California Prehistory: Colonization, Culture, and Complexity - Softcover

Editors Terry Jones . . . and Kathryn Klar . . . have done an outstanding job of assembling a vast store of information and making it readable and understandable to the non-expert. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in California archaeology and a model for other regions to emulate. -- Mark Michel, President of The Archaeological Conservancy * American Archaeology * This new book is now the primary reference on the prehistory of the entire state, updating two classic 1984 volumes (Joseph Chartkoff and Kerry Kona Chartkoff, The Archaeology of California, CH, Feb'85; Michael Moratto, California Archaeology,CH, Mar'85). Since then, an abundance of new information has accumulated from contract archaeology field projects, and new methods of analysis, theoretical perspectives, and research questions have emerged. For this comprehensive review, more than 50 authors contributed chapters on their specialties. Ten chapters divide the state into geographic regions; for each, authors present detailed descriptions of the succession of cultures and particular research themes. Other chapters review paleoclimate change,linguistic prehistory, materials trade, rock art, and DNA. In the book's subtitle, Colonization refers to the origin and spread of California's earliest populations. Culture refers to continuities and relationships among prehistoric populations through space and time. Complexity refers to the elaborations that evolved among California's hunter-gatherers, including a high degree of regional differentiation, relatively dense populations, intensive economies, social ranking, and sociopolitical organiz * CHOICE * At last, a comprehensive review of California archaeology for specialists and advanced students alike! Jones and Klar have assembled a magnificent orchestra of specialists, who provide an up-to-date, comprehensive synthesis of the subject from a multidisciplinary perspective. California Prehistory is destined to become a fundamental work for anyone wishing to delve into the complexities of California prehistory at a general and technical level. Strongly recommended to anyone with a serious interest in the early chapters of California history. -- Brian Fagan, University of California Santa Barbara, author of Ancient North America This new book is now the primary reference on the prehistory of the entire state, updating two classic 1984 volumes (Joseph Chartkoff and Kerry Kona Chartkoff, The Archaeology of California, CH, Feb'85; Michael Moratto, California Archaeology, CH, Mar'85). Since then, an abundance of new information has accumulated from contract archaeology field projects, and new methods of analysis, theoretical perspectives, and research questions have emerged. For this comprehensive review, more than 50 authors contributed chapters on their specialties. Ten chapters divide the state into geographic regions; for each, authors present detailed descriptions of the succession of cultures and particular research themes. Other chapters review paleoclimate change, linguistic prehistory, materials trade, rock art, and DNA. In the book's subtitle, "Colonization" refers to the origin and spread of California's earliest populations. "Culture" refers to continuities and relationships among prehistoric populations through space and time. "Complexity" refers to the elaborations that evolved among California's hunter-gatherers, including a high degree of regional differentiation, relatively dense populations, intensive economies, social ranking, and sociopolitical organization. A basic reference for students and professionals. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * CHOICE *

Some forty scholars examine California's prehistory and archaeology, looking at marine and terrestrial palaeoenvironments, initial human colonization, linguistic prehistory, early forms of exchange, mitochondrial D.N.A. studies, and rock art. This work is the most extensive study of California's prehistory undertaken in the past 20 years. An essential resource for any scholar of California prehistory and archaeology!