Beliefs and Rituals in Archaic Eastern North America An Interpretive Guide

"Clearly, much of the work in this area is still somewhat speculative, although Claassen forges together much ethnographic evidence and argues persuasively that models of ritual behavior should come from as many directions as possible. . . . [The author] examines sites and objects that have been routinely interpreted as evidence of everyday activities (e.g., lithic workshops as workplaces, limestone slabs atop bodies to prevent animal predation) and argues convincingly that alternative interpretations suggest these are places of ritual activity." -CHOICE

"Claassen should be commended for the effort she put into collecting, synthesizing, and interpreting the archaeological and ethnographic data that she considers relevant to the study of ancient hunter-gatherer beliefs and rituals. . . . Claassen's interpretations may help to expand [readers'] perceptions of what constituted ancient hunter-gatherer belief and ritual and how those activities might be expressed in the archaeological record. Reading Beliefs and Rituals in Archaic Eastern North America may not give readers many answers, but it is sure to stimulate their sensitivity to the kinds of evidence that may lead to a better understanding of this poorly understood component of ancient North American culture." -American Anthropologist

"Claassen's work synthesizes an enormous amount of archaeological data from sites across the Eastern Woodlands. A reference for Archaic-period ideology and ritual of this scope will be used for decades by both newcomers and experts." -Jon Bernard Marcoux, author of Pox, Empire, Shackles, and Hides: The Townsend Site, 1670-1715