The Timing of the Angel Polity: A Regional History from Site-Scale Chronology

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Constructing Chronologies I: Stratification and Correlation" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Angel polity, located within the northeast Mississippian (AD 1000–1500) frontier, consisted of a network of hamlets and villages along the Ohio River, encompassing ∼800 km2 in southwestern Indiana. In this paper, we present 22 new radiocarbon measurements from archaeological samples that provide dates for occupations, earthwork construction, and diagnostic ceramics from the region’s multi-mound center, Angel Mounds (12Vg1). Ninety-two radiocarbon measurements from archaeological samples have been obtained from the site, providing a robust sample and absolute chronological data regarding the timing of Mississippian activity. Angel Mounds contained civic and ceremonial earthworks, fortifications, and plazas likely built for the regional population; therefore, these chronological data provide crucial insights into polity-wide social and population dynamics. We present a Bayesian chronological framework to estimate the timing of the built environment, diagnostic ceramic handles, and occupations at Angel Mounds, while revisiting ideas about the site and regional history. We also review recent paleo-hydrological data used to derive precipitation history in the North American mid-continent to explore potential relationships between community reorganization and hydrological change during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly and onset of the Little Ice Age. Finally, we compare our modeling results to the absolute chronological data from neighboring sites and regions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Constructing Chronologies I: Stratification and Correlation

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32659