North America Ancient Origins

North America Ancient Origins is a gorgeous Collector's Edition by James Ball. In this new history, Ball gathers together the ancient story of North American history. Records of the pre-Columbian era rely heavily on archaeological evidence, showing the migrations across the Bering Strait from Asia, over 30,000 years ago, when mammoth and then bison roamed freely across the continent.

By 12000 BCE, traces of people can be found from Alaska to Mexico, and by 3000 BCE, corn was cultivated in Arizona and Mexico. Early mounds, some in the shape of animals, and agricultural irrigation can be found from 300 BCE, as the Adenans were superseded by the Hopewellians, then the Mississippians after 500 CE. This Temple Mound culture inhabited settlements of up to 20,000 people.

Stone pueblos, or dwellings, have been discovered in cliff faces, notably Mesa Verde in Colorado, dating from around 900 CE. This period marks a time when people across the North American continent developed their cultures in concert with nature and the cycles of life. With no tradition of writing, these peoples brought to life their landscape and lives through oral traditions and the re-telling of dreams, brought to an abrupt decline by the arrival of Europeans with their diseases and their desire for territory.

This Deluxe edition is a hardback, foiled and embossed, with gilded edges, making it a perfect acquisition for collectors and history enthusiasts alike.