ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of socia... more ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of social organization and political economy, but the inclusion of artifactual datasets in these interpretations has occurred less frequently. As a result, we often do not know much about the activities actually associated with public buildings and spaces. This article discusses several public contexts at the Town Creek site (31Mg2), a single-mound Mississippian civic-ceremonial center in central North Carolina that was occupied between AD 1150–1400. Architectural remains and multiple artifact classes are used to explore the activities associated with several public buildings in the mound area at Town Creek. Premound and mound-summit public spaces at Town Creek were associated with food consumption at multiple scales, some of which is consistent with feasting, the consumption of special foods, craft production, and ritual activities that included smoking and tattooing. Some of these activities appear to have been integrative and inclusive while others took place in smaller, more inaccessible spaces, which suggests they were more exclusive in nature. Our findings are consistent with the idea that crafting and the performance of rituals in public spaces were important aspects of leadership at Town Creek.
ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of socia... more ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of social organization and political economy, but the inclusion of artifactual datasets in these interpretations has occurred less frequently. As a result, we often do not know much about the activities actually associated with public buildings and spaces. This article discusses several public contexts at the Town Creek site (31Mg2), a single-mound Mississippian civic-ceremonial center in central North Carolina that was occupied between AD 1150–1400. Architectural remains and multiple artifact classes are used to explore the activities associated with several public buildings in the mound area at Town Creek. Premound and mound-summit public spaces at Town Creek were associated with food consumption at multiple scales, some of which is consistent with feasting, the consumption of special foods, craft production, and ritual activities that included smoking and tattooing. Some of these activities appear to have been integrative and inclusive while others took place in smaller, more inaccessible spaces, which suggests they were more exclusive in nature. Our findings are consistent with the idea that crafting and the performance of rituals in public spaces were important aspects of leadership at Town Creek.
In this paper, I outline and compare the individual contexts that make up the mound at the Town C... more In this paper, I outline and compare the individual contexts that make up the mound at the Town Creek site (31Mg2-3). The main objective of this research was to determine what activities may have been associated with the mound by looking at five different contexts: a premound midden, a premound earth-embanked structure, two mound-flank middens, and a mound summit deposit. These contexts were differentiated stratigraphically and spatially in the hope that a diachronic view of activities associated with mound contexts could be determined. In order to compare these contexts, abundance indices (adapted from Knight 2004, 2010) for artifact classes were calculated by weighting raw artifact counts by ceramic sherd and debitage density. While only a broad explanation of activities could be derived from this analysis, some interesting interpretations can be drawn.
"Mississippian chiefdoms of the southeastern United States have commonly been characterized by th... more "Mississippian chiefdoms of the southeastern United States have commonly been characterized by the presence of large towns, a dependence upon maize-agriculture, and the presence of large platform mounds. Research regarding the role of platform mounds within these societies has been particularly intensive, and interpretations regarding the use of these mounds have varied. The major premise of this thesis is to determine variation among mound contexts at Town Creek by utilizing comparative indices. These comparisons found important differences in the activities represented in a premound midden, two mound-flank middens, and contexts associated with mound-summit structures. Also, a radiocarbon date of A.D. 1285-1400 was obtained for one of the flank middens, which is consistent with a previous interpretation of when mound construction began at the site. This date will help refine the site’s existing mound-construction chronology."
ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of socia... more ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of social organization and political economy, but the inclusion of artifactual datasets in these interpretations has occurred less frequently. As a result, we often do not know much about the activities actually associated with public buildings and spaces. This article discusses several public contexts at the Town Creek site (31Mg2), a single-mound Mississippian civic-ceremonial center in central North Carolina that was occupied between AD 1150–1400. Architectural remains and multiple artifact classes are used to explore the activities associated with several public buildings in the mound area at Town Creek. Premound and mound-summit public spaces at Town Creek were associated with food consumption at multiple scales, some of which is consistent with feasting, the consumption of special foods, craft production, and ritual activities that included smoking and tattooing. Some of these activities appear to have been integrative and inclusive while others took place in smaller, more inaccessible spaces, which suggests they were more exclusive in nature. Our findings are consistent with the idea that crafting and the performance of rituals in public spaces were important aspects of leadership at Town Creek.
ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of socia... more ABSTRACT Attributes of Mississippian public architecture have been used to infer aspects of social organization and political economy, but the inclusion of artifactual datasets in these interpretations has occurred less frequently. As a result, we often do not know much about the activities actually associated with public buildings and spaces. This article discusses several public contexts at the Town Creek site (31Mg2), a single-mound Mississippian civic-ceremonial center in central North Carolina that was occupied between AD 1150–1400. Architectural remains and multiple artifact classes are used to explore the activities associated with several public buildings in the mound area at Town Creek. Premound and mound-summit public spaces at Town Creek were associated with food consumption at multiple scales, some of which is consistent with feasting, the consumption of special foods, craft production, and ritual activities that included smoking and tattooing. Some of these activities appear to have been integrative and inclusive while others took place in smaller, more inaccessible spaces, which suggests they were more exclusive in nature. Our findings are consistent with the idea that crafting and the performance of rituals in public spaces were important aspects of leadership at Town Creek.
In this paper, I outline and compare the individual contexts that make up the mound at the Town C... more In this paper, I outline and compare the individual contexts that make up the mound at the Town Creek site (31Mg2-3). The main objective of this research was to determine what activities may have been associated with the mound by looking at five different contexts: a premound midden, a premound earth-embanked structure, two mound-flank middens, and a mound summit deposit. These contexts were differentiated stratigraphically and spatially in the hope that a diachronic view of activities associated with mound contexts could be determined. In order to compare these contexts, abundance indices (adapted from Knight 2004, 2010) for artifact classes were calculated by weighting raw artifact counts by ceramic sherd and debitage density. While only a broad explanation of activities could be derived from this analysis, some interesting interpretations can be drawn.
"Mississippian chiefdoms of the southeastern United States have commonly been characterized by th... more "Mississippian chiefdoms of the southeastern United States have commonly been characterized by the presence of large towns, a dependence upon maize-agriculture, and the presence of large platform mounds. Research regarding the role of platform mounds within these societies has been particularly intensive, and interpretations regarding the use of these mounds have varied. The major premise of this thesis is to determine variation among mound contexts at Town Creek by utilizing comparative indices. These comparisons found important differences in the activities represented in a premound midden, two mound-flank middens, and contexts associated with mound-summit structures. Also, a radiocarbon date of A.D. 1285-1400 was obtained for one of the flank middens, which is consistent with a previous interpretation of when mound construction began at the site. This date will help refine the site’s existing mound-construction chronology."
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