Anderson, Robert E. (Robert Edward), M.A., F.A.S.

About the author

Robert E. Anderson, who often styled his credentials as M.A., F.A.S. (Fellow of the Antiquarian Society), was a British historian and antiquarian active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although explicit biographical data about him is sparse, Anderson’s scholarly energy found a clear outlet in his work The Story of Extinct Civilizations of the West. During an era when archaeology and anthropology were quickly professionalizing, Anderson’s writing aimed to make recent discoveries and theories regarding pre-Columbian and early post-Columbian civilizations accessible to curious readers. By synthesizing field findings and historical documents, he wove a narrative that highlighted both the grandeur of these vanished societies and the ongoing challenges in piecing together their stories from fragmentary evidence.

In The Story of Extinct Civilizations of the West, Anderson covers a range of cultures, from the Maya in Central America to various mound-building peoples in North America. He references ruins, hieroglyphic records, and artifacts to illustrate how these societies rose, adapted to environmental conditions, and ultimately declined—sometimes due to resource depletion, internal strife, or the pressures of European contact. One recurring theme is Anderson’s fascination with the sophistication of these civilizations, as manifested in monumental architecture, advanced agricultural techniques, and complex trade networks. Despite 19th-century biases that sometimes led Western scholars to underrate Indigenous accomplishments, Anderson’s tone remains largely admiring, underscoring the advanced nature of local engineering feats and cosmological knowledge.

Anderson’s approach likewise acknowledges the importance of studying oral traditions and comparing linguistic patterns, reflecting a growing understanding that physical ruins alone could not provide the full cultural context. His work championed interdisciplinary collaboration: archaeologists, linguists, and even geologists had to cooperate to unravel the complexities of societies that left few written records. Furthermore, Anderson stressed that these extinct polities should be recognized not as mere curiosities but as significant chapters in human history, underscoring that their accomplishments and eventual disappearance held universal lessons on resilience and adaptation.

While modern archaeology and carbon-dating methods have refined many of Anderson’s tentative conclusions, his core emphasis on the ingenuity of early American civilizations—coupled with his accessible prose—helped broaden popular interest in pre-Columbian studies. His volume demonstrated that intellectual curiosity about lost cultures was not confined to academic specialists. In that sense, The Story of Extinct Civilizations of the West performed a vital service, fostering a more respectful and inquisitive attitude toward the ancient peoples of the Americas and inspiring further explorations of their legacies.