Survival by Hunting: Prehistoric Human Predators and Animal Prey

Book Description
The North American Great Plains and Rocky Mountains have yielded many artifacts and other clues about the prehistoric people who once lived there, but little is understood about the hunting practices that ensured their survival for thousands of years. Noted archaeologist George Frison brings a lifetime of experience as a hunter, rancher, and guide to bear on excavation data from the region relating to hunting, illuminating prehistoric hunting practices in entirely new ways. Sharing his intimate knowledge of animal habitats and behavior and his familiarity with hunting strategies and techniques, Frison argues that this kind of firsthand knowledge is crucial for understanding hunting in the past. Illustrations: 51 b/w photographs, 8 line illustrations, 8 maps, 1 table

From the Back Cover
"George Frison is an icon in American archeology. In Survival by Hunting, he describes personal experiences leading to the insights and perspectives that set him apart from the majority of his colleagues, who know of large game hunting only secondhand."-Michael B. Collins, Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, the University of Texas at Austin "This small book is a record of achievement and dedication to learning rarely seen in the profession of archaeology. It is the inspirational product of a person who fully understands the critical importance of prior knowledge about the behavior of prey to inferring the activities of ancient hunter-gatherers. Students of past hunter-gatherers need to read this book."-Lewis R. Binford, author of In Pursuit of the Past

About the Author
George C. Frison is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and Past President of the Society for American Archaeology. His books include Prehistoric Hunters of the High Plains (second edition, 1991) and, with Bruce Bradley, The Fenn Cache: Clovis Weapons and Tools (1999). Frison was named Paleoarchaeologist of the Century in 1999.


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Beginning with the Clovis Paleoindians who hunted mammoths and other large mammals more than 11,000 years ago, Frison proceeds to discuss successive cultures and their prey -- bison, mountain sheep, pronghorn, deer, elk, and, to a lesser extent, horse and camel. Surveying many archaeological sites and artifacts, he covers topics such as animal behavior, weapons, tools for butchering, how the introduction of the horse changed hunting, and how the landscape was used to create bison jumps and sheep traps. Frison has personally tested many of these tools and techniques in the field, and he describes the results of those tests here. Original, intriguing, and accessibly written, this book will lead to a better understanding of the complex hunting strategies used by prehistoric peoples of the American West and a better appreciation of their vanished cultures.


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