These two volumes reflect a renaissance of archaeology within the rich valleys of the Ohio River drainage basin. New explorations of previously documented and studied ceremonial sites, investigations of unexplored habitation locales and new technological and theoretical enquiries have all shed light on a remarkable ancient people—and both of these volumes are superb examples of how integrating all of the above components provides insights on a still little-understood archaeological culture. These two publications also, in some way, represent a passing of the torch from one generation of scholars to the next. One of the books is written by Mark Lynott, and the other is dedicated to N'omi Greber (and probably includes her last published work)—both scholars passed away just as the manuscripts reached the publication stage.

Hopewell ceremonial landscapes of Ohio by Lynott is the first in a new collection produced by Oxbow that inaugurates a themed series to “tell the stories of how people lived in, and moved around, their parts of the North American continent during specific time periods” (p. vii). The intended audience includes professional scholars as well as a broader, and knowledgeable, public; and the choice of the Hopewell mound builders—a people who literally carved their part of the American landscape into a ritual embodiment of their worldview—is perfect as a lead volume. This book is also a celebration of the life of a gifted scholar, Mark Lynott, who unexpectedly died after completion of the first draft; the editors, Julie Gardiner and Peter Topping, completed the final work necessary to bring the book to fruition.

Lynott begins with an in-depth description of the major players involved in the discovery and earliest explorations of key Hopewell earthworks in the Ohio Valley. He also reveals how these individuals—from Squier and Davis, to Mills, and the research they conducted—helped jumpstart interest in the archaeology of a young nation, and was the impetus to produce the first generation of professional archaeologists. This chapter is particularly effective and is one of the best overall summaries of the history of Ohio archaeology I have read. The chapter ends by transporting the reader to the twenty-first century investigations of the Hopewell in Ohio, and sets the stage for the chapters that follow. Thus, Lynott delves into selected current issues in the Ohio Hopewell, largely focusing on recent theoretical hypotheses intended to explain the complicated nature of Hopewell earthwork-creation and land transformation. Lynott uses a review of his own extensive research at Hopeton and related earthwork sites (Chapter 3) to highlight both the potential and the difficulty of dealing with an archaeology so badly affected by later land use. He also deftly points out, by summarising the archaeology of many famous ceremonial sites (Chapter 4), that what we see today is not only the result of a historically altered landscape, but also the end result of the extensive use and re-use of localities by the Hopewell peoples themselves. He augments this picture by describing the fascinating results of several recent archaeological projects (Chapters 4 & 5), highlighting the successes of geophysical survey, especially magnetometry. Finally, he brings us back to the basic, all-encompassing question centred on how to understand the meanings inherent in the choice of this particular ancient Native American population to alter their landscape in such remarkable ways—and why they suddenly stopped.

This is a remarkable volume that works well in many ways, and yet there are also flaws that I suspect are explained by Lynott's untimely passing. In fact, reading through, I could clearly sense that some sections have a polish that indicate that they had been largely completed by Lynott, while other chapters were less well integrated, have typological and formatting errors, or lack in-depth treatment. For example, the first chapter and much of the second are effective, well-constructed summaries of a rich and complicated archaeology; I also found this true of Lyntott's case-study descriptions of some of the early research on famous earthworks as well as recent excavations, such as the Pollack Works, and the Moorehead Circle at Fort Ancient (parts of Chapters 3, 4 & 5). Ironically, I found the description and assessment of the research completed at the Hopeton earthwork, a place to which Lynott devoted much time and energy, both compelling and frustrating. I know some of the work first-hand at Hopeton and anticipated seeing this extremely complex archaeology integrated into a coherent text; some of the chapter dedicated to this site works well (the discussion of the site sediments, radiocarbon dating and wall-segment construction), but I also found other sections lacking. This part of the book needed better integration of the material, as well as more in-depth treatment of some aspects (such as the remote sensing and the evidence from adjacent sites).

The frequent typographical errors in this section are particularly frustrating, including missing tables and figures (Chapter 3), as well as a lack of maps showing the location of sites and features discussed in the text. In addition, the small size of many of the photographs in Chapter 3 is also an issue. Undoubtedly, some of these complaints reflect editorial decisions (colour photographs are expensive and large photographs take up valuable space), but this is an important site that deserves clearer presentation. The lack of site location maps, as well as figures showing the outlines of individual earthwork complexes, is also an issue in later sections, such as in Chapters 4 and 5 (this is especially crucial as the volume is directed not only towards specialists, but also at students and the general public). The necessary space could have been freed up if some of the material (e.g. Chapter 5) had been re-organised to reduce the repetition. The book is completed by an extensive and valuable bibliography, although I would also have appreciated an index.

