This study examines how the Adena mortuary program was practiced in the Upper Scioto Valley in central Ohio. In the Alum Lake area of the valley, Adena mortuary rituals consisted of a relatively homogeneous and stable program of... more
This study examines how the Adena mortuary program was practiced in the Upper Scioto Valley in central Ohio. In the Alum Lake area of the valley, Adena mortuary rituals consisted of a relatively homogeneous and stable program of secondary cremation burials. By contrast, mortuary rituals in the Columbus area were highly variable in their treatment and placement of the bodies and artifacts. To interpret this pattern, I suggest that groups may have more heterogeneous ritual patterns when their ritual leaders have frequent contact with other people and ideas. Conversely, smaller and more isolated groups may more closely approach an ideal of ritual stability since the interpretations of their ritual leaders will not be challenged and influenced by outside groups. Finally, I consider some of the broad implications of the study for Adena sites throughout the Ohio Valley.
In this paper we examine the enigmatic but plentiful hand-molded, baked-clay objects known as Poverty Point Objects (PPOs) from a number of different facets. Although the vast majority of these Terminal Archaic artifacts are found in the... more
In this paper we examine the enigmatic but plentiful hand-molded, baked-clay objects known as Poverty Point Objects (PPOs) from a number of different facets. Although the vast majority of these Terminal Archaic artifacts are found in the Lower Mississippi Valley, they also are found at sites as far north as Clarksville, Indiana, and as far east as the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Although most archaeologists generally assume PPOs were used primarily for roasting food, we consider a variety of other possible functions, including their use in boiling water and as symbolic tokens linking the far-flung Poverty Point culture area. We demonstrate that even though a few other archaeological cultures in the world used round clay balls for cooking, the Poverty Point culture was unique in the care, variety, and standardized forms of its baked-clay objects. We discuss the various PPO types and their possible functions in nine distinct regions in the southeastern United States and, based on our thin-section analyses of samples, we demonstrate that PPOs circulated among different sites in these regions.
Attempts to account for the impressive and unusual archaeological record of the World Heritage site of Poverty Point have often faltered. The vast and diverse set of artifacts, the spectacular and well-designed earthworks, and the... more
Attempts to account for the impressive and unusual archaeological record of the World Heritage site of Poverty Point have often faltered. The vast and diverse set of artifacts, the spectacular and well-designed earthworks, and the millions of baked-clay objects known as Poverty Point Objects are all distinctive and anomalous features of the site. This paper argues that the archaeological record of Poverty Point can best be explained as the product of periodic, ritualized feasting events. Drawing on diverse archaeological and anthropological studies of feasting I demonstrate that it is a useful research framework for understanding the site's content because many of the archaeological signatures of feasting are present at Poverty Point. I argue furthermore that Poverty Point Objects were an integral component of this culture of feasting and offer hypotheses on their role in the feasts. ARTICLE HISTORY
Ceramic artifacts from northwest Florida were tested non-destructively with a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to study production and trade during the Late Archaic, Late Prehistoric, and Protohistoric periods. Analyses using a... more
Ceramic artifacts from northwest Florida were tested non-destructively with a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to study production and trade during the Late Archaic, Late Prehistoric, and Protohistoric periods. Analyses using a Bruker III-V were conducted on 500 ceramic samples from 8 archaeological sites, for 180 seconds and using a filter that provides highly precise data for trace elements Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, and Nb. While these ceramics were not painted or glazed, analyses were done on both inside and outside surfaces, and on broken edges. Quantitative values in ppm were produced using widely shared calibration software for these elements, and principal components analysis of the data show that the ceramics fall into distinguishable site groups, with most of the artifacts tested most likely coming from clay sources near each site. Further investigation assesses whether there are patterns based on object type and decoration, and the advantages and disadvantages of using this method.
