found this helpful
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Erich Ball
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Little Known Subject. Well worth buying.
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2017
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This is a very interesting read. It covers a little known aspect of pre-Columbian history in the Americas of which I knew little. I was aware of Mayan, Incan and other remnants in South America but not that there are so many thousands of sites in North America. Nor did I appreciate the huge scale of those sites.

This brings a completely new picture to my mind of the level of sophistication of the pre-Columbian civilizations in the USA territorial area. Much of the archaeological evidence seems to be been destroyed or so tampered with as to provide little useful data. Despite this, there is sufficient evidence to make this an interesting read.

On the strength of this information I plan to do more reading in this area.
9 people found this helpful
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Texeye
4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction unfortunate addition to interesting historic book.
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2016
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Reproduction of the original book with an added lengthy introduction that is critical of the creators. I wonder if the gas bag that wrote the introduction has ever done anything as note worthy as Squire and Davis. Since the intro is bound with the book it kind of detracts from the book. If it had been bound separately you could have tossed the intro but that is not the case. I find it annoying when others are critical of someone they never met. Since this is the only way to view Squire and Davis work just skip the introduction.
15 people found this helpful
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Alicia
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2013
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Outstanding, unmatched archeological documentation of a grand, expansive civilization completely forgotten and, in many cases, hidden from the general American public's knowledge. What makes this text even more appealing is that many of these sites can be easily visited in person (I recommend Fort Ancient, Ohio - and don't let the Park Service fool you; this was most certainly a structure made for battle and defense). Yes, the reprint has some issues, including a missing plate and a duplicate. Errors aside, I am of the opinion that this text would serve very well as a textbook for North American archaeology courses.

I've actually purchased this twice now. The first copy was "borrowed" by my brother in law who has since become so enthralled with the text that he has passed it from family member to family member.
2 people found this helpful
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WNC
5.0 out of 5 stars very interesting history
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2018
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I have not finished reading the book. It is very interesting information. It is fortunate that so much data was collected and printed before the bulldozers of our age leveled so much of the history of our country. Wayne May has written a number of books on this subject which I also recently bought and found very interesting on this subject, too.
3 people found this helpful
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Dave McGhee
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2018
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Growing up in Southern Ohio I visited many of the sites listed in this book. It's very neat to see how well Quire and Davis documented the mounds and the importance of their work for modern day understanding of ancient cultures. I love the maps in this book.
One person found this helpful
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Leslie E Sadler
3.0 out of 5 stars good read
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015
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Good book and a good refrence
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David L
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2013
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An interesting piece of almost lost American history about the Hopewell Indians or Mound Builders. If you are interested in American History, read this book.
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Top reviews from other countries

Computer Woes
5.0 out of 5 stars Little-known history of North American culture
Reviewed in Canada on December 27, 2023
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It's a book, so I used it to read and look at pictures, and study the Mound Builder Culture which thrived in Eastern North America 1,000~3,000 years ago. Many of the sites have been obliterated by ignoramus clodhoppers. I've visited many of the site that are still in existence, and they are thrilling.
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Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2015
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Enlightening information of the mound builders, (the Hopewell Culture or Nephites of the Book of Mormon)
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Intrastate99
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2019
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Fascinating book!
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Kay Long
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historic report on the mounds scattered throughout North America
Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2016
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Excellent historic report on the mounds scattered throughout North America, however, I expected to read about the skeletons of the giants and the
Smithsonian Ins. did not mention them. Seems to be some kind of cover-up 150 years ago and the bones and some antiquities sent to S.I. have disappeared. Fortunately there were other witnesses who had no reason to keep the early and unusual people who once lived here. Politics seem to have had an enormous effect on documenting discoveries even in those days. Great drawings but wish they had taken more pictures and photography was available at the time.
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