author
Robert W. Neuman
b. 1930
A longtime archaeologist and museum curator, he helped bring Louisiana’s deep past into clearer view for general readers as well as scholars. His work focused on the archaeology and prehistory of the Gulf South and the Great Plains, and several of his books introduced broad audiences to the region’s earliest cultures.
1 Audiobook
Louisiana Prehistory
by Robert W. Neuman, Nancy W. Hawkins
About the author
Robert W. Neuman (1930–2019) was an American archaeologist best known for his work on Louisiana archaeology and prehistory. He earned a B.A. in anthropology from Tulane University and an M.A. in anthropology from Louisiana State University, then spent about twelve years with the Smithsonian Institution’s River Basin Surveys working on archaeological sites across the North American Great Plains.
From 1967 until his retirement in 1994, he served as curator of anthropology at Louisiana State University, where he studied and interpreted the material history of Louisiana and the lower Mississippi Valley. His published work includes An Introduction to Louisiana Archaeology and, with Nancy W. Hawkins, Louisiana Prehistory, books that helped make the state’s archaeological record more accessible to students and general readers.
Remembered by colleagues as “Bob,” he combined fieldwork, scholarship, and public education over a long career. His papers are preserved by the Smithsonian’s National Anthropological Archives, reflecting decades of research on sites ranging from ancient Great Plains settlements to the historic and prehistoric cultures of Louisiana.