Households and Hopewellian Interaction in the American Southeast

Summary

The Middle Woodland period in the American Southeast was marked by a fluorescence of interaction, evidenced most prominently by Hopewellian exchange of exotic, symbolically-charged artifacts of stone, bone, shell, and minerals. The focus on exotic artifacts and their mortuary contexts has created a myopia toward exchange among elites, be they conceived as chiefs or religious specialists. However, recent work suggests that the exchange of exotics may have been secondary to more common exchange among households, including both utilitarian and craft goods, over both short long distances. Household exchange may thus have provided the context for elite exchange, rather than the other way around.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Households and Social Evolution: Comprehensive Approaches to Social Transformation

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14710