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Edited by David W. Benn
1990, 257 pp.
Rainbow site (13PM91) is situated in a small stream valley in Plymouth County, northwestern Iowa. In 1978 excavations at this site revealed a deeply buried, stratified series of Woodland occupations covering a time span from ca. 1170 B.P. to 1850 B.P. This report describes the site, its geological setting, and the materials recovered. Significant contributions of the report include the reconstruction of Woodland household units at Rainbow and related sites, analysis of the DeForest Formation (Holocene valley fills), and studies of Woodland pottery. Chapter authors compare the Rainbow site data to other assemblages and discuss the cultural and environmental implications of their studies. The volume constitutes a major advance in archaeological, geological, and paleoecological interpretation for the Midwest and Great Plains.
“This volume presents a wealth of new data and will be useful to everyone working with Plains Woodland materials for years to come. . . . A fine achievement. Dave Benn, his collaborators, and the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist deserve hearty congratulations for production of this volume. The OSA “Report” series is consistently of high quality and Rainbow certainly measures up. The volume will endure as the standard against which future Woodland archaeology in the region is measured.”
John R. Bozell, Plains Anthropologist
“This book is an essential reference for all serious students of Northeastern Plains and Prairie Peninsula prehistory. . . . There is a comprehensive explanatory model for regional culture change from late in the Archaic through Woodland and into the Plains Village period. . . . The biggest success of this book relates to the project objectives of reconstructing the nature of Prairie Woodland social formation and accounting for processes of culture change from the beginning to the end of Woodland times in the Prairie Peninsula.”
Michael Gregg, Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society
“Benn’s determination to be critical, self-conscious and theoretically informed is a tonic to naive interpretations and simple description. Whether or not the reader is convinced by Benn’s arguments, he deserves credit for the attempt to develop theory in the inference of prehistoric Plains cultures. Iowa’s Office of the State Archaeologist has produced informative monographs for over 20 years. The Rainbow report is a valuable addition to the series.”
Michael Shott, The Michigan Archaeologist
“A fine example of the relevance of geoarchaeological research to Late Holocene archaeology. . . . An inspiration to anyone interested in probing more deeply into the issue of paleoclimatic reconstruction from archaeological data. . . . An invaluable, up-to-date review that specialists and nonspecialists alike will find of value.”
James Stoltman, Geoarchaeology
