Almost unimaginably immense, North America stretches from a fewdegrees short of the North Pole to a few degrees shy of theequator. Archaeologists are now racing to unravel the mysteriouspast of the forgotten peoples who once inhabited this sprawlingland. In Search of Ancient North America explores many of thesescientists' most fascinating findings as Heather Pringle chroniclesher journeys among the ancient sites of Canada and the UnitedStates. Her enthralling voyage of discovery uncovers the richnessof now-vanished cultures and illuminates the intriguing world ofarchaeology itself. Journeying from the mosquito-infested forests of the far north tothe bleak deserts of the American Southwest, Pringle accompaniesleading archaeologists and their crews into the field. At theBluefish Caves in the northern Yukon, Jacques Cinq-Mars chases downclues to an Ice Age mystery; at the "immense geometric riddle" thatis Hopeton Earthworks, Mark Lynott scours the countryside forvestiges of ancient village life; in the thorny wilderness of theLower Pecos, Solveig Turpin deciphers the enigmatic rock artpainted more than 3,000 years ago. What emerges from Pringle's accounts are surprising portraits oflong-lost cultures--the rapacious mariners of southern Californiawho nearly wiped out one of the world's most productive ecosystems;the wealthy nobles of British Columbia who wore salmon-skin shoesand counted their wealth in bottles of salmon oil; the powerfullords of the Mississippi River who won the adoration of theirfollowers with a mysterious medicinal tonic. Equally intriguing arethe controversial new theories that the author presents on a hostof subjects, from the origins of art and hallucinogenic drugs tothe rise of private property, the identities of the earliest NewWorld migrants, and the astonishing extent of trade in prehistoricNorth America. Complemented by superb color and black-and-white photographs, InSearch of Ancient North America blends incisive science journalismwith evocative travel writing to bring the latest archaeologicalfindings and interpretations to light. Delving into the previouslyunmined saga of this vast continent's lost and extinct cultures,this captivating book is a thrilling invitation to endlessdiscovery. "Drawing on some of the latest archaeological research, Pringle'sbook is vivid, witty, and responsible in a field too often filledby cranks and bores. All who are curious about life in NorthAmerica before the European invasion will find the book astimulating introduction." -- Ronald Wright author of StolenContinents "In Search of Ancient North America brings the distant past muchcloser and its inhabitants almost become neighbors to us onceagain. A first-rate examination of the mystery and fascination ofmodern archaeological research in North America." -- Farley Mowatauthor of The People of the Deer "Captures the essence of what archaeologists are learning aboutNorth American prehistory. The book is a pleasure to read and willinspire a new awareness of the importance of the history of NorthAmerica prior to European contact." -- Bruce Trigger author of TheChildren of Aataentsic

Almost unimaginably immense, North America stretches from a fewdegrees short of the North Pole to a few degrees shy of theequator. Archaeologists are now racing to unravel the mysteriouspast of the forgotten peoples who once inhabited this sprawlingland. In Search of Ancient North America explores many of thesescientists' most fascinating findings as Heather Pringle chroniclesher journeys among the ancient sites of Canada and the UnitedStates. Her enthralling voyage of discovery uncovers the richnessof now-vanished cultures and illuminates the intriguing world ofarchaeology itself. Journeying from the mosquito-infested forests of the far north tothe bleak deserts of the American Southwest, Pringle accompaniesleading archaeologists and their crews into the field. At theBluefish Caves in the northern Yukon, Jacques Cinq-Mars chases downclues to an Ice Age mystery; at the "immense geometric riddle" thatis Hopeton Earthworks, Mark Lynott scours the countryside forvestiges of ancient village life; in the thorny wilderness of theLower Pecos, Solveig Turpin deciphers the enigmatic rock artpainted more than 3,000 years ago. What emerges from Pringle's accounts are surprising portraits oflong-lost cultures--the rapacious mariners of southern Californiawho nearly wiped out one of the world's most productive ecosystems;the wealthy nobles of British Columbia who wore salmon-skin shoesand counted their wealth in bottles of salmon oil; the powerfullords of the Mississippi River who won the adoration of theirfollowers with a mysterious medicinal tonic. Equally intriguing arethe controversial new theories that the author presents on a hostof subjects, from the origins of art and hallucinogenic drugs tothe rise of private property, the identities of the earliest NewWorld migrants, and the astonishing extent of trade in prehistoricNorth America. Complemented by superb color and black-and-white photographs, InSearch of Ancient North America blends incisive science journalismwith evocative travel writing to bring the latest archaeologicalfindings and interpretations to light. Delving into the previouslyunmined saga of this vast continent's lost and extinct cultures,this captivating book is a thrilling invitation to endlessdiscovery. "Drawing on some of the latest archaeological research, Pringle'sbook is vivid, witty, and responsible in a field too often filledby cranks and bores. All who are curious about life in NorthAmerica before the European invasion will find the book astimulating introduction." -- Ronald Wright author of StolenContinents "In Search of Ancient North America brings the distant past muchcloser and its inhabitants almost become neighbors to us onceagain. A first-rate examination of the mystery and fascination ofmodern archaeological research in North America." -- Farley Mowatauthor of The People of the Deer "Captures the essence of what archaeologists are learning aboutNorth American prehistory. The book is a pleasure to read and willinspire a new awareness of the importance of the history of NorthAmerica prior to European contact." -- Bruce Trigger author of TheChildren of Aataentsic

