Mississippian Occupations at the Ravensford and Iotla Sites

Summary

Recent large-scale excavations at the Ravensford and Iotla sites, and elsewhere in western North Carolina’s Cherokee "heartland", have documented Mississippian components that include architectural remains as well as artifact assemblages. But while Late Mississippian occupations have been found on many sites, Early and Middle Mississippian households and settlements have been difficult to isolate. Increased numbers of systematic surveys and excavations in recent years have uncovered evidence of these less visible occupations. Early and Middle Mississippian phases in western North Carolina have not been formally defined, but include both Early Pisgah and Etowah related phases. Mississippian influence appears to have been present during Early Pisgah in the form of flexed pole architecture, use of shell tempered ceramics, and maize agriculture. No evidence has yet been recovered that mounds were built during the Early Pisgah phases. By the Early Qualla phase, which includes later Pisgah ceramics, all of the hallmarks of Mississippian culture appear to be present. It is unclear if a chiefdom level of sociopolitical organization was present, however, and individual Mississippian towns and associated dispersed communities in the mountains may always have been relatively independent, as was true of the later Cherokee towns.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Pisgah Culture and Mississippian Adaptation on the Appalachian Periphery   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16947