From burial mounds to frontier cabins, the archaeological record of Kentucky is an impressive one that captures much of the cultural diversity of the interior Southeast. The state spans several major physiographic zones, from the rich floodplains of the midcontinent’s majestic rivers to the rugged edge of the Appalachians. Kentucky is home to numerous archaeological sites of particular significance that represent the cultural traditions of ice age hunters, Woodland cave dwellers, and Mississippian farmers as well as European-American pioneers and enslaved Africans.
Fortunately for professionals and the public alike, Kentucky has an exemplary record of preserving and protecting this rich heritage. Kentucky Archaeology is a product of such efforts, having grown out of the comprehensive state preservation plan initiated by the Kentucky Heritage Council in 1986. The authors of the various chapters, each of which is devoted to a time period, are all recognized authorities on their subjects. Together they achieve an optimal level of readability and detail that makes the book a valuable resource for researchers as well as an accessible account for the no-professional enthusiast.
The archaeological record of Kentucky extends some 10,000 years into the past, when hunters of large ice age mammals wielded spears tipped with distinctive fluted points. The subsequent Archaic period spans some 7,000 years and encompasses much cultural diversity. Early Archaic hunters of 8000 B.C. lived much like their Paleo-Indian forebears. By Late Archaic times, which ended around 1000 B.C. some human groups were living a more settled life, focusing their subsistence efforts on rich localized resources, engaging in long-distance trade, and even cultivating crops.
Farming caught on over much of the state during the subsequent Woodland period, during which the construction of earthen mounds and associated burial rituals reached a peak. After about A.D. 1000 fields of corn supported the villages and farmsteads that dotted the landscape, and competition for power and prestige intensified.
Finally, the intrusion of Europeans into Kentucky irrevocably altered its archaeological record, which was thereafter dominated by the domestic and industrial sites of colonizing peoples. The work of the archaeologist is critical here, too, providing a wealth of information on past European-American and African-American cultures about which historical documents are silent.
If roadside markers and tourist pamphlets leave you unsatisfied and yearning to know more, this book is an excellent way to enhance your travel through Kentucky and nearby states in search of archaeological attractions.
