California Prehistory: Colonization, Culture and Complexity

The study of California's ancient past has taken a large step forward with the publication of California Prehistory: Colonization, Culture and Complexity by AltaMira Press (2007). This volume is the most recent synthesis of the last two decades of archaeological research; a period which has seen great advances in our understanding of the life ways and diversity of California's cultures prior to contact with the first Europeans.

Edited by Terry Jones an archaeologist at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and Kathryn Klar a linguist at University of California, Berkeley, the book represents the input of over forty scholars from up and down California who present a region by region examination of California prehistory. 

Contributing authors include California State Parks Associate Archaeologists Richard Fitzgerald and Mark Hylkema, each who provided their knowledge on the chapters detailing San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast prehistory. The book includes chapters on such topics as initial settlement, rock art, and trade.

Pictured artifacts represent three different aspects of California Indian prehistoric life, artistic (fish effigy), hunting (obsidian spear point), and dress (abalone pendant) all detailed in California Prehistory: Colonization, Culture and Complexity.  (AltaMira Press, 2007)