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Large-Scale Patterns in the Chemical Composition of Mississippian Pottery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Vincas P. Steponaitis ,
M. James Blackman  and
Hector Neff
Vincas P. Steponaitis
Affiliation:
Research Laboratories of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3120
M. James Blackman
Affiliation:
Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560
Hector Neff
Affiliation:
Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
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Abstract

Neutron activation analysis of Mississippian sherds from 21 regions across the Southeast has revealed the existence of distinctive chemical groups that are associated with four large geographical areas. One such group is associated with sites along the Mississippi River and its western tributaries, a second is associated with sites on the Appalachian Rim in Tennessee, a third is associated with sites on the Piedmont and associated drainages, and a fourth is associated with sites in Alabama. This pattern reflects the existence of several large, clay-mineral provinces in the Southeast that now can be recognized as sources in future studies of long-distance exchange.

El análisis de activación de neutrones de tiestos Misisipí procedentes de 21 regiones a lo largo del sureste de Estados Unidos ha revelado la existencia de grupos químicos distintos asociados con cuatro áreas geográficas. Uno grupo se asocia con sitios a lo largo del Río Misisipí y sus tributarios occidentales; un segundo grupo se asocia con sitios en el Borde de Appalachia en Tennessee; un tercero se asocia con sitios en el piedemonte y drenajes asociados; y un cuarto se asocia con sitios en Alabama. Este patrón refleja la existencia de varias provincias grandes de arcillas-minerales en el Sureste que hoy pueden reconocerse como fuentes enfuturos análisis de intercambio a larga distancia.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 61 , Issue 3 , July 1996 , pp. 555 - 572
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1996

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