A Social Network Exploration of Models of Social Space and Community Organization at Moundville

Summary

This is an abstract from the "People and Space: Defining Communities and Neighborhoods with Social Network Analysis" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Moundville is one of the largest Mississippian sites in North America consisting of at least 29 earthen mounds positioned around an open plaza. Numerous researchers have remarked on the regularized spatial layout of the site, arguing that the formal arrangement of the mounds and plaza reflect social organization at the site. No fewer than four detailed models have been proposed to explain the social aspects of this formal arrangement, though most researchers now subscribe to a model that argues that the layout of the mounds closely resembles the spatial arrangement documented among the historic Chickasaw, where kin groups allocated space around a political authority based on rank. In this paper we use the methods of social network analysis to evaluate the competing models for the organization of social space at Moundville. Ceramic data, including sherd counts and modes, from all central and periphery mounds were used to establish network ties. Initial results suggest most mounds are closely tied; however, at least one mound, Mound P, demonstrates significant separation from the other mounds. This implies a distinct contrast that may not be addressed by previous models of the formal layout of Moundville.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• People and Space: Defining Communities and Neighborhoods with Social Network Analysis

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33028