Traces of Fremont


Society and Rock Art in Ancient Utah

Fremont is a culture (ca. 300–1300 A.D.) first defined by archaeologist Noel Morss in 1928 based on characteristics unique to the area. Initially thought to be a simple socio-political system, recent reassessments of the Fremont assume a more complex society. This volume places Fremont rock art studies in this contemporary context. Author Steven Simms offers an innovative model of Fremont society, politics, and worldview using the principles of analogy and current archaeological evidence. Simms takes readers on a trip back in time by describing what a typical Fremont hamlet or residential area might have looked like a thousand years ago, including the inhabitants' daily activities. François Gohier's captivating photographs of Fremont art and artifacts offer an engaging complement to Simms's text, aiding us in our understanding of the lives of these ancient people.

Winner of the Utah Book Award in Nonfiction.
Winner of the Society for American Archaeology Book Award for Public Audience. 


Steven R. Simms is a professor of anthropology at Utah State University. He is the author of Ancient Peoples of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau.; François Gohier grew up in the Basque country in southwest France. He is a professional photographer and lives in San Diego, California.   


Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgments
Traces of Fremont: Introduction

My Messages
How Can We Know?
Fremont Archaeology
Life at a Fremont Hamlet
Tempos of Life and Landscape
The Kinship of Farming
Surplus, Storage, Power, and Display
A Population Dynamic
Fremont Big Villages
Fremont Dispersed Communities
Fremont Corporate Groups?
Power and Leadership
Landscape and the Fremont Culture
Fremont Origins
The Fremont Frontier
Fremont Rock Art
The Roots of Fremont Rock Art
Fremont Rock Art: Themes, Unity, and Variation
Rock Art and Fremont Society
Traces of Fremont: Postscript

Photograph Credits
Notes
References
About the Authors

Praise and Reviews:
"Together, Simms and Gohier take readers back in time."—Deseret News

"Simms's book is excellent! I really like his take on Fremont, I like the narrative descriptions of various Fremont settlements, and I like his treatment of rock art balanced and scholarly without losing the interest and excitement of that astonishing Fremont medium."—Stephen H. Lekson, professor of anthropology and curator, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History

"An interesting read as well as a visual treat."—Utah Historical Quarterly

"Simms commendably presents complex debates in contemporary archaeology about Fremont society, far exceeding the usual descriptive and simple theorizing fare that characterizes much popular archaeological literature. The book is beautifully illustrated with stunning photography of Fremont material culture and rock art, complemented by text that lucidly outlines a model of Fremont society and origins that Simms has been developing over the years, making the book also relevant to professional archaeologists."—New Mexico Historical Review