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Painters in Prehistory is a revised update of the book Ancient Texans: Rock Art and Lifeways along the Lower Pecos, edited by Harry Shafer with photographs by Jim Zintgraff, and published by the Witte Museum, in conjunction with a permanent exhibition in 1986. The Witte Museum is known for its focus on natural history, science, and the history and culture of South Texas, and the scholarly and artistic pieces collected in the book are the result of years of research and dedication to the story of the ancient canyon dwellers along the Rio Grande.
The remnants of prehistoric Lower Pecos people reveal lifeways unlike those anywhere else in the world. The people who inhabited the land in what is now Texas left a unique series of narratives in their shelters, including art on rock walls, pictographs, and organic residue and trash. These narratives are tantalizing in their novelty—they provide information about almost 12,000 years of existence, the last 7,000 of which are still astoundingly evident.
This updated edition features significant research by new scholars who have deepened the understanding of rock art interpretation, scientific analysis of artifacts and coprolites, and the lifeways of prehistoric Lower Pecos people. Contributors include Megan Biesele, Stephen L. Black, Carolyn E. Boyd, Vaughn M. Bryant Jr., J. Phil Dering, Peter T. Furst, Margaret Greco, Thomas R. Hester, Elton R. Prewitt, Roberta McGregor, Shirley Boteler Mock, and Marvin W. Rowe.
The remnants of prehistoric Lower Pecos people reveal lifeways unlike those anywhere else in the world. The people who inhabited the land in what is now Texas left a unique series of narratives in their shelters, including art on rock walls, pictographs, and organic residue and trash. These narratives are tantalizing in their novelty—they provide information about almost 12,000 years of existence, the last 7,000 of which are still astoundingly evident.
This updated edition features significant research by new scholars who have deepened the understanding of rock art interpretation, scientific analysis of artifacts and coprolites, and the lifeways of prehistoric Lower Pecos people. Contributors include Megan Biesele, Stephen L. Black, Carolyn E. Boyd, Vaughn M. Bryant Jr., J. Phil Dering, Peter T. Furst, Margaret Greco, Thomas R. Hester, Elton R. Prewitt, Roberta McGregor, Shirley Boteler Mock, and Marvin W. Rowe.
Price: $55.00
Pages: 304
Publisher: Trinity University Press
Imprint: Trinity University Press
Publication Date:
19 November 2013
Trim Size: 11.00 X 10.00 in
ISBN: 9781595340863
Format: Hardcover
“Painters in Prehistory makes the case for protection and preservation in the strongest possible way.” — American Archeology
“Painters in Prehistory features updated essays and chapters by 14 scholars, including Shafer, as well as new maps, charts, tables, drawings and photographs of rock art sites and artifacts.” — San Antonio Express-News
“Archaeologist and Texas A&M professor emeritus Harry J. Shafer takes us into the lives and customs of Lower Pecos canyon inhabitants during prehistoric times by exploring art works on rock as well as such artifacts as basketry, tools and mats.” — Austin American-Statesman
“Highly recommended. . . The book's well-written, engaging style and impressive visual documentation will attract a wide range of general readers.” — Choice
"A synthesis and summation of years of scholarship made easily digestible for a broad public readership.” — Popular Archaeology
“Painters in Prehistory features updated essays and chapters by 14 scholars, including Shafer, as well as new maps, charts, tables, drawings and photographs of rock art sites and artifacts.” — San Antonio Express-News
“Archaeologist and Texas A&M professor emeritus Harry J. Shafer takes us into the lives and customs of Lower Pecos canyon inhabitants during prehistoric times by exploring art works on rock as well as such artifacts as basketry, tools and mats.” — Austin American-Statesman
“Highly recommended. . . The book's well-written, engaging style and impressive visual documentation will attract a wide range of general readers.” — Choice
"A synthesis and summation of years of scholarship made easily digestible for a broad public readership.” — Popular Archaeology
Harry Shafer is professor emeritus at Texas A&M University. He joined the faculty as the anthropology department’s first archaeologist in 1972. He has forty years of research expertise in Texas prehistory, North American archaeology, Southwestern archaeology, Maya archaeology, and prehistoric stone technology. He is the editor of Ancient Texans: Rock Art and Lifeways along the Lower Pecos (Witte Museum, 1986), the coeditor of Field Methods of Archaeology (Left Coast Press, seventh edition, 2008), and the author of Mimbres Archaeology at the Nan Ranch (University of New Mexico Press, 2009).