Synopses & Reviews
During the Mississippian period (approximately A.D. 1000-1600) in the midwestern and southeastern United States a variety of greater and lesser chiefdoms took shape. Archaeologists have for many years explored the nature of these chiefdoms from the perspective common in archaeological investigations—from the top down, investigating ceremonial elite mound structures and predicting the basic domestic unit from that data. Because of the increased number of field investigations at the community level in recent years, this volume is able to move the scale of investigation down to the level of community and household, and it contributes to major revisions of settlement hierarchy concepts.
Review
"Mississippian Communities and Households starts with the microscopic view as it measures similarities and differences in settlement organization on the basic household level. From these analyses the various authors in the volume advance to the macroscopic picture of how settlement, subsistence, and political structure are interrelated. Addressing these issues by starting with the small and advancing to the large offers a creative and innovative perspective to understanding the growth and development of complex societies in the Southeast. The various contributions in this collection of essays will certainly serve as models for archaeological investiations outside the Southeast also."Ian W. Brown, The University of Alabama
Review
"This excellent book illustrates the scope and vigor of contemporary solutions to some uniquely southeastern and some other universal problems concerning human organizations and long-term change. It will have an impact well beyond the Southeast."American Anthropologist
Synopsis
This volume is able to move the scale of investigation down to the level of community and household, and it contributes to major revisions of settlement hierarchy concepts.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-296) and index.