The Cannon Reservoir Human Ecology Project

The Cannon Reservoir Human Ecology Project: An Archaeological Study of Cultural Adaptations in the Southern Prairie Peninsula provides an overview of the Cannon Reservoir Human Ecology Project, formed in May 1977 as an interdisciplinary, regional archaeology program to investigate human adaptations on the southern fringes of the mid-continental Prairie Peninsula. The research centered on the area of northeastern Missouri in and around the site of the proposed Clarence Cannon Dam and Reservoir. The book demonstrates how objectives and goals have been integrated with various methods and techniques to generate and analyze a vast amount of data in a regional archaeological project.

Comprised of 18 chapters, this book first defines the objectives and goals of the project, describes the project area, and discusses the research design. A brief history of archaeological work in the region is also presented. The next section assesses the environment and implications for human settlement in the area, citing various physical and cultural changes that occurred during the Holocene and presenting developmental models of prehistoric and historical settlement systems. Subsequent chapters explore the chronology of the project area; analysis of lithic artifacts and vertebrate and archaeobotanical remains; prehistoric community patterns; and prehistoric and historic settlement patterns.

This monograph will appeal to students, specialists, and researchers in the fields of archaeology and anthropology.

Contenu

Contributor
Figure
Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I Research Orientation
1 Introduction
The Project Objective
Goals of the Project
The Project Area
History of Research in the Project Area
The Data Base
2 The Approach
Human Ecology
Regional Analysis
Community Pattern Analysis
Development of a Research Strategy
The Cannon Project Research Strategy
Part II Environment and Predictions
3 The Historical Setting
Climate
Landforms
Water
Soils
Flora
Fauna
Lithic Resources
Conclusions
4 Holocene Dynamics
Climatic Change
Culture Change
Summary
5 Models of Adaptation and Change
A Model of Prehistoric Adaptation and Change
A Model of Historic Adaptation and Change
Part III Regional Chronology
6 Chronology of the Preceramic Period
The Sites
The Projectile Point Classification
Projectile Point Class Distributions
Summary and Conclusions
7 Chronology of the Ceramic Period
Ceramic-Period Chronology at Pigeon Roost Creek
Monroe Phase 200 B.C.-A.D. 200
Central Valley Phase A.D. 200-600
Salt River Phase A.D. 600-750
Ralls Phase A.D. 750-1000
Perry Phase A.D. 1000-1400
Summary
8 A Regional Chronology of the Early Historical Period
An Overview of Settlement in the Salt Valley
Organization of Local Government and Settlement Prior to 1820
Organization of Local Government and Settlement, 1820-1830
Organization of Local Government and Town Formation in 1831
Township and Town Formation, 1832-1839
Economic Expansion, 1840 to the Civil War
Summary
Part IV Functional and Economic Indicators
9 Analysis of Lithic Artifacts
Lithic Analysis in 1981: A Brief Overview
Considerations in Developing the Cannon Lithic Analysis Systems
Description of the Cannon Project Lithic Classification Systems
Conclusions
10 Analysis of Vertebrate Remains
Methods of Reconstruction
The Vertebrate Assemblages
Vertebrate Taxa Encountered
Interassemblage Variability
Conclusions
11 Analysis of Archaeobotanical Remains
Site Collections
Plant Taxa Encountered
Discussion of Plant Remains
Summary
Part V Community Patterns
12 Prehistoric Community Patterns: Surface Definition
Surface Collection in the Regional Analytic Framework
A Review of Surface Formation Processes
Collection Techniques
Analysis of Surface Data
Summary and Conclusions
13 Prehistoric Community Patterns: Subsurface Definition
Community Composition
The Organization of Communities
14 Prehistoric Community Patterns: Surface to Subsurface Comparison
Surface Artifact Density and Location of Subsurface Features
The Distribution of Surface Versus Subsurface Artifact Classes
Summary
15 The Structure of Historic Communities
The Organization of Rural Communities
The Organization of Rural Farmsteads
The Organization of Rural Households: The Residential Structure
The Organization of Rural Households: Distributions of Portable Artifacts
The Organization of Rural Households: Intersite Comparison of Selected Artifact Classes
Overview of Rural Household Analysis
Summary
Part VI Patterns of Settlement
16 Prehistoric Settlement Patterns
Site Survey
Site Frequency Variation
Site Context Variation
Site Content Variation
Discussion and Conclusions
17 Historic Settlement Patterns
The Data Base
Analysis of Settlement Location Data
Testing the Implications of the Model
Conclusions
Part VII Concluding Remarks
18 Conclusions
Prehistoric Adaptations
Historic Adaptations
Grassland, Forest, and Man: The Future
References
Index