﻿HOLMES] AMERICAN ARCHEOLOGY AND HUMAN HISTORY 4 1 5 



marvelous rapidity in the horizon of enlightenment. While this ex- 

 panding figure may be regarded as expressing the growth of human 

 culture, it may also symbolize the development of the race in popula- 

 tion and in physical perfection. 



The rigure indicated by B may stand for the career of peoples of 

 the lowest existing order of culture, such as the Fuegians or 

 Andamanese — peoples which can contribute to general history only 

 within a Aery limited range, since their career traverses only the 

 lower half of the field of savagery. It is to be noted, however, that 

 these lowly peoples can contribute much more fully to the history 

 of this particular stage of progress than can any of the nations that 

 have passed this stage and have arisen to higher levels. 



The field covered by the .American race is outlined in C. Uncer- 

 tain and indefinite in the beginning Mages, the traces being hardly 

 legible on account of the absence of written records and the insuffi- 

 ciency of archeological research, it develops upward, stopping just 

 short of the level of civilization. Many strands of culture had ap- 

 peared and grown strong, but writing had not been fully achieved 

 and other arts peculiar to civilization had not made their appearance. 

 It is within this field that Americanists pursue their studies and make 

 their contributions to the history of the race and of developing civil- 

 ization. Above this stage they find nothing" and below it only 

 meager and uncertain traces of the beginning stages of human cul- 

 ture. The archeologist finds within this limited American field, 

 however, extensive phenomena relating to the various branches of 

 barbarian activity, especially to such as leave their traces in material 

 form. Prominent among these branches are agriculture, hunting, 

 fishing, quarrying and mining; the shaping of implements and 

 utensils ; the building arts, metallurgy, sculpture, ceramics, the tex- 

 tile arts, the graphic arts and writing, war, games, culinary arts, 

 religious arts, personal adornment, the decorative arts, etc. These 

 groups of phenomena as exhibited in America have been the subject 

 of earnest study by a large number of scholars, and already a great 

 body of data relating to them has been collected and an extensive 

 literature is in existence. A few of the more instructive of these 

 groups may be briefly reviewed. 



Quarrying and Mining. — Much of the history of the activities 

 concerned with the acquisition of the raw materials of subsistence 

 and the arts is best studied among existing peoples. This is espe- 

 cially true of hunting and fishing, the gathering of wild fruits and 

 grains, and agriculture ; but archeology alone can be depended upon 

 to tell the story of the industries concerned with developing the 

 mineral resources. These activities escaped the observation of the 



