Frontier life in ancient Peru : the archaeology of Cerro la Cruz /

The title may be somewhat misleading for those interested in social science theory. The book is not about a "frontier" situation in the classic sense, but rather about a settlement located on the soft boundary between two Peruvian polities during 1000-1300 CE, a circumstance akin to being situated between two comparable cultural groups such as Sparta and Athens, rather than the kind of dramatic frontier such as existed between American Indians and European colonists. The main focus of Clemson anthropologist Vogel's book is actually on the subtitle: the archaeology of the site of Cerro la Cruz in the Chao Valley of north coast Peru and its rise and fall, with a primary focus on prehistoric ceramics and architecture, a nice revision of the author's 2003 dissertation. The volume will be a key source for students working in this geographic zone, and of interest to all Peruvianist archaeologists. The text is supported by a 5-page glossary of archaeological terms and 59 tables, figures, and maps. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. D. L. Browman Washington University