Perspectives on Gulf Coast Prehistory
Southeastern archaeology has long taken its orientation from the interior river valleys, even though archaeologists have often been troubled by discrepancies between this traditional model and results of their work in coastal regions. Perspectives on Gulf Coast Prehistory is a response to these discrepancies. While they neither downplay the importance of the interior's influence nor regard the coast as a region in itself, the contributors to this book share a belief that the prehistory of the coastal area is different enough from the interior to justify studying it as a region. The essays, both wide-ranging in concept and problem-oriented, cover the Woodland and Mississippian periods of Gulf coast prehistory, from 1000 B.C. to the early European settlements around A.D. 1750. They investigate specific problems, focusing on traditional concerns with cultural chronologies as well as processes of social change, cultural interaction, and environmental adaptation. There are overviews of earlier research and a considerable body of previously unpublished material. In keeping with the larger purpose of the conference at which these papers were presented, a concluding roundtable discussion concentrates on similarities among coastal cultures. Participants presented new research, pinpointed strong and weak points in existing work, and raised questions to stimulate further study. Dave D. Davis is associate professor and chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Tulane University. 379 pp. 6 X 9. Maps, charts, tables, illustrations, bibliography, index 0-8130-0756-9 $55.00 (cloth)
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