This biography explores Charles Conrad Abbott's contributions to archaeology beyond the Paleolithic debate, encompassing historical archaeology and Middle Woodland collections. It examines Abbott's career, nature writing, and his role in the professionalization of archaeology, through archival letters and diaries.
In the late nineteenth century, Charles Conrad Abbott, a medical doctor and self-taught archaeologist, gained notoriety for his theories on early humans. This is the first biography to address his archaeological research beyond the Paleolithic debate, including his attempts at historical archaeology on Burlington Island in the Delaware River.
