Time and Archaeological Traditions in the Lower Illinois Valley

2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason L. King ◽  
Jane E. Buikstra ◽  
Douglas K. Charles
Keyword(s):  
Woodland Period ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Community Interactions ◽  
Middle Woodland Period ◽  
Ca 50 ◽  
Complicated Pattern ◽  
Illinois Valley ◽  
Site Chronology ◽  
Habitation Site

The issue of time remains a crucial one in Lower Illinois Valley archaeology, and key problems remain unresolved. In this paper, new radiocarbon assays and published dates are used to test hypotheses concerning intra-site bluff top mound chronologies, timing and structure of valley settlement, and the emergence of regional symbolic communities during the Middle Woodland period (ca. 50 cal B.C.-cal A.D. 400). We show that within sites Middle Woodland mounds were constructed first on prominent, distal bluff ridges and subsequently in less-visible spaces, though additional dates are needed to fully understand intra-site chronology. Our analyses generally support previous studies suggesting a north-to-south settlement trajectory of the valley, though habitation site dates indicate a more complicated pattern of regional occupation that has yet to be fully explicated. In addition, floodplain regional symbolic communities also emerged along a north-to-south pattern, though not as rapidly as bluff crest mounds. Importantly, results indicate future areas of research necessary to elucidate regional chronology, resettlement of the valley, and community interactions.

The Evolution and Persistence of Ceramic Motifs in Northern Georgia

1950 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wauchope
Keyword(s):  
Woodland Period ◽  
Previous Article ◽  
Cultural Continuity ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Late Archaic ◽  
American Antiquity ◽  
Early Woodland ◽  
Middle Woodland Period ◽  
Frequency Peak

Stamped or impressed designs on pottery from a group of relatively early sites in northern Georgia provide new data on the origin of several well known motifs of later times, and add to the evidence for a considerable cultural continuity between the archaeological phases of this area.In a previous article for american antiquity (Vol. XIV, pp. 201-9), I summarized the general ceramic sequence in the Etowah Drainage. Fabric impressed pottery seems to be the first majority ware in this area. It gradually decreased in popularity as Mossy Oak Simple Stamped increased and Deptford Bold and Linear Check Stamped appeared. The last named, together with Deptford Simple Stamped, became majority types during Late Archaic or Early Woodland times. In the meantime Woodstock Stamped and Woodstock Incised pottery appeared, but did not reach their frequency peak until Early Swift Creek had presumably degenerated into its later form near the end of the Middle Woodland period. Napier Stamped appeared at this time. Napier and Woodstock pottery strongly influenced the Early Mississippi "Etowah" wares, both stamped and incised. In the latter part of this period, Savannah Stamped intruded briefly, but the Etowah types persisted and finally deteriorated in carefulness of execution, thus evolving into the Lamar pottery of Late Mississippi time.

Ohio Hopewell Trophy-Skull Artifacts as Evidence for Competition in Middle Woodland Societies Circa 50 B.C.. A.D. 350

1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 565-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark F. Seeman
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Woodland Period ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Middle Woodland Period ◽  
Ohio Hopewell ◽  
Human Skulls

During the Middle Woodland period in eastern North America, modified human skulls are interjected into a broader pattern of "trophy"-artifact manufacture. Interpretations of these human trophies have resulted in a polarity of opinion-that they are the remains of (1) revered ancestors, or (2) defeated enemies. Both previous investigations of the problem support exclusively the "revered-ancestor" interpretation. Results of the present study, which makes use of a six-site Ohio Hopewell sample and stylistic and biological analyses, do not support this position, and are seen as reflecting a competitive component in Hopewell society.

