Ohio History Journal

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BOOK REVIEWS

BOOK REVIEWS

 

Prehistoric Antiquities of Indiana. By Eli Lilly. (Indianapolis,

Indiana Historical Society, 1937. 293p. illus.)

Within the past few years there has been a renewed and in-

tensified interest in the study of archaeology in the United States.

As a result much new evidence has been brought to light and new

methods and techniques have been evolved for securing and in-

terpreting archaeological facts. In the Middle West the Indiana

Historical Society has played a leading part in the investigation

of prehistoric problems. Research workers affiliated with this

Society have been working in many different branches of the sub-

ject in order to attain a well-rounded picture of the various cul-

tures and their inter-relationships. In this book, Mr. Lilly brings

together the results of these investigations, outlines the archae-

ology of Indiana as it is known today, and shows the affiliations

of the cultures present within the state with those in other parts

of the Mississippi Valley. The author's purpose in writing this

book was two-fold; he desired to acquaint the people with the pre-

history of their state and to encourage additional and continued

research along archaeological lines.

The first section deals with the racial origins of the American

Indians and the peopling of the New World. The author sums

up the evidence in regard to the migrations of the Indians into

North America and reviews the rapidly accumulating data con-

cerning man's antiquity on the American continent. He next dis-

cusses the various cultures which have been recognized in Indiana

and indicates their position in the classificatory scheme that has

been adopted by mid-western archaeologists. Three patterns are

represented, the Woodland, the Mississippi and an Unnamed Pat-

tern which includes the Hopewellian Phase and the Adena Aspect.

The characteristic traits of each pattern are listed. On page 26

the traits for the Hopewellian Phase and the Adena Aspect are

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