Filling the Built Environment: Using Ceramic Characteristics to Examine Fort Ancient Village Life

Summary

In the Middle Ohio Valley, the Early Fort Ancient period (AD 1000 – 1200) saw significant changes to social organization reflected in the built environment. Among the most archaeologically visible of these developments was a new style of settlement – the formal village – typically consisting of spatially differentiated zones arranged in concentric circles. This study selects two Early Fort Ancient village sites from the Cincinnati area, Guard (12D29) and Turpin (33HA19); each site displays patterns of spatially differentiated architecture and activity. To further understand the nature of this segregation of space and activity, we focus on the use of ceramics with particular attention on their technical and stylistic attributes as mechanisms through which participants shared information. We use X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) in conjunction with physical attributes to examine vessel function, the construction techniques of Fort Ancient potters, and the identification of non-local vessels. We use these data to create fuller pictures of the social organization and activities within each site, but also to expand our understanding of the different patterns that occur within the region during this period of social change.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage