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A Prototype for the Southern Cult*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Gordon R. Willey
Gordon R. Willey*
Affiliation:
Bureau-of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.
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Extract

Eastern archaeologists are familiar with the phenomena which have, in recent years, been interpreted as the Southern Cult. Although there is some dispute concerning the functional nature of the Cult, its exact position in the prehistoric time scale, and the sources which inspired it, there is common recognition of its elements and widespread occurrences. These component elements are artistic motifs and certain specialized, non-utilitarian artifact types which are bound together by a unity of style and technical treatment. The geographic occurrences are predominantly Southeastern but extend from the Atlantic to the western periphery of the Mound Area. The intrinsic qualities of the elements easily lend them to interpretation as ritualistic symbols and paraphernalia, and their frequent appearance in large mound sites adds to the implications of ceremonial import.

Information

Type
Facts and Comments
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 13 , Issue 4Part1 , April 1948 , pp. 328 - 330
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1948

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Footnotes

*

Published by permission of the Secretary, Smithsonian Institution.

References

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