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The Ancient Americans: A Reference Guide to the Art, Culture, and History of Pre-Columbian North and South America
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Comments/Reviews
Description: Lavishly illustrated in full color and black and white, this handsome reference provides a broad survey of the rich artistic heritage of pre-Columbian North and South America. Covering the entire two continents from present-day Canada in the far north through Central America and down to the the Andes Mountains and Patagonia in the south, it is a stunning visual and written record of the great variety of artworks created by Neolithic American peoples over many millennia.
Meticulously researched by archaeologists and anthropoligists, The First Americans features dramatic close-ups or engraved rock artifacts, cave paintings, pottery, and inscribed and sculpted bones. The book analyzes artistic techniques, uses of color, and the cultural and historical significance of the various works. Together the pictures and words demonstrate the remarkable diversity and striking similarity of prehistoric American Indian art over two continents.
Selected Contents:
Chapter I: INTRODUCTION
Geography and Natural Regions
Brief History of Cave Art Research
Chapter II: HUNTERS AND GATHERERS IN PALEOLITHIC AND MID-PALEOLITHIC TIMES
The Americas During the Ice Age
The Holocene Period
Changes in Fauna
Conclusion
A Brief History of Research on Preceramic Cultures
The First Inhabitants of the Americas: Protolithic Hunters and Gatherers
Large Game Hunters of North America (circa 11,000-6000 B.C.E.)
Intensive Hunters and Gatherers of the Middle Postglacial Epoch: The "Archaic" Period
Large Game Hunters of South America (circa 11,000-5000 B.C.E.)
"Paleo-Indian" Art of North America
Art of the Ancient Hunters of South America
Chapter III: HUNTERS AND GATHERERS OF THE ANDES (8000-1500 B.C.E.)
Overview
Late Hunters
Hunter Cave Art in Upper-Andean Peru
Art of the Hunters and Coastal Inhabitants of Northern Chile
Northeastern and Central-Western Argentina
Chapter IV: NEOLITHIC AMERICA
Introduction: The First Farmers
Origin and Spread of Pottery
Development and Spread of the American Neolithic Period
Late Hunters and Marginal Areas
Chapter V: CAVE ART OF EARLY FARMERS, EARLY POTTERS, AND LATE HUNTERS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE REGION
Part 1: NORTH AMERICA
Overview
The Northwestern Region
Nevada and California
The Southwestern United States
Baja California
The Great Plains
The Eastern United States
Central-Eastern Canada
VOLUME 2
Part 2: CENTRAL AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN, AND THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN AMAZON
General Information
Central-Southern Mexico
Central America
The Caribbean
Colombia and Venezuela
The Guyanas
The Northern and Western Amazon
Part 3: THE ANDEAN AREA
The Central Andes (Peru)
Bolivia
Northern and Central Chile
Northwestern Argentina
Part 4: EASTERN AND SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA
Northeastern and Eastern Brazil
Central-Southern Brazil and Neighboring Regions
The Southern Region (Pampa-Patagonia)
Review(s): "... as a reference guide, this work is excellent. ...The abundant pen-and-ink drawings in this well-researched text are noteworthy, and the 89 color plates are extraordinary. ...the set is highly recommended for all collections." -- Choice
"The work is lavishly illustrated with color plates, black-and-white photographs, and drawings. ... The sites are well described, including the techniques used to create the art, descriptions of the art, and its relation to other sites." -- American Reference Books Annual
"Schobinger, Professor Emeritus at the University of Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, has produced a superb reference that surveys the entire Western Hemisphere prior to the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. This copiously illustrated work is especially notable for its numerous full-color plates of Native American rock art." -- Library Journal
    
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