Regional variations Mississippian culture

1 regional variations

1.1 middle mississippian
1.2 south appalachian mississippian
1.3 caddoan mississippian
1.4 plaquemine mississippian

regional variations
middle mississippian

a mound diagram of mississippian cultural period showing multiple layers of mound construction, mound structures such temples or mortuaries, ramps log stairs, , prior structures under later layers, multiple terraces, , intrusive burials.



cahokia, largest mississippian culture site



kincaid, showing platform mounds , encircling palisade

the term middle mississippian used describe core of classic mississippian culture area. area covers central mississippi river valley, lower ohio river valley, , of mid-south area, including western , central kentucky, western tennessee, , northern alabama , mississippi. sites in area contain large ceremonial platform mounds, residential complexes , encircled earthen ditches , ramparts or palisades.

middle mississippian cultures, cahokia polity located near east st. louis, illinois, influential on neighboring societies. high status artifacts, including stone statuary , elite pottery associated cahokia, have been found far outside of middle mississippian area. these items, pottery, copied local artists.

cahokia: largest , complex mississippian site , largest pre-columbian settlement north of mexico, cahokia considered have been influential of mississippian culture centers.
angel mounds: chiefdom in southern indiana near evansville. thought archaeologists late mississippian caborn-welborn culture developed angel phase people around 1400 ce , lasted around 1700 ce.
kincaid site: major mississippian mound center in southern illinois across ohio river paducah, kentucky.
moundville: ranked cahokia 1 of 2 important sites @ core of mississippian culture, located near tuscaloosa, alabama.
the parkin site: type site parkin phase , expression of late mississippian culture, believed many archaeologists province of casqui visited hernando de soto in 1542.

south appalachian mississippian

stone effigies found @ etowah site

the term south appalachian province used w. h. holmes in 1903 describe regional ceramic style in southeast involving surface decorations applied carved wooden paddle. late 1960s archaeological investigations had shown similarity of culture produced pottery , midwestern mississippian pattern defined in 1937 midwestern taxonomic system.

in 1967 james b. griffin coined south appalachian mississippian describe evolving understanding of peoples of southeast. south appalachian mississippian area sites distributed across contiguous area including alabama, georgia, northern florida, south carolina, central , western north carolina, , tennessee. chronologically area became influenced mississippian culture later middle mississippian area (about 1000 ce compared 800 ce) northwest. believed peoples of area adopted mississippian traits northwestern neighbors.

typical settlements located on riverine floodplains , included villages defensive palisades enclosing platform mounds , residential areas. etowah , ocmulgee (both located in georgia) prominent examples of south appalachian mississippian settlements.

caddoan mississippian


map of caddoan mississippian culture



spiro, in eastern oklahoma

the caddoan mississippian area, regional variant of mississippian culture, covered large territory, including eastern oklahoma, western arkansas, northeastern texas, , northwestern louisiana. archaeological evidence has led scholarly consensus cultural continuity unbroken prehistory present, , caddo , related caddo language speakers in prehistoric times , @ first european contact direct ancestors of modern caddo nation of oklahoma.

the climate in area drier areas in eastern woodlands, hindering maize production, , lower population on plains west may have meant fewer neighboring competing chiefdoms contend with. major sites such spiro , battle mound site in arkansas river , red river valleys, largest , fertile of waterways in caddoan region, maize agriculture have been productive. sites lacked wooden palisade fortifications found in major middle mississippian towns. living on western edge of mississippian world, caddoans may have faced fewer military threats neighbors. societies may have had lower level of social stratification.

the caddoan people speakers of 1 of many caddoan languages. caddoan languages once had broad geographic distribution, many extinct. modern languages in caddoan family include caddo , pawnee, spoken elderly people.

hernando de soto led expedition area in 1540s, encountered several native groups thought have been caddoan. composed of many tribes, caddo organized 3 confederacies, hasinai, kadohadacho, , natchitoches, linked similar languages.

plaquemine mississippian


map showing geographical extent of plaquemine culture , of major sites

the plaquemine culture archaeological culture in lower mississippi river valley in western mississippi , eastern louisiana. examples of culture medora site (the type site culture , period) in west baton rouge parish, louisiana, , anna, emerald mound, winterville , holly bluff sites located in mississippi. plaquemine culture contemporaneous middle mississippian culture @ cahokia site near st. louis, missouri. considered ancestral natchez , taensa peoples.

emerald mound: plaquemine mississippian period archaeological site located on natchez trace parkway near stanton, mississippi. site dates period between 1200 , 1730. platform mound second-largest pre-columbian earthwork in country, after monks mound @ cahokia.
grand village of natchez: main village of natchez people, 3 mounds. mound site used , maintained historic times.




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