Hidden in Plain Sight: Mississippi Plain Pottery as an Indicator of Movement on the Mississippian Periphery

Summary

Shell tempered pottery with smoothed surfaces, widely referred to as Mississippi Plain Pottery, is a ubiquitous but understudied element of Mississippian assemblages throughout the Midwest and Southeast. Along the northeastern Mississippian periphery, shell tempered plain pots and body sherds are present but have not been formally considered. Through analysis and direct dating of early Fort Ancient (c. AD 1000-1300) ceramic assemblages, we suggest that Mississippi Plain pottery appears early at some sites along the Middle Ohio River. Comparing these assemblages to contemporary Mississippian and Fort Ancient sites in the Ohio Valley points to a dichotomy in the early Fort Ancient system. Sites along the Ohio River appear to be more "Mississippian" in nature while sites south of the Ohio River appear to be more "Woodland" in nature. Using ceramic assemblage composition as one line of evidence in a multifaceted project investigating agricultural origins, it is becoming clear that the development of Fort Ancient societies was tied to the movement of Mississippians throughout the river valleys of the Midwest.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22144