The concluding chapter promises to bring together the disparate and intricate archaeology of the Hopewell. It reads, however, as if this were one of the last sections to be written and not fully shaped by Lynott himself; thus, it only hints at what it might have been. Whatever the minor errors that have crept into this volume, it is a significant addition to the pantheon of important publications on Hopewell archaeology. Although I do not agree with all of Lynott's suppositions (see below), I would imagine that any scholar interested in North American archaeology, or landscape archaeology in any part of the globe, should have this volume in their personal library. It is also a volume that any informed individual interested in an intriguing ancient population would find an enjoyable read.

Building the past, edited by Redmond and Genheimer, is a product of a special symposium of the Ohio Archaeological Council, which took place at the Eastern States Archaeological Federation in 2012, dedicated to a topic not yet thoroughly explored for the Ohio Valley—the diversity, and implications, of the traces of wooden architecture at Ohio sites. As noted in Kennedy and Carter's chapter, “This lack of scholarly attention to architecture is a missed opportunity, because this portion of the archaeological record has implications that significantly affect how archaeologists model the behavior of prehistoric people” (p. 325). This well-crafted and excellently edited volume focuses on recent excavations of sites spanning the Late Archaic (c. 2500 BC) to the Late Prehistoric (AD 1600), and covers a regional range from the shores of Lake Erie to the valleys of the Great Ohio River. Two of the chapters centre on the Late Archaic, while most discuss new research focusing on the Early and Middle Woodland (specifically Hopewell); the Late Prehistoric is also represented in the volume. The topical range is equally notable, with chapters delving into the potential use of structures, the evolution of design and engineering acumen, implications of the evidence of structures on our understanding and theoretical debates centred on documenting sedentism in the archaeological record (e.g. Chapter 10). In addition, several chapters (5 & 6) explore the distinctions between possible ceremonial and domestic structures for the Hopewell mound builders, and the practical implications of engineering with wood (especially Chapters 7 & 12). One theme running throughout the volume is that archaeologists need to recognise the complexity of wooden architecture in the Ohio Valley, which can incorporate use, re-use, purposeful demolition, re-building and different building techniques, creating a subtle palimpsest of archaeological features.

It is not uncommon in an edited volume of this nature to find that some chapters may not be as strong in terms of writing, subject matter or scholarly perceptiveness; I must note, however, that I found all of the separate contributions to be remarkably effective and compelling. As a compendium of individual authors, sites, techniques and technology, as well as distinct excavation approaches, the integration of the volume coheres surprisingly well. Perhaps to be expected, given that I had just read Lynott's opus, I found that some of the most engaging chapters are those that describe and interpret recent Hopewell investigations (Chapters 5, 6 & 7), clearly revealing the Hopewell were as equally sophisticated in their architectural structures as they had been in their earthwork constructions. And as I have argued elsewhere, this complexity is also mirrored in their secular spaces as much as their sacred places. Paul Pacheco and Jarrod Burks (see Chapter 7), and myself, have now thoroughly documented in the central Scioto valleys that the Hopewell actually lived somewhere. Yet even Lynott's uncertainty that our excavations had uncovered Hopewell domestic localities reveals that many Hopewell scholars simply cannot accept, nor perhaps recognise, the signatures of the domestic sphere of Hopewell life. It seems that these ancient peoples are doomed forever to wander as lost primordial waifs within the ghostly forests of the past, only becoming ‘real’ in the moment of sacred activities.

Finally, one of the most intriguing contributions in Building the past is the chapter by Kennedy and Carter, ‘A framework for interpreting structures’, which would have made Binford proud (and provoke a raised eyebrow from Hodder), as they summon the spirits of applied archaeology. Their chapter recounts the practical lessons learned from reconstructing and building recreations of the residential and communal structures at the late prehistoric Sunwatch village in Dayton, Ohio (as well as exploring the implications of the serendipitous burning by vandals of one of their rebuilt structures). This chapter has enormous ramifications for any scholar struggling with the interpretation of traces of wooden architecture in the archaeological record.

Taken together, Hopewell ceremonial landscapes of Ohio and Building the past reveal the potential of using new technologies and theoretically informed practice to help illuminate a remarkable archaeology. Most of all, I truly wish that Lynott and Greber were still with us so that we could yet again converse about the nature of Hopewell settlements and their ceremonial lives, and wonder about what the world was like along the banks of the Scioto River in the forests of the ancient past.