Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest [Steven A. LeBlanc]

[Prehistory] [Americas] [Conflict]

Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest

Steven A. LeBlanc

University of Utah Press, UT. 1999.First edition hardcover. Like new.

From the publisher:

"Massacres, raiding parties, ambush, pillage, scalping, captive taking: the things we know and sometimes dread to admit occur during times of war all happened in the prehistoric Southwest—and there is ample archaeological evidence. Not only did it occur, but the history of the ancient Southwest cannot be understood without noting the intensity and impact of this warfare."

Conflict studies is where I got started in academia, and this kind of sweeping overview of the region I call home is the kind of book I love. This is an extremely well-researched, deep dive into the life of the Puebloans of the southwest, upending theories of pastoral bliss for a bloody minded history of pre-contact America, where clusters of settlements marked defensible positions from slavers and raiders. Meticulous in it's analysis, yet eminently readable. Recommended for those even with a passing interest in pre-contact conflict theory.