Montana Before History
This is a handbook for archaeology buffs and students, fully and attractively illustrated with good color photos andwith drawings. After an introductory chapter explaining archaeological practice, stone tools, and the kinds ofarchaeological sites to be found in Montana, MacDonald (Univ. of Montana) describes in sequence the Paleoindian,Archaic, and Late Prehistoric periods and their characteristic sites and artifacts. The final chapter discusses thepresent First Nations in Montana and the challenges of linking them to archaeological data. The author concludeswith stimulating questions. Montana is ecologically very diverse, encompassing archaeologies of its regions relatedto the Columbia Plateau, the Northern Rockies, Canadian Prairie, and indigenous agricultural towns along theMissouri Valley to the east. That perspective enhances interest in Montana's prehistory. A minor complaint is thatMacDonald gives retired Wyoming professor of archaeology George Frison more credit than deserved; Frison pushedhis own work, obscuring that of Calgary-trained archaeologists in Montana such as Leslie Davis and John Brumley.Good bibliography, list of sites with standard identification numbers, and a glossary add to the book's usefulness. Theprice is good, too, especially considering the numerous quality color photos.Summing Up: Recommended. Alllevels/libraries.-- A. B. Kehoe, emeritus, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee --Choice: Current Reviews for Academic LibrariesFinally, we at the Montana State Historic Preservation Office have a book to recommend to readers who ask were to find a good introduction to the archaeology of early human lifeways in Montana. Prior toMontana Before History, no source existed that is comprehensive, affordable, and focused on the prehistory of the state. --Montana The Magazine of Western HistoryThe history of Montana's early peoples is a fascinating narrative, one marked by adaptive innovations, an intimate knowledge of the Northern Plains landscape, and the formation of cultures and indentities bound in physical and spiritual relationships with bison and other game. The sheer volume of archaeological data from sites in Montana is overwhelming, and any student of archaeology would agree that synthesizing these data to create a coherent narrative summarizing 11,000 years of human occupation in Montana is a daunting task. We are fortunate that MacDonald has done the bulk of the work for us in this well-organized, beautifully illustrated, and succinct reference on Montana's pre-contact history. --Wendi Field Murray--North Dakota History