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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.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 21, 2022
Fremont petroglyphs are my new shared hobby with Jeff. We bought this book at Fremont Indian State Park & Museum. The photos are amazing. There are photographs of artifacts and petroglyphs that I JUST LOOKED AT and found so-so, but the photos make them look amazing and super interesting. Just a short paragraph telling about them makes all the difference. I admit to skipping a lot of the text and just looking at the photos. There were some really interesting chapters towards the end of the book about different petroglyph styles, but I found the rest quite academic.
February 23, 2018
Great read! Very impressive tie between photographs of rock art and the narrative text. Well produced book with stunning color images on quality paper.
Author is an archaeologist and tries to add substance to a backstory to explain society and ideology imparted to the Fremont. Since these topics cannot be proven from archaeological relics, the author tries to straddle the line between relying on discovered facts and deriving implications that cannot always be verified. It works, but at times I wished he went further into speculation to flesh out ideas he obviously feels strongly about but didn’t quite get explained in detail.
I will plan trips to see more of the pictographs and petroglyphs depicted and described in the book.
Author is an archaeologist and tries to add substance to a backstory to explain society and ideology imparted to the Fremont. Since these topics cannot be proven from archaeological relics, the author tries to straddle the line between relying on discovered facts and deriving implications that cannot always be verified. It works, but at times I wished he went further into speculation to flesh out ideas he obviously feels strongly about but didn’t quite get explained in detail.
I will plan trips to see more of the pictographs and petroglyphs depicted and described in the book.
August 2, 2025
Interesting hypotheses that the Fremont had large villages (largely invisible to us now because they were pit houses and often located in the same places that our cities are positioned now. Beautiful photos of so much art across such a large region, even in glade park.
The author cites a lot of research papers, but none of them appear to have been written by indigenous authors. It’s kind of like me writing a book about rugby in the early 20th century- having lots of photos of rugby uniforms, balls, pitches, even players. But never consulting anyone rugby players. Sure, they weren’t the onesones playing 100 years ago, but they probably have some insights into the game that an outsider wouldn’t.
The author cites a lot of research papers, but none of them appear to have been written by indigenous authors. It’s kind of like me writing a book about rugby in the early 20th century- having lots of photos of rugby uniforms, balls, pitches, even players. But never consulting anyone rugby players. Sure, they weren’t the onesones playing 100 years ago, but they probably have some insights into the game that an outsider wouldn’t.
March 1, 2021
A combination of beautiful photography of rock art by Fraucois Gohier, and a broadbrush summary of the Fremont culture, a predecessor to the native people here in the 1800s. Much of the rock art in Utah is from the Fremont era.
I enjoyed the book, and learned from it. What I learned mainly is we don't know a whole lot about these people that left so many artifacts in our desert areas. The people are as enigmatic as their rock art.
Since this is intended as a non-scholarly book, I would have liked a text that seemed a little less like a summary of archeological papers, with a little less of anthropological jargon.
I enjoyed the book, and learned from it. What I learned mainly is we don't know a whole lot about these people that left so many artifacts in our desert areas. The people are as enigmatic as their rock art.
Since this is intended as a non-scholarly book, I would have liked a text that seemed a little less like a summary of archeological papers, with a little less of anthropological jargon.
April 6, 2025
Great photos. They are the best part of the book.
The narrative is not about the Fremont people perse. It's more what the author would like you to think might be relevant -- it's his thoughts. They are interesting to read & ponder. You just have to understand that we really don't have anything concrete to go on regarding "Fremont" as a people, tribe or anything.
The narrative is not about the Fremont people perse. It's more what the author would like you to think might be relevant -- it's his thoughts. They are interesting to read & ponder. You just have to understand that we really don't have anything concrete to go on regarding "Fremont" as a people, tribe or anything.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2020
Great photos! Now I just want to go see petroglyphs.
November 16, 2016
This is a valuable scholarly introduction to the intriguing Fremont culture, but since it's also one of those "gift shop" books that are picked up by tourists at regional museums and visitor centers, I need to be even more critical than I might be of a more academically-oriented work.
The potential problem with Simms's book, which is light on text and heavy on photographs, is that he claims to challenge or contradict some previous academic assumptions about the Fremont, while remaining equivocal, general, vague, and sometimes contradictory in the information he presents. He claims the Fremont were not egalitarian, but assures us that their hierarchies were dynamic, unstable, and consensual. Fremont weren't timeless, but saw "past and present as one." He seems to view agriculture as an irreversible worldwide innovation – "farming spreads to its limits" – while noting that the Fremont reverted to foraging after the droughts of the 13th century.
And while claiming to challenge archaeological convention, he leaves unchallenged some key assumptions. It's clear from anthropology that leadership doesn't necessarily imply a dominance hierarchy; there are many examples of societies in which leaders are treated as servants. And folk tales and mythology prove that conflict, warfare and violence in art – including the weapons, shields, and severed heads of some Fremont rock art – do not necessarily imply conflict and violence in the society that made them. In fact, they may imply the opposite. I came to this book after studying rock art as an artist and professional communicator, having concluded that much of representational, narrative, and even schematic rock art was probably used as a teaching tool, not primarily as a record of historical events.
The potential problem with Simms's book, which is light on text and heavy on photographs, is that he claims to challenge or contradict some previous academic assumptions about the Fremont, while remaining equivocal, general, vague, and sometimes contradictory in the information he presents. He claims the Fremont were not egalitarian, but assures us that their hierarchies were dynamic, unstable, and consensual. Fremont weren't timeless, but saw "past and present as one." He seems to view agriculture as an irreversible worldwide innovation – "farming spreads to its limits" – while noting that the Fremont reverted to foraging after the droughts of the 13th century.
And while claiming to challenge archaeological convention, he leaves unchallenged some key assumptions. It's clear from anthropology that leadership doesn't necessarily imply a dominance hierarchy; there are many examples of societies in which leaders are treated as servants. And folk tales and mythology prove that conflict, warfare and violence in art – including the weapons, shields, and severed heads of some Fremont rock art – do not necessarily imply conflict and violence in the society that made them. In fact, they may imply the opposite. I came to this book after studying rock art as an artist and professional communicator, having concluded that much of representational, narrative, and even schematic rock art was probably used as a teaching tool, not primarily as a record of historical events.
December 31, 2010
Simms provides an interesting overview of the Fremont from the interpretation of rock art to explain the elusive culture. It was an interesting viewpoint and got me thinking just of how much we archaeologists still don't fully understand about the Fremont while providing great ideas for future research and theoretical views. The images in the book just added to the realistic nature of these amazing prehistoric peoples. I had a hard time looking away from Gohier's images (that, and I'm totally jealous of his talent!). This is a very approachable book and well-worth the read!
May 19, 2010
The book has an excellent perspective on both Fremont society and the rock art that many of us know and love. Simms is a first-rate academic with a real penchant for writing for the rest of us. Gohier's photography is breathtaking. This duo brings a real human perspective to the enigmatic Fremont people.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews