Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which period is associated with the Hopewell Site?
Which period is associated with the Hopewell Site?
- Late Mississippian
- Early Mississippian
- Middle Woodland (correct)
- Late Archaic
Where is Monk's Mound located?
Where is Monk's Mound located?
- Alabama
- Ohio
- Cahokia, Illinois (correct)
- Kentucky
What types of gender-related objects were found in some burials at Indian Knoll?
What types of gender-related objects were found in some burials at Indian Knoll?
- Mica and shell beads with females
- Axes and fishhooks with females
- Copper and marine shells with males
- Nutting stones and bone beads with males (correct)
Which site had evidence for elaborate burial rituals for elite male individuals?
Which site had evidence for elaborate burial rituals for elite male individuals?
How many earthen mounds are present at Moundville?
How many earthen mounds are present at Moundville?
During which period did most residents of Moundville move away?
During which period did most residents of Moundville move away?
What was the primary method used to construct the mounds at Poverty Point in Louisiana?
What was the primary method used to construct the mounds at Poverty Point in Louisiana?
What is the significance of the spatial arrangement of houses at Poverty Point?
What is the significance of the spatial arrangement of houses at Poverty Point?
How far away did people who shared the same material culture as Poverty Point live?
How far away did people who shared the same material culture as Poverty Point live?
What kind of structures did the Late Archaic peoples along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina build?
What kind of structures did the Late Archaic peoples along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina build?
What has been suggested as a possible purpose for the Shell Ring Complexes in recent analyses?
What has been suggested as a possible purpose for the Shell Ring Complexes in recent analyses?
Which area had a Shell Ring Complex with three shell rings according to the text?
Which area had a Shell Ring Complex with three shell rings according to the text?
During which period did pottery become widespread and people invest more energy in cultivating local sunflower, goosefoot, and marsh elder?
During which period did pottery become widespread and people invest more energy in cultivating local sunflower, goosefoot, and marsh elder?
What is the main material that composed Ring I, the largest ring, of a site suggesting feasting?
What is the main material that composed Ring I, the largest ring, of a site suggesting feasting?
What imported material from Yellowstone National Park entered the Eastern archaeological record during the Early Woodland period?
What imported material from Yellowstone National Park entered the Eastern archaeological record during the Early Woodland period?
Which theory helps us understand how people's actions led to changes in settlement, subsistence, and social traditions at the beginning of the Woodland period?
Which theory helps us understand how people's actions led to changes in settlement, subsistence, and social traditions at the beginning of the Woodland period?
Which habitation site in the lower Mississippi Valley was abandoned due to increased flooding caused by global climate changes in the Late Archaic period?
Which habitation site in the lower Mississippi Valley was abandoned due to increased flooding caused by global climate changes in the Late Archaic period?
Which tradition emerged in the central part of the Ohio Valley during the Early Woodland period and is known for burial mound complexes?
Which tradition emerged in the central part of the Ohio Valley during the Early Woodland period and is known for burial mound complexes?
By what year did Cahokia begin its rise toward being an influential ritual and political center?
By what year did Cahokia begin its rise toward being an influential ritual and political center?
How many truncated pyramids were there in the East St. Louis Site according to archaeological evidence?
How many truncated pyramids were there in the East St. Louis Site according to archaeological evidence?
Which structure at Cahokia was used to observe the solstices, equinoxes, and other days related to the agricultural cycle?
Which structure at Cahokia was used to observe the solstices, equinoxes, and other days related to the agricultural cycle?
What was the purpose of the wooden palisade at Cahokia?
What was the purpose of the wooden palisade at Cahokia?
During which period did the Adena archaeological mound building tradition first appear in Eastern North America?
During which period did the Adena archaeological mound building tradition first appear in Eastern North America?
Compared to the Giza Pyramid, how tall was Monk's Mound at Cahokia?
Compared to the Giza Pyramid, how tall was Monk's Mound at Cahokia?
What were the conical mounds of the Adena tradition primarily used for?
What were the conical mounds of the Adena tradition primarily used for?
What linked together the social, political, and ceremonial lives of many people in Greater Cahokia?
What linked together the social, political, and ceremonial lives of many people in Greater Cahokia?
Which site was one of the most important political and ritual centers of the Mississippian period?
Which site was one of the most important political and ritual centers of the Mississippian period?
When did the Hopewell tradition of mound building and burial complexes first appear?
When did the Hopewell tradition of mound building and burial complexes first appear?
What is the Hopewell Interaction Sphere?
What is the Hopewell Interaction Sphere?
Which site was associated with Cahokia and was part of the Hopewell Interaction Sphere?
Which site was associated with Cahokia and was part of the Hopewell Interaction Sphere?
Study Notes
Adena and Early Woodland Period
- Adena: an archaeological mound building tradition that emerged during the Early Woodland period in Eastern North America, around 1000 cal BC
- Conical mounds contained burials that accumulated over many years, with the size of the mounds growing as basket-carried earth was added to cover new burials
- Early Woodland period saw the widespread adoption of pottery and increased investment in cultivating local sunflower, goosefoot, and marsh elder
- Exchange of exotic materials was more extensive than in the Late Archaic period, with obsidian imported from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming entering the Eastern archaeological record
Cahokia and the Early Mississippian Period
- Cahokia: an Early Mississippian period site in Illinois, one of the most important political and ritual centers of the Mississippian period
- "Downtown" area contained Monk's Mound, the Great Plaza, a Woodhenge, sub-Mound 51, and a wooden palisade, as well as several other earthen mounds and plazas
- Monk's Mound: an Early Mississippian period earthen truncated pyramid, the largest pre-Columbian man-made construction north of Mexico
- Mound 72: an Early Mississippian period burial mound, contains evidence for elaborate burial rituals for elite male individuals and probable sacrifice burials
Hopewell Tradition
- Hopewell: an Eastern North America tradition of mound building, burial complexes, and long-distance exchange networks that appeared during the Middle Woodland period, starting around 200 cal BC
- Hopewell Interaction Sphere: a Middle Woodland "phenomenon" in which certain aspects of ritual and ceremony were shared across a wide region in Eastern North America among Hopewell-affiliated groups
- Hopewell Site: a Middle Woodland period site in Ohio, contains earthen works, including burial mounds with tens of thousands of exotic materials as grave goods and ceremonial deposits
Other Sites
- Indian Knoll: a Late Archaic period site in Kentucky, dating between 3000 and 2500 cal BC, has a shell midden and a cemetery with over 1100 individual burials
- Moundville: a Late Mississippian period site in Alabama, with 29 earthen mounds, a plaza, and a palisade, became a significant center around AD 1200
- Poverty Point Culture: built some of the largest prehistoric constructions north of Mexico, starting around 1750 cal BC, with a complex social hierarchy
- Shell Ring Complexes: built by Late Archaic peoples along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina, possibly as intentional monument building or feasting grounds
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