Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: The Archaeology of the Caddo

By Sandy Amazeen Aug 5, 2012, 18:19 GMT

This landmark volume provides the most comprehensive overview to date of the prehistory and archaeology of the Caddo peoples. The Caddos lived in the Southeastern Woodlands for more than 900 years beginning around A.D. 800-900, before being forced to relocate to Oklahoma in 1859. They left behind a spectacular archaeological record, including the famous Spiro Mound site in Oklahoma as well as many other mound centers, plazas, farmsteads, villages, and ...more

Editors Timothy Perttula and Chester Walker have compiled the most comprehensive body of research about the Caddo peoples available today. The Caddo lived throughout the Southeastern Woodlands including Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma from around A.D. 800 until they were all forced to relocate to Oklahoma. They developed a rich culture as shown in their many pottery pieces and mounds including the Oak Hill Village site. Drawing on the work of several noted authorities, this collection does an admirable job of presenting the latest research about the complex political, social and burial practices of the Caddo. Extensive analysis has allowed archaeologists to accurately reconstruct several villages while providing a peek into the fascinating history, cosmological beliefs and cultural development of the Caddo. While understandably dry reading, this is certain to become an invaluable reference for anyone interested in learning more about these culturally rich people.