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University of California Press

Survival by Hunting

Prehistoric Human Predators and Animal Prey
by George Frison (Author)
Hardcover eBook
Price: $85.00 / £71.00
Publication Date: Aug 2004
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9780520927964
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About the Book

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.

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.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments

I. Where the Buffalo Once Roamed
2. The Education of a Hunter
3. Paleoindian Hunters and Extinct Animals
4. The North American Bison
5. The North American Pronghorn
6. The Rock Mountain Sheep
7. Hunting Deer, Elk, and Other Creatures
8. Weaponry and Tools Used by the Hunter
9. Concluding Thoughts

Bibliography
Index

Reviews

“Frison writes like someone who would be equally comfortable chewing the fat around a campfire or lecturing in front of a room of undergrads. . . . A fun read, but also a convincing argument for knowing how to apply knowledge about animals to the archaeological past.”
— Archaeology Magazine
“He embraces a multidisciplinary approach that weds geomorphology, paylnology, wildlife biology, taphonomy, archaeology and ethnography.” “This multilayered book is at once biographical and scientific, anecdotal and factual. It is about a unique life, well-lived, and inspirational.”
— Canadian Journal Of Archaeology
“We are privileged to receive this wisdom from such an engaging, experienced and unorthodox sources as this hunter-professor-archaeologist. Anyone interested in trying to penetrate the world of Stone Age hunters--not just Paleoindians--should read this book. It is a gift from a master. they just don’t make ‘em like George Frison anymore!”
— American Scientist
"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