Oxford Handbook of Southwest Archaeology - Paperback

by Barbara J. Mills (Author), Severin Fowles (Author)

The American Southwest is one of the most important archaeological regions in the world, with many of the best-studied examples of hunter-gatherer and village-based societies. Research has been carried out in the region for well over a century, and during this time the Southwest has repeatedly stood at the forefront of the development of new archaeological methods and theories. Moreover, research in the Southwest has long been a key site of collaboration between archaeologists, ethnographers, historians, linguists, biological anthropologists, and indigenous intellectuals. This volume marks the most ambitious effort to take stock of the empirical evidence, theoretical orientations, and historical reconstructions of the American Southwest. Over seventy top scholars have joined forces to produce an unparalleled survey of state of archaeological knowledge in the region. Themed chapters on particular methods and theories are accompanied by comprehensive overviews of the culture
histories of particular archaeological sequences, from the initial Paleoindian occupation, to the rise of a major ritual center in Chaco Canyon, to the onset of the Spanish and American imperial projects. The result is an essential volume for any researcher working in the region as well as any archaeologist looking to take the pulse of contemporary trends in this key research tradition.

Author Biography

Barbara J. Mills is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona. She is an anthropological archaeologist with broad experience in the American Southwest, including the Zuni, Chaco, Mimbres, Mogollon Rim, Four Corners, and Hohokam areas. She is the author or editor of 8 books, and over 70 articles and book chapters.