Holocene Hunter-Gatherers of the Lower Ohio River Valley [Paperback]

Richard Jefferies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0817355413 | ISBN-13: 978-0817355418 | Edition: 1

By the Early Holocene (10,000 to 8,000 B.P.), small wandering bands of Archaic hunter-gatherers began to annually follow the same hunting trails, basing their temporary camps on seasonal conditions and the presence of food. The Pleistocene glaciers had receded by this time, making food more plentiful in some areas and living conditions less hazardous. Although these Archaic peoples have long been known from their primary activities as hunters and gatherers of wild food resources, recent evidence has been found that indicates they also began rudimentary cultivation sometime during the Middle Holocene.

Richard Jefferies—an Archaic specialist—comprehensively addresses the approximately 7,000 years of the prehistory of eastern North America, termed the Archaic Period by archaeologists. Jefferies centers his research on a 380-mile section of the Lower Ohio River Valley, an area rife with both temporary and long-term Archaic sites. He covers the duration of the Holocene and provides a compendium of knowledge of the era, including innovative research strategies and results. Presenting these data from a cultural-ecological perspective emphasizing the relationships between hunter-gatherers and the environments in which they lived, Jefferies integrates current research strategies with emerging theories that are beginning to look at culture history in creative ways

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A wonderful synthesis, well-written—a real pleasure to read. It incorporates the latest research, including published sources, gray literature, conference papers, and internet sources. The complete mastery of the data is a tribute to Dr. Jefferies’ years of work in the region.”—Marvin T. Smith, Valdosta State University

“This is a comprehensive, systematic treatment of existing archaeological knowledge about human populations that inhabited the lower Ohio River valley from the late Pleistocene to ca. 3000 years ago. It is tightly structured along chronological, spatial, and topical dimensions and is thus accessible to the reader seeking specific information. The bibliography alone will be of great value to a variety of researchers.”—Kenneth E. Sassaman, University of Florida

About the Author

Richard W. Jefferies is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: University Alabama Press; 1 edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817355413
• ISBN-13: 978-0817355418
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,948,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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