Iowa has more than eighteen thousand archaeological sites, and research
in the past few decades has transformed our knowledge of the state's
human past. Drawing on the discoveries of many avocational and
professional scientists, Lynn Alex describes Iowa's unique
archaeological record as well as the challenges faced by today's
researchers, armed with innovative techniques for the discovery and
recovery of archaeological remains and increasingly refined frameworks
for interpretation.
The core of this book--which includes many historic photographs and maps
as well as numerous new maps and drawings and a generous selection of
color photos--explores in detail what archaeologists have learned from
studying the state's material remains and their contexts. Examining the
projectile points, potsherds, and patterns that make up the
archaeological record, Alex describes the nature of the earliest
settlements in Iowa, the development of farming cultures, the role of
the environment and environmental change, geomorphology and the burial
of sites, interaction among native societies, tribal affiliation of
early historic groups, and the arrival and impact of Euro-Americans. In
a final chapter, she examines the question of stewardship and the
protection of Iowa's many archaeological resources.