In this new volume, 27 distinguished scholars provide an up-to-date synopsis of the archaeological record of Louisiana from the first Americans some 13,000 years ago to 20th-century New Orleans. It is a story of continuous occupation as humans exploited the rich flood plains and uplands. But it is also the story of relentless change as one culture replaced another. Mound-building people dominated the state from as early as 3900 B.C. until the Europeans arrived in the 17th century. Great centers like Poverty Point and Marksville are well known, but mound sites equally large and complex remain largely unexplored.
In the past four decades archaeologists have made astounding discoveries such as the early dates of archaic mound complexes at Watson Brake and Frenchman’s Bend. Recent research in historical archaeology has provided new insights into the European settlers—French, Spanish, Creole, English—and African Americans both slaves and free.
Archaeology of Louisiana is written for the general reader. It offers one fascinating episode after another and sets a new standard for a regional overview of 13,000 years of human settlement and activity. —Mark Michel
