Top of page

Book/Printed Material Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley.

About this Item

Title

  • Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley.

Summary

  • Early in the 19th century, as wagon trains streamed into the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, settlers came upon vast numbers of abandoned earthworks that they attributed to a sophisticated race of long-gone mound builders. Giving rise to often-loaded questions about human origins, the mounds and the artifacts found within them became the focus of early American efforts toward a science of archaeology. Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley (1848) was the first major work in the nascent discipline as well as the first publication of the newly established Smithsonian Institution. It remains today both a key document in the history of American archaeology and the primary source of information about hundreds of mounds and earthworks in the eastern United States, most now vanished. While adhering to the popular assumption that the builders could not have been the ancestors of the supposedly savage Native American groups still living in the region, the authors set high scientific standards for their time. Their work provides insight into some of the conceptual, methodological, and substantive issues that archaeologists still confront. The book includes numerous maps, plates, and engravings.

Names

  • Davis, E. H. (Edwin Hamilton), 1811-1888 Contributor.
  • Squier, E. G. (Ephraim George), 1821-1888 Author.

Created / Published

  • New York : Bartlett & Welford, 1848.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Alabama
  • -  United States of America--Florida
  • -  United States of America--Indiana
  • -  United States of America--Kentucky
  • -  United States of America--Louisiana
  • -  United States of America--Mississippi
  • -  United States of America--Ohio
  • -  United States of America--South Carolina
  • -  United States of America--Tennessee
  • -  United States of America--Virginia
  • -  United States of America--Wisconsin
  • -  1000 B.C. to 500
  • -  Antiquities
  • -  Indians of North America
  • -  Indigenous peoples
  • -  Mississippi River Valley
  • -  Mounds

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  ""The Smithsonian Institution having printed an edition of the following memoir for distribution, permit the authors to strike off from the same type and plates, a small edition for their own benefit.""--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: xxxix, 306 pages : including 4 plate illustrations, 48 plates (including frontispiece, maps, plans) ; 32 x 25 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Smithsonian Institution.
  • -  Content in English.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • World History

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666743

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Davis, E. H. , Contributor, and E. G Squier. Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. New York: Bartlett & Welford, 1848. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666743/.

APA citation style:

Davis, E. H. & Squier, E. G. (1848) Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. New York: Bartlett & Welford. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666743/.

MLA citation style:

Davis, E. H. , Contributor, and E. G Squier. Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. New York: Bartlett & Welford, 1848. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666743/>.