Ancient People of the Arctic

by Robert McGhee

Ancient People of the Arctic traces the lives of the Palaeo-Eskimos, the bold first explorers of the Arctic. Four thousand years ago, these people entered the far northern extremes of the North American continent, carving a living out of their bleak new homeland. From the hints they left behind, accessible only through the fragmented archaeological record, Robert McGhee ingeniously reconstructs a picture of this life at the margins. He discusses how the Palaeo-Eskimos spread across the entire Arctic, explains how they dealt with sharp climate changes that drastically altered their environment, offers glimpses into their spiritual practices and world view, and speculates about their eventual demise.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, School, Anthropology

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Siri Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, this is how archaeology books written for a wider audience should be presented. Full of archaeological insight and with plenty of information on specific artefact types, key sites and dates, yet the purpose of the book is not to write an academic treatise, but rather to speculate on the lifestyles and histories of the people being studied, to engage the reader in ancient lives and to make the past both intriguing and vivid. The description of the lifestyle of the Independence peoples in the highest Arctic 4,000 years ago is chilling in more than one sense of the word, yet it's based entirely on archaeological finds and manages to strike a good balance between academia and creative thinking. For anyone interested in pre-Inuit settlement in the Arctic, this is an amazing introduction, and I especially enjoyed that the author very clearly allows his own experiences and his own fascination with the area to shine through. Highly recommended.

[Smoothfin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great interpretation of the archeological record of Paleo-Eskimos. Some speculation is indulged in, but the author clearly identifies when that happens, and it's very balanced and never too wild or fanciful. Very readable, even for the non-archeologists.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but heavily outdated language and ideas in regards to indigenous people.

[Jake M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very accessible work on a topic with as much speculation as information. A succinct history of ancient arctic peoples is given alongside a description of the archeological methods undertaken to construct this history. This is worth a look to see life at the fringes of civilization so long ago.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for class. It was very approachable, but filled with conjecture and no sources were cited.At the end, the author does identify some sources, but not as specifically as is usually expected from scholarly literature.

[Brenda]

for archaeology class