Local And ‘‘Global’’ Perspectives On The Middle Woodland Southeast

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Alice Wright Ph.D, Assistant Professor (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: During the Middle Woodland period, from 200 BC to AD 600, south-eastern societies erected monuments, interacted widely, and produced some of the most striking material culture of the pre-Columbian era, but these developments are often overshadowed by the contemporaneous florescence of Hopewell culture in Ohio. I argue that the demonstrable material links between the Middle Woodland Southeast and Midwest demand that we cease to analyze these regional archaeological records in isolation and adopt multiscalar perspectives on the social fields that emerged from and impacted local Middle Woodland societies. In synthesizing recent research on Middle Woodland settlement, monumentality, interaction, and social organization, I make explicit comparisons between the Middle Woodland Southeast and Ohio Hopewell, revealing both commonalities and contrasts. New methodological approaches in the Southeast, including geophysical survey techniques, Bayesian chronological modeling, and high-resolution provenance analyses, promise to further elucidate site-specific histories and inter-site connectivity. By implementing theoretical frameworks that simultaneously consider these local and global dimensions of Middle Woodland sociality, we may establish the southeastern Middle Woodland period as an archaeological context capable of elucidating the deep history of the Eastern Woodlands as well as long-standing issues surrounding middle-range societies.

Additional Information

Publication
Wright, Alice. (2017). "Local and ‘‘Global’’ Perspectives on the Middle Woodland Southeast." Journal of Archaeological Research Vol. 25 Issue 1. pp. 37-83 Version of Record Available at www.ebscohost.com
Language: English
Date: 2017
Keywords
Southeastern United States, Middle Woodland, Hopewell , Monumentality, Interaction

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