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.

Contenu

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