Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. I.

by E. G. (Ephraim George) Squier

"Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley" by E. G. Squier and E. H. Davis is a scientific survey published in 1848. This groundbreaking work documented hundreds of prehistoric earthworks and burial mounds across the Eastern United States, particularly in Ohio's Scioto Valley. As the Smithsonian Institution's first publication, it established archaeology as a scientific discipline in America while attempting to understand the mysterious mound builders who created these ancient monuments.