Phytolith Evidence for the Early Presence of Maize in Southern Quebec

2015 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 408-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Gates St-Pierre ◽  
Robert G. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Late Woodland ◽  
Woodland Period ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Late Woodland Period ◽  
Middle Woodland Period ◽  
Ceramic Vessels ◽  
New Crop ◽  
St Lawrence River

It has long been believed that maize (Zea maysspp.mays) was introduced in Quebec at around A.D. 1000, at the very beginning of the Late Woodland period. The identification and dating of maize phytoliths extracted from the carbonized encrustations on the interior surfaces of Native American ceramic vessels from three sites located in the St. Lawrence River valley, namely the Hector-Trudel, Station-4, and Place-Royale sites, indicate that this cultigen was rather introduced in that area during the Early Middle Woodland period, ca.400 to 200 B.C. These sites provide the northernmost and possibly the oldest evidence of maize consumption in northeastern North America. More samples of maize phytoliths from the same two sites were dated to the late Middle Woodland period, between A.D. 600 and 800, suggesting an increase in the ubiquity and importance of this new crop in the subsistence strategies. Moreover, the identification of an unknown variety of maize points toward the possibility that a new local variety of maize appeared during the process. This process might have been accompanied by a more intensive and complementary collecting of wild rice. Finally, the results support the hypothesis of an in situ origin of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians.

scholarly journals Phelps Lake and Jim Burt: Two Middle Woodland Period Mounds in Northwestern Louisiana

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffery S. Girard
Keyword(s):  
Woodland Period ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Middle Woodland Period

Clarence Webb defined the pre-Caddoan Bellevue focus on the basis of investigations at several isolated mounds located in upland settings in northwestern Louisiana. With the exception of the Bellevue Site (16B04), little detailed information is available about these mounds. Most were excavated many years ago and few notes, photographs, or other records exist This paper describes the results of recent cleaning of an old excavation trench through one of the Bellevue focus sites the Phelps Lake Mound (16B024). The work has provided a relatively detailed look at the mound strata. A radiocarbon assay on a sample of charcoal underlying the mound constitutes one of the few chronometric dates from a Bellevue focus context. Also discussed briefly is the Jim Burt Site (16B023), where a radiocarbon assay was obtained on charcoal recovered near the mound.

From Vacant Center to Early Village (Phase 1)

2018 ◽  
pp. 101-116
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Pluckhahn ◽  
Victor D. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
Woodland Period ◽  
First Century ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Middle Woodland Period ◽  
Crystal River ◽  
The Village

Radiocarbon dates from the lowermost levels in midden excavations suggest that people began to live at Crystal River sometime in the first century AD, during the Middle Woodland period. Phase 1 was relatively short, probably lasting only a century or two. Evidence from features and GPR suggest that the village was comprised of a scatter of small houses. Isotopic analysis of the shells of oysters suggest that the settlement was impermanent. Ceramics (including Deptford pottery) from this interval show disparity in temper suggestive of two communities of practice. It would thus seem that the dispersed groups that had congregated at the site to participate in ceremonies for hundreds of years began residing for longer intervals.

The Temporal and Social Implications of Ohio Hopewell Copper Ear Spool Design

1998 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine C. Ruhl ◽  
Mark F. Seeman
Keyword(s):  
Social Groups ◽  
Woodland Period ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Social Patterns ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Middle Woodland Period ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Ohio Hopewell ◽  
Over Time

In a recent synthesis of style theory, Carr (1995) proposed a model based on attribute hierarchies, which reveal social patterns. The present study applies Carr's model of style to a large sample of bicymbal copper ear spools, a diagnostic “Hopewell” artifact class of the Middle Woodland period (ca. 150 B.C.—A.D. 400) in eastern North America. After ear spool attributes are defined and ranked for their visibility, a seriation of the ear spools is developed and tested for time and space correlations. Results are consistent with the interpretation that the size of social groups participating in ritual events increased over time, while the technical requirements for ear spool durability decreased. The “visibility” of ear spool attributes relates to patterns of group interaction at the level of the site, sub-region and region, thus supporting Carr's model. The model has limitations when bridging from archaeological data to ethnographic interpretations, although our results indicate that exchange of finished goods and technology was less important within the context of the Hopewell Interaction Sphere than the construction of Hopewell ideologies.

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