Shaft Tombs in the Caddo World
Author(s): Michael Walters
Year: 2016
Summary
Shaft tombs are an interesting McCurtain Phase (1300-1700 ACE) mortuary ritual in the Caddo region. The tombs are dug into the center of preexisting mounds and around 8-10 individuals are supine, primarily interred, and facing the same direction. The shaft tombs could have been constructed as a revitalization ceremony after a period of abandonment from a site. Alternatively, the tombs could have functioned as a termination event at the end of an occupation for these sites. However, the purpose of the tombs are unclear. The goal of this project is to compile data from all shaft tombs in the Caddo region to test hypotheses about the place-making function of shaft tombs. Variables such as the date the shaft tomb was constructed and periods of settlement will help to address this question. Other variables (age, sex, artifacts, etc.) will be used for further inquiries. Data will be gathered from all known published sources.
Cite this Record
Shaft Tombs in the Caddo World. Michael Walters. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 404654)
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Keywords
Geographic Keywords
North America - Southeast
Spatial Coverage
min long: -91.274; min lat: 24.847 ; max long: -72.642; max lat: 36.386 ;