The Fort Ancient Earthworks: Prehistoric Lifeways of the Hopewell Culture in Southwestern Ohio
2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 33; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2168-4723
Autores Tópico(s)Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
ResumoThe Fort Ancient Earthworks: Prehistoric Lifeways of the Hopewell Culture in Southwestern Ohio. ROBERT P. CONNOLLY and BRADLEY T. LEPPER (editors). Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, 2004. 290 pp., ill., maps. $49.95 (paper), ISBN 978-0877580294.The Fort Ancient Earthworks is an encyclopedic-type reference comprised of reports on modem-era archaeological excavations at the prehistoric complex located in Warren County, Ohio. The volume focuses on the Hopewell culture's construction and occupation of the hilltop enclosure during the Middle Woodland period (100 B.C.-A.D. 400). The book is divided into five parts to create a framework for the 18 topical papers presented at a 2002 symposium sponsored by the Ohio Historical Society. The volume includes numerous high-quality tables and graphics to support the reports.The Fort Ancient Earthworks is dedicated to Pat Essenpreis, who conducted archaeological investigations at the site from 1982 through 1990. In fact, one of values of the volume is reporting Essenpreis's unpublished field work from that period, along with those directed by Robert Connolly and Adrienne Lazazzera between 1991 and 1996.Part 1 contains three chapters that place Fort Ancient into archaeological context, beginning with the first reported investigation of the site in 1809. A series of cartographic surveys of the earthwork complex are included that assist in visualizing the scale and extent of the site.Part 2 consists of six chapters that explore the built environment and settlement patterns at the Fort Ancient earthworks. These chapters report the architectural grammar, accretional construction of the complex, archaeo-astronomy, and settlement data from both within and on the periphery of the earthwork. Of particular importance is Adrienne Lazazzera's chapter on the extensive 1990s excavations of households on the interior of the North Fort area. The chapter by Frank Cowan et al. explores the salvage excavations of household data on the exterior periphery of the North Fort. In both instances, these extensive data sets are otherwise unpublished. Readers will also find Brett Harper's chapter that synthesizes unreported 1940-90 excavation data of the South Fort's late prehistoric occupation of considerable value.Part 3 contains five chapters that interpret data on the site's material culture from field seasons during the mid-1980s through the 1990s, predominantly from the Middle and North Fort areas. The material culture consists of typical lithic and ceramic artifact types and raw material analysis. …
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