^90 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



PEIMITIVE ARCHITECTUEE IN AMERICA. 



The Liferent Stages and Modes of Life Exhibited in the Pre-Msloric Wo7'ks- 



of America. 



Bt Eey. S. D. Peet, Editor Ameeican Antiqtjaeian. 



One of the most noticeable things in the prehistoric works of 

 America is that they present native architecture in various stages 

 of development. The study of these works furnishes a clue to 

 the states of society in pre-historic times. It also affords us many 

 hints as to the pre-historic races, and their origin, growth and de- 

 velopment. There is need, however, that we have a better under- 

 standing of these stages themselves. Now we propose to study 

 the pre-historic works of America, so that, if possible, we can 

 trace the line of development of society, or if not, so that we 

 can discover various grades which have been presented by 

 it. One of the difficulties in tracing a connected development 

 is that these works are so separated from one another by geo- 

 graphical lines, that we cannot ascribe them to the same people. 

 This is favorable in one respect, because the lines which separate 

 the grades are distinct, and we can thus determine the character- 

 istics which belong to each. There are all the differences between 

 the pre-historic works found on this continent that have been 

 supposed to exist in the works which have been so faithfully 

 studied in the European countries. But the differences here 

 are marked by peculiarities of architecture, rather than those of 

 art ; the cultus here being exhibited by the works, rather than by 

 the relics. 



There are no names which define or describe the stages of 

 society here, such as are used in Europe, but those stages, never- 

 theless, exist, being shown here by primitive architecture, as they 

 are there by primitive art. The ages which have been so clearly 

 distinguished, and which depend upon the material of the relics 

 found in Europe, have not been identified here, but the grades 

 of society are shown by the material used in architectural struct- 



