Over 20 years of significant advances in Caribbean archaeology has developed a new view of the pre-Columbian past that is much more realistic, complicated and intricate. The field now recognises a high degree of cultural, linguistic and social variability, a multiplicity of migrations and a plethora of political, subsistence and religious practices. This perspective, although undoubtedly a step forward, is more challenging to organise and explain in a coherent manner. A comprehensive book that surveys this new perspective on Caribbean archaeology is badly needed, but not an easy task. This book is an attempt to create such a publication.

The authors begin the book with an excellent introduction to the geography of the region and a discussion of key concepts and terminology, particularly ethnonyms inherited from the early European writings. Chapter 2 presents a critical review of current research on the earliest human groups of the islands. Traditionally, Caribbean archaeologists have identified two early migrations, one arriving in Trinidad by at least 7000 BP, and the other reaching Cuba by 3000–4000 BP. The authors argue, however, for only one migration wave from Cuba, as no early occupation has been reported for the Lesser Antilles. Chapter 3 is dedicated to the beginning of the Ceramic Age, which is represented by the arrival of two groups from South America to the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and a small portion of Hispaniola. The chapter includes discussions on both the Saladoid groups from the Orinoco Basin and the Huecoids, a group with very few sites found throughout the region and whose origin has baffled Caribbeanists for over 30 years. The Ostionoid, from the Greater Antilles, is a widespread post-Saladoid tradition and is examined in Chapter 4. The authors concentrate on Puerto Rico because it is the island with the most information and where many social and cultural processes took place. Topics include changes possibly caused by climate shifts, the diversification of ceramic styles, population dynamics, settlement patterns and socio-political changes and organisations. Chapter 5 reviews the development of two other groups, the Chicoids and Meillacoids, who overlapped and interacted with the Ostionoid but persisted until Contact. The lengthy discussion on the Meillacoids is particularly welcome as this significant group are rarely included in social and political modelling. Chapter 6 discusses the ancient history of Cuba, the Bahama Archipelago and Jamaica, as they all have an Ostionoid population followed by a strong Meillacoid presence. Chapter 7 reviews the entire ancient history of the Lesser Antilles, from the earliest migrations to the historic Kalinagos or Island Caribs. The chapter discusses changes in identities as reflected in the pottery, adaptation to different environments and social and political developments. The final chapter consists of a discussion and overview of the Contact period and subsequent colonial enterprises.

The book is comprehensive, inclusive and accompanied by an extensive bibliography. Furthermore, the discussion is not a simple summary of significant archaeological evidence organised chronologically, but also contains critical discussion and new insights. Although I cannot say I agree with most of these interpretations, it is clear that the authors’ intention was to go beyond a descriptive and simplistic view. Unfortunately, I find that the monograph suffers from several ‘chronic’ problems that defeat the goals of the authors to develop a new and stronger understanding and interpretation of the ancient history of the region. In general, I found the writing style somewhat difficult to read and, on occasion, unclear. The internal organisation of some of the chapters was confusing (especially Chapters 2–6), which made it arduous to follow many of the arguments. Furthermore, the text became repetitive when similar discussions were included in more than one chapter (e.g. some topics on the earliest inhabitants).

Much more significantly, I found epistemological and methodological problems throughout the book. One of them is the use of analogies. Early in Chapter 4, the authors claim that they follow a non-traditional and “progressive approach” (p. 83) in their explanations that offers “interpretations that are free of Spanish tyranny” (p. 83), referring to the over-reliance on early European documents. Although it is true that, with few exceptions, they use little documentary evidence in that chapter, these local texts are replaced by ethnographic and ‘archaeological’ comparisons to societies from other parts of the world (e.g. New Guinea, Hopewell). This is not a priori a problem, but the authors’ use of analogy is extremely mechanical and absolutist, without taking into consideration the validity or appropriateness of the comparison. One example is the use of ceremonial exchange formations in New Guinea to explain a star-shaped plaza form in southern Puerto Rico (pp. 99–103). The authors state that “star shaped formation exchange occurs [in New Guinea] when a clan or tribe invites all of the communities with which they have exchanged spouses” (p. 100), and, therefore, that the star-shaped plaza from Puerto Rico “conforms to the formalization of star formation exchange [. . .] ceremonial exchange probably occurred on the plaza” (p. 102). The authors seem to indicate that the basis of the validity of the ‘analogy’ is that form determines function (behaviour) independently of the socio-cultural context.

The authors also make some broad assumptions that are not always adequately supported. For example, they insist on including warfare as a major factor in their interpretations, based on the premise that “Such warfare is a universal feature of societies at this level of social integration [chiefdoms or stratified societies]” (p. 107). These sorts of generalisations are useful in modelling past human behaviour, but they represent tendencies rather than rules; human behaviour is patterned but not necessarily predictable. What makes these assertions even more questionable is that very little, if any, convincing evidence has been found for institutionalised warfare in the Caribbean archipelagos. While it is true that the tyranny of ethnohistory is a problem, when misused and misapplied, ethnographic analogy can be equally tyrannical and oppressive.

In conclusion, I commend the authors for taking on an extensive and intensive overview of the ancient Caribbean and expressing new ideas. As I mentioned before, this is far from an easy task in a region with an archaeological record that shows a high level of cultural, economic, political and social variability. The book will be a good source of information and references for professionals, as well as for graduate and undergraduate students. I find, however, that many of their interpretations and views are supported by weak evidence, and end up misrepresenting or over-simplifying the indigenous past.