Antiquities of the Mesa Verde National Park: Cliff Palace

Jesse Walter FewkesProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 219K words
Chapters: 22

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Antiquities of the Mesa Verde National Park: Cliff Palace by Jesse Walter Fewkes. Author: Fewkes, Jesse Walter, 1850-1930. Language: English. Class: E011: History: America: America. Release Date: Mar 5, 2013

Editor's review

This is Jesse Walter Fewkes's archaeological account of the Cliff Palace site in Mesa Verde National Park, a primary document from early archaeological surveys of the American Southwest. Its records of architectural structure, site layout, and surrounding environment preserve firsthand information under the observational conditions of the time and are valuable for understanding the early research history of Cliff Palace. The style is that of an academic report, consisting mainly of description and documentation rather than popular narrative. The free Project Gutenberg electronic text makes it easy to search place names, architectural terms, and survey details, and it serves well as supporting material for the history of archaeology or cultural heritage studies. It should be read as a historical document rather than a modern tourist guide, with attention to the difference between the observational perspective of the time and contemporary archaeological understanding, and with reference to later research.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Professional readers studying the history of archaeology in the American Southwest
Cultural enthusiasts interested in Mesa Verde and Cliff Palace
Students and researchers who need early primary survey documents as references
Readers concerned with cultural heritage documentation and early field survey methods

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a modern tourist guide or practical visitor information
General readers who prefer popular narrative and light reading
Those seeking the latest archaeological conclusions and comprehensive background

Reading tips

First learn the basic geographical background of Mesa Verde National Park and Cliff Palace, then read the main text.
Consult a map or site plan while reading to help understand the descriptions of architectural layout.
Compare it with later archaeological research and note differences between early records and modern conclusions.
There are many English terms; keeping a notebook of place names and architectural names is recommended.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a modern archaeological study?

No. The author, Jesse Walter Fewkes, lived from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and this book is an account of early archaeological surveys reflecting the observation and recording methods of its time. It is better read as a document in the history of archaeology than as a modern academic work offering the latest research conclusions.

Does the book include pictures or maps?

The presentation of images in the Project Gutenberg electronic edition depends on the specific file format; some versions may retain original illustrations or plans, while others may contain text only. After downloading, check the table of contents and file notes first to confirm whether the illustrations are complete, then decide whether other materials are needed.

Can non-specialist readers understand it?

The text consists mainly of descriptive records, and sentence structures are not particularly complex, but it involves architectural terms, place names, and archaeological recording methods, so non-specialist readers may need background materials. If interested in the site itself, they can read a popular introduction first and then return to this book for details of the early records.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Jesse Walter Fewkes Author · American · 1850–1930

Jesse Walter Fewkes (1850–1930) was an American anthropologist, archaeologist, and naturalist, born in Newton, Massachusetts. After earning a doctorate in zoology at Harvard University, he shifted his research to the Native Peoples of the American Southwest and was among the first to record Indigenous music on the phonograph. He joined the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology in 1895, became its director in 1918, and retired in 1928. His writings consist mainly of field reports, covering archaeological expeditions in Arizona, Passamaquoddy folklore, the winter solstice altars at Hano Pueblo, and the Cliff Palace antiquities of Mesa Verde National Park, leaving firsthand records for early American ethnology and archaeology.