Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley

Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley describes an archeological reconstruction of the preceding 11,000 years of an extraordinarily rich environment centered within the largest river system north of the Amazon. This book focuses on the lowlands of the Mississippi Valley from just north of the Ohio River to the mouth of the Arkansas River.

Organized into 13 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the territory between the Ohio and Arkansas rivers. This text then attempts to humanize the archeological interpretations by reference to social organization, settlement system, economy, religion, and politics. Other chapters focus on understanding the nature of change through time in the Central Mississippi Valley. This book discusses as well the difference between an old braided stream surface and the younger meander belt system. The final chapter deals with the investigation of prehistoric Indian remains.

This book is a valuable resource for archeologists, zoologists, and scientific hobbyists.

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 The River

Gross Divisions

Geological History

The Reconstructed River Habitat

References

2 The Archaeology

History of Archaeological Investigations

Factors AffectIng Scientific Archaeology in the Central Valley

Recovery Techniques

Data Interpretation and Incorporation

Archaeological Sequence

References

3 Paleo-lndian Beginnings (9500-8500 B.C.)

Pleistocene Fauna in the Central Valley

Fluted Points

Other Possible Early Lanceolate PoInts

Man and Mastodon

Cultural Reconstruction

References

4 Dalton Efflorescence (8500-7500 B.C.)

The Dalton Tool Kit

Settlements

References

5 The Hypsithermal Archaic Disruption (7000-3000 B.C.)

The Hypsithermal Period

Temporal Control of Point Horizon Styles

Comments on the Hypsithermal Archaic

References

6 Archaic Expansion (3000-500 B.C.)

Artifacts

Types of Sites

The Development of Tribal Society

References

7 Woodland Beginnings (500 B.C-0)

Pottery Manufacture

Environmental Setting

The Mccarty Site

References

8 The Hopewellian Period (0-A.D. 400)

Trade and Ritual in Hopewell

The PInson Mounds

The Helena Mounds

Marksville Period Villages

References

9 Woodland Conflict (A.D. 400-700)

The Dunlin Phase

The Hoecake Phase

The Baytown Phase

References

10 Mississippian Frontier (A.D. 700-1000)

Origin of Mississippi

Environmental Adaptation

Outside Resources

Revolution in Ceramics

Other Important New Artifact Types

Sociopolitical Changes

The American Bottom

The Cairo Lowland

The Zebree Site

References

11 Mississippian Consolidation (A.D. 1000-1350)

Transition From Early to Middle Period Mississippi

The Cherry Valley Phase

After Cherry Valley

Powers Phase

The Cairo Lowland Phase

Summary

References

12 Mississippian Nucleation (A.D. 1350-1650)

Horizon Markers

Population Nucleation

The Nodena Phase

The Parkin Phase

The Walls Phase

The Kent and Old Town Phases

The Greenbrier Phase

The Quapaw Phase

Summary

References

13 Epilogue: Historic Archaeology

The Protohistoric-Spanish Period (A.D. 1500-1650)

The French in the Mississippi Valley

Eighteenth-Century Disruption

The Jefferson Purchase and the NIneteenth Century

Who Made King Crowley?

References

Index