Ancient People of the Arctic [Hardcover]

Robert McGhee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996 | ISBN-10: 0774805536 | ISBN-13: 978-0774805537 | Edition: First Edition

Ancient People of the Arctic traces the lives of the Palaeo-Eskimos, the bold first explorers of the Arctic. Four thousand years ago, these people entered the far northern extremes of the North American continent, carving a living out of their bleak new homeland. From the hints they left behind, accessible only through the fragmented archaeological record, Robert McGhee ingeniously reconstructs a picture of this life at the margins. He discusses how the Palaeo-Eskimos spread across the entire Arctic, explains how they dealt with sharp climate changes that drastically altered their environment, offers glimpses into their spiritual practices and world view, and speculates about their eventual demise.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert McGhee is an archaeologist who has conducted thirty years of research on the ancient history of Arctic peoples. He is the author of numerous publications, among them Ancient Canada (1989) and Canada Rediscovered (1991). He is currently a curator of archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: UBC Press; First Edition edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0774805536
• ISBN-13: 978-0774805537
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,315,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars vivid account of a lost people, April 26, 2010

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Reader "kkbs" (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient People of the Arctic (Paperback)

The topic of this book is the history of the paleo-Eskimos, who thrived in the North Amercian Arctic for nearly four thousand years until the arrival of the Innuit. Although the book is nearly exclusively based on archaelogical findings, Robert McGhee succeeds in assembling this data into a very fascinating account of this people lost in time. Fortunately, as the author explains, despite the long period elapsed since the disappearance of the paleo-Eskimos, due to the special arctic environment and climate relatively much has been preserved. The author guides through the history more or less chronologically, explaining the cultural and technological development of these first settlers in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. He speculates on reasons for major changes in hunting techniques and religious practices and the final disappearance of this people vis-a-vis the push toward East by the Innuit.
A well written book on a fascinating subject.