The Beginning of the End: Abandonment Micro-histories in the Mississippian Vacant Quarter

Cobb, Charles R.; Krus, Anthony M.; Deter-Wolf, Aaron; Smith, Kevin; Boudreaux, Edmond A.; Lieb, Brad R.

doi:10.1007/s10816-023-09613-w

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…We also bring together, for the first time, the radiocarbon chronologies for these regions. With the aid of AMS dating, refinements to Mississippian period chronologies have been made in all these regions, most recently in the MCR and Ridge and Valley (e.g., Beahm 2013;Braly 2013;Cobb et al 2023;Dalton-Carriger 2011;Harle 2003;King 2003King , 2007Koerner 2005;Koerner and Dalton-Carriger 2016;Krus and Cobb 2018;Lulewicz 2017Lulewicz , 2018Lulewicz , 2019aLulewicz , 2019bPatch et al 2017Patch et al , 2018Smith and Moore 2018;Sullivan 2007Sullivan , 2016Sullivan , 2018aSullivan et al 2022). The improved chronologies have been used in studies of under-or unanalyzed relevant objects made in the homeland as compared with imitations made elsewhere (e.g., Dye 2021;Jones 2018;King 2020;King and Sawyer 2017;Marceaux and Dye 2007;Sharp et al 2020;Smith 2020;Smith and Miller 2009;Smith and Moore 2018), revisits to major sites using modern field techniques including geophysics (Bigman et al 2011;King et al 2011;Lowry et al 2019Lowry et al , 2017Patch and Lowry 2014;Patch et al 2015Patch et al , 2016, and bioarchaeological studies (e.g., Harle 2010;Kelso 2013Kelso , 20...…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tracking Mississippian Migrations from the Central Mississippi Valley to the Ridge and Valley with a Unified Absolute Chronology

Sullivan,

Smith,

Meeks

et al. 2024

Am. Antiq.

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As regional chronologies become better defined, we are better able to track large-scale population movements and related cultural change. A dataset of 156 radiocarbon dates from the Middle Cumberland Region (MCR), evaluated with 199 more dates from the Ridge and Valley portions of northern Georgia and East Tennessee, enable modeling of population movements from the Central Mississippi Valley into the MCR, as well as subsequent movements and effects in the Ridge and Valley between AD 1200 and 1450. The dissolution of Cahokia is of particular interest, because the MCR falls geographically between the American Bottom and the Ridge and Valley province. This large-scale chronological perspective places key events in this part of the Southeast and Midwest into a unified historical framework that increases our understanding of the timing of cultural events. A related goal is to sort out possible external events and influences that may have affected this large region. This study makes apparent the relationships between cultural events and natural events, such as the drought sequences reported for the Central Mississippi Valley and beyond.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cemeteries were used rather than burial mounds, and architecture shifted from wall-trench to single-post construction. By the end of the Thruston phase, from AD 1425 to 1475, there was a major decline in regional population (Beahm 2013;Cobb et al 2023;Krus and Cobb 2018;Smith and Moore 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking Mississippian Migrations from the Central Mississippi Valley to the Ridge and Valley with a Unified Absolute Chronology

Sullivan,

Smith,

Meeks

et al. 2024

Am. Antiq.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Placing radiocarbon dating at the center of collective archaeological practice

Garland,

Thompson,

Birch

et al. 2024

Southeastern Archaeology

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Climate-conscious archaeology: contextualizing drought and history in the Chesapeake

Henshaw,

Gallivan,

Pollak

2024

North American Archaeologist

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This paper adopts a climate-conscious approach to archaeology, integrating environmental scientists’ definitions of extended droughts and megadroughts into the analysis of historical processes in the Chesapeake region of North America. We explore the relationship between drought conditions and historical processes through three case studies: Ancestral Monacans’ migration, the settlement dynamics in the Middle Potomac, and the emergence of the Powhatan chiefdom. Employing the Palmer Modified Drought Index as a paleoclimatic proxy, the research assesses how variations in rainfall and drought influenced migration, agriculture, and political formations. The findings underscore the complex interplay between Native history and environmental conditions, suggesting that the impact of climate on historical processes ranged from negligible to substantial, particularly with the adoption of maize-based agriculture. This study highlights the benefits of a climate-informed archaeological inquiry that recognizes the historically contingent ways in which climatic variability has shaped and is entangled with social change.

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The Beginning of the End: Abandonment Micro-histories in the Mississippian Vacant Quarter

Cited by 3 publications

References 71 publications

Tracking Mississippian Migrations from the Central Mississippi Valley to the Ridge and Valley with a Unified Absolute Chronology

Tracking Mississippian Migrations from the Central Mississippi Valley to the Ridge and Valley with a Unified Absolute Chronology

Placing radiocarbon dating at the center of collective archaeological practice

Climate-conscious archaeology: contextualizing drought and history in the Chesapeake

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