Robert Kennedy, director of the National Park Service, analyzes the discovery of North America and the loss of ancient civilization, from the cities, roads, and commerce of the past as the nation evolved into present day. In Hidden Cities, Robert Kennedy sets out on the bold quest of recovering the rich heritage of the North American peoples through a reimagination of the true relations of their modern-day successors and neighbors. From the Spanish and French explorers that discovered the land that would one day make up the United States to present day in the country, very few Euro-Americans have paid attention to the evidence and meaning of the nation’s heritage. As Kennedy shows the magnificence of the mound-building cultures through the sometimes prejudiced eyes of the founding generation, he reveals the astounding history of the North American continent in a way that sheds important light on the credit Native American predecessors deserve but many refuse to give.

Unlike extant texts, this textbook treats pre-Columbian Native Americans as history makers who yet matter in our contemporary world.

Hailed on its first publication as a masterly account for both general reader and student, Ancient North America traces the entire course of native American history from the first appearance of humans in the New World more than 14,000 years ago to the cataclysmic aftermath of European settlement. This standard synthesis has now been completely revised and expanded by Professor Fagan for the second edition. Controversies over first settlement are updated. A new chapter has been added on the eastern Plains farmers and their interaction with the nomads of the Great Plains. Canadian cultures and archaeological sites receive additional attention, with expanded coverage of Northwest Coast prehistory. New sections describe the rock paintings of the Pecos area and the archaeology of the Northwest Plateau. Current theoretical issues are debated, guiding the reader through a rapidly changing field.

Allow yourself to be taken back into deep geologic time when strange creatures roamed the Earth and Western North America looked completely unlike the modern landscape. Volcanic islands stretched from Mexico to Alaska, most of the Pacific Rim didn’t exist yet, at least not as widespread dry land; terranes drifted from across the Pacific to dock on Western Americas’ shores creating mountains and more volcanic activity. Landscapes were transposed north or south by thousands of kilometers along huge fault systems. Follow these events through paleogeographic maps that look like satellite views of ancient Earth. Accompanying text takes the reader into the science behind these maps and the geologic history that they portray. The maps and text unfold the complex geologic history of the region as never seen before. Winner of the 2021 John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award, AAPG-Rocky Mountain Section

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The incredible story of the creation of a continent—our continent— from the acclaimed author of The Last Volcano and Mask of the Sun. The immense scale of geologic time is difficult to comprehend. Our lives—and the entirety of human history—are mere nanoseconds on this timescale. Yet we hugely influenced by the land we live on. From shales and fossil fuels, from lake beds to soil composition, from elevation to fault lines, what could be more relevant that the history of the ground beneath our feet? For most of modern history, geologists could say little more about why mountains grew than the obvious: there were forces acting inside the Earth that caused mountains to rise. But what were those forces? And why did they act in some places of the planet and not at others? When the theory of plate tectonics was proposed, our concept of how the Earth worked experienced a momentous shift. As the Andes continue to rise, the Atlantic Ocean steadily widens, and Honolulu creeps ever closer to Tokyo, this seemingly imperceptible creep of the Earth is revealed in the landscape all around us. But tectonics cannot—and do not—explain everything about the wonders of the North American landscape. What about the Black Hills? Or the walls of chalk that stand amongst the rolling hills of west Kansas? Or the fact that the states of Washington and Oregon are slowly rotating clockwise, and there a diamond mine in Arizona? It all points to the geologic secrets hidden inside the 2-billion-year-old-continental masses. A whopping ten times older than the rocky floors of the ocean, continents hold the clues to the long history of our planet. With a sprightly narrative that vividly brings this science to life, John Dvorak's How the Mountains Grew will fill readers with a newfound appreciation for the wonders of the land we live on.