1992/10/01 by Douglas K. Charles
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies #Archaeology and Natural History
paper · doi:10.1080/00438243.1992.9980202
Abstract The Woodland period in eastern North America was the climax of the gatherer‐hunter‐horticultural‐ist way of life. In many areas, the dead from this period were buried in earthen mounds. These facilities are readily discovered during systematic pedestrian surveys, and they can provide data for regional population estimates and for studies of social change. This paper presents the rationale for such inferences, and it documents a case‐study from west‐central Illinois. The results suggest a refinement in our understanding of Hopewell and the transition from Middle to Late Woodland patterns of material culture. The Middle Woodland period, at least in this region, was not one of stable development but was instead an era of marked population redistribution. Hopewell exchange and mortuary ritual were used by elite segments of communities to create, sustain and/or augment their social standing. The ‘less interesting’ Late Woodland material culture reflects a stabilization of the social and demographic scene, which in turn set the stage for Mississippian agriculture and social complexity.