| Description |
290 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm |
| Note(S) |
Formerly CIP. Uk |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 266-279) and index. |
| Contents |
A serpent's tale -- Genteel Virginia gets news from the frontier -- "Let us open the tombs..." -- The lost civilizations -- Mormons and the mounds -- That old-time religion -- Fall of the empire -- The Hopewell culture of death -- The eclipsed adena -- Fort ancient -- So what's the alternative? |
| Summary |
When American settlers first crossed the Appalachian Mountains they were amazed to discover that the wilderness beyond contained ancient ruins - large man-made mounds and enclosures, and impressive earthen sculptures, such as a gigantic serpent. Reports trickled back to the eager ears of President Thomas Jefferson and others. However, most did not believe these earthworks had anything to do with Native Americans; rather, given the intense interest in the history of Western Civilization at the time, it became popular to speculate that the ruins had been built by refugees from Greece, Rome, Egypt - or even the lost continent of Atlantis. Since their discovery, the mounds have attracted both scholars and quacks, from the first investigations sponsored by the then new Smithsonian Institution to the visions of the American psychic Edgar Cayce. |
| Subject(S) |
Mound-builders -- Ohio River Valley.
|
|
Mounds -- Ohio River Valley.
|
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Indians of North America -- Ohio River Valley -- Antiquities.
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| Added Title |
Discovering America's ancient mound builders |
| ISBN |
9781594162633 (paperback) |
|
9781594162633 |
|
1594162638 |
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