Purisimeno Chumash Prehistory: Maritime Adaptations Along the Southern California Coast (Case Studies in Archaeology) [Paperback]

Michael Glassow (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0155030841 | ISBN-13: 978-0155030848 | Publication Date: November 17, 1995 | Edition: 1

This is the only case study available that focuses on the practice of archaeology in California, prehistory coastal adaptations, and cultural resource management. Unique coverage of the Vandenburg region and Santa Barbara Channel not only introduces students to regional archaeology but also allows them to observe the impact of environmental variations on cultural development. Examples included in the study reinforce relationships between fieldwork, data generation and processing, analysis, and interpretation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition (November 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0155030841
• ISBN-13: 978-0155030848
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,875,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to the student or professional..., March 13, 2003

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Amazonbombshell (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purisimeno Chumash Prehistory: Maritime Adaptations Along the Southern California Coast (Case Studies in Archaeology) (Paperback)

...but then, this book was probably not written for the layman. If you have an interest and at least something of a background in archaeology, you'll understand the book and probably find it somewhat interesting, but you may still want to skip over parts of it.

Basically, PURISIMENO CHUMASH PREHISTORY is an account of Michael Glassow's excavations in a particular region of the central coast, and the conclusions he makes based on that work. These conclusions are very interesting, as is his background history of the Chumash from various areas and the Vandenberg region itself. The archaeological framework that he presents is interesting as well, but it seems the bulk of the book (which isn't much, since it's pretty small) is taken up with detailed descriptions of how particular sites were excavated, where they were, what problems were encountered, and exactly what was found. Here the writing really bogs down; I had to skip a lot of this middle section.

If you're an archaeologist or aspiring one or an amateur or whatever, the book is of value, especially for students looking to understand how archaeology is done and what types of problems must be solved along the way. If you don't fit the above categories, don't bother.