Bioarchaeological Evidence of Occupational Stress and Specialized Task Activity at Spiro Mounds, Oklahoma

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The archaeological site of Spiro Mounds was a ceremonial complex with an associated village of artisans and priests. Located on the Arkansas River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, the site is situated in a natural corridor between the Southeast, the Plains, and the Southwestern United States. Long considered a quintessential Mississippian site (AD 1000–1450), this, one of the wealthiest of the Southeast complexes, was strategically placed as a cultural gateway. Through a detailed bioarchaeological analysis, individuals from Spiro Mounds are examined for evidence of occupational stress. Although there is an emphasis on high status burials interred at Spiro Mounds, certain individuals exhibited osteological and dental changes due to activities exhibiting identifiable signatures of specific task-related processes. Here, the focus is on a suite of dental and skeletal changes that, elsewhere, have been attributed to basket weaving.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41656.0