Archaic earthworks of the Lower Mississippi Valley : interpretations from the field / Jon. L. Gibson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gibson, Jon L., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mounds--Mississippi River Valley.

Mounds.

Social archaeology.

Earthworks (Archaeology).

Antiquities.

Mississippi River Valley--Antiquities.

Mississippi River Valley.

Earthworks (Archaeology)--Mississippi River Valley.

Social archaeology--Mississippi River Valley.

Physical Description:

xiv, 213 pages : illustrations, maps ; 27 cm

Place of Publication:

Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2020]

Summary:

"In the decades since the recognition of Archaic mounds in the Lower Mississippi Valley, archaeologists have proposed many different, and often opposing, interpretations of their meaning: physical, social, residential, and sacred uses are among the field's top explanations, but these are far from the only proposed answers to the question of why the mounds were built. The culmination of over fifty years of research and study, Archaic Earthworks of the Lower Mississippi Valley is Jon L. Gibson's attempt to unpack the best explanations for these earthworks and the peoples who made them"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Lots of Questions, Never Enough Answers

Archaic Mounds in Review

Chronology Unabridged

Reluctant Details: Poverty Point Construction

Building Progression and Mound Stages

Cosmic Mounds

Archaic Earthworks Lacking the MTV Layout

Building Big and Tall

Working on the Big Mound

Onset of Community

The Great Mounds: Beginning or End?

Middle Archaic Sociality and Authority

Poverty Point Sociality: A People Divided

Monuments for the Ages

Venerable Mound Building in Retrospect.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-208) and index.

ISBN:

9780807172032

0807172030

OCLC:

1110674781