Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title
Imagine one of Denver's defining locations, the juncture of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, as it might have looked at different periods in the past. Around 12,000 B.C. groups of Paleoindians, clad in leather clothing, might have passed by while following the herds of mammoth or bison they hunted for meat, skins, bone, and sinews. A few millennia later the trees along the riverbanks might have provided shade under which Archaic people would rest, full baskets of plums beside them and a few rabbits caught in their nearby snares. Later still, a group from the Early Ceramic period, wearing beads of eagle bone and red and yellow pigments on their faces, might have followed Cherry Creek to the South Platte River to attend a funeral at a neighboring village of some relatives.
Denver: An Archaeological History is a vivid account of the prehistory and history of the area as it is revealed in the archaeological record. The authors set the scene with a detailed description of the natural environment, outlining the changes that have taken place in geological features, climate, and plant and animal life over the last five hundred thousand years. Concise summaries of the area's major prehistoric sites, as well as what archaeologists have learned about the lives of Denver's early inhabitants, also provide essential background material for this expansive journey through the region's past.
Nelson's synthesis of interpretations of data from archaeological sites and documentary evidence brings the region to life, including Denver's prehistory, Coronado's expedition in 1540, the discovery of gold in the region in the 1850s, and up to the present. Here is a fascinating narrative that explores the breadth and depth of Denver's cultural heritage.

Denver: An Archaeological History (The Archaeology of Great American Cities)

History

Nelson, Sarah M.

Americas

University of Pennsylvania Press

A vivid account of the prehistory and history of Denver as revealed in its archaeological record, Denver: An Archaeological History invites us to imagine Denver as it once was. Around 12,000 B.C., groups of leather-clad Paleoindians passed through the juncture of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, following the herds of mammoth or buffalo they hunted. In the Archaic period, people rested under the shade of trees along the riverbanks, with baskets full of plums as they waited for rabbits to be caught in their nearby snares. In the early Ceramic period, a group of mourners adorned with yellow pigment on their faces and beads of eagle bone followed Cherry Creek to the South Platte to attend a funeral at a neighboring village. And in 1858, the area was populated by the crude cottonwood log shacks with dirt floors and glassless windows, the homes of Denver's first inhabitants. For at least 10,000 years, Greater Denver has been a collection of diverse lifeways and survival strategies, a crossroads of interaction, and a locus of cultural coexistence. Setting the scene with detailed descriptions of the natural environment, summaries of prehistoric sites, and archaeologists' knowledge of Denver's early inhabitants, Nelson and her colleagues bring the region's history to life. From prehistory to the present, this is a compelling narrative of Denver's cultural heritage that will fascinate lay readers, amateur archaeologists, professional archaeologists, and academic historians alike.

Denver: An Archaeological History

Leonard, Stephen J.

University Press of Colorado

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Nelson, Sarah M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Nelson, Sarah M.