Exploration of the Etowah Site in Georgia

by Moorehead, Warren King

• ISBN13: 9780813017938
• ISBN10: 0813017939
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-04-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Florida

Summary

"The descriptive material [in the book] is priceless. . . . Any archaeologist who works on Mississippian cultures will want it."-Vin Steponaitis, University of North Carolina Spectacular discoveries at Mound C at the Etowah site in Georgia, the result of excavations from 1925 to 1928, changed the American perspective of the artistic achievements of prehistoric Native Americans in the eastern United States. These discoveries, in a mound that had supposedly already been excavated under the sponsorship of the Smithsonian Institution in 1883, made up the final major field expedition of Warren King Moorehead, a legendary figure in American archaeology. The papers, written in the first person and originally published in 1932, at the end of what is considered the humanistic "golden age" of American anthropology, today offer a fresh understanding of the history of American archaeology and of the cultural heritage of prehistoric Native America. The Etowah site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Contents I. Exploration of the Etowah Site in Georgia, by Warren King Moorehead II. History and Symbolism of the Muskhogeans, by Charles C. Willoughby III. A Study of the Ceramic Art of the Etowans, by Margaret E. Ashley IV. Comparison between Etowan, Mexican and Mayan Designs, by Zelia Nuttall V. Molluscan Shells from the Etowah Mounds, by Frank Collins Baker Warren King Moorehead (1866-1939) was known during his time as the dean of American archaeology. He was a member of the field staff for Indian exhibits at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and was the first curator of the Ohio Historical Society. At the time of his Etowah research he was director of the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Academy in Andover.

Author Biography

Warren King Moorehead (1866-1939) was director of the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Foreword	xi
Jerald T. Milanich
Introduction	xiii
Frank T. Schnell, Jr.
Acknowledgments	xxxv
General Description	1	(2)
The Geologist's Statement	3	(4)
Notes on the History and Symbolism of the Muskhogeans and the People of Etowah	7	(61)
Charles C. Willoughby
The Muskhogean Family	7	(1)
First Contact with Europeans	7	(4)
The Temple at Talimeco	11	(3)
The Domiciliary Mound at Guaxule	14	(1)
Etowah Not Visited by DeSoto	15	(3)
The Domiciliary Mound at Tascaluca	18	(1)
Cross Erected by the Spaniards on Mound at Casqui.	19	(3)
Mounds of the Natchez Division	22	(2)
Temple of the Natchez	24	(2)
The Traditional Founding of the Natchez Nation	26	(1)
Temple Effigies	27	(6)
The Eagle among the Muskhogeans	33	(2)
Embossed Copper Plates and Symbols from the Temple Mound	35	(12)
European Copper and Brass Plates among the Muskhogeans	47	(4)
Shell Gorgets from the Temple Mound	51	(11)
Serpent Gorgets from the Village Site at Etowah	62	(1)
Conclusion	63	(5)
Description of Excavations	68	(1)
Warren King Moorehead
Mound C First Season	68	(19)
The East Trench	76	(1)
The Second Season at Etowah	77	(9)
Third Season	86	(1)
Mound B	87	(2)
Pumpkinvine Site	89	(1)
The Village Site	90	(6)
Village Site West of Mound C	96	(1)
Artifacts from Mound C	97	(2)
The Chipped Objects	99	(1)
The Monolithic Axe	100	(1)
Material from the Village Site, Excluding Pottery	100	(7)
The Pipes	100	(2)
Idol Heads and Effigies	102	(1)
Ornamental Stones	102	(1)
Village Site Chipped Objects	103	(1)
Polished Stone Hatchets and Other Artifacts	104	(1)
Problematic Forms and Gorgets	105	(2)
A Study of the Ceramic Art of the Etowans	107	(8)
Margaret E. Ashley
Method of Pottery Making	108	(2)
Surface Finish	110	(1)
Composition of Paste	111	(2)
Form	113	(2)
Feet, Handles, Discs	115	(1)
Decoration	115	(1)
Incised Ware	115	(7)
Stamped Ware	122	(6)
Plain Ware	128	(2)
Painted Ware	130	(7)
Carters Quarter	130	(7)
Some Comparisons Between Etowan, Mexican and Mayan Designs	137	(8)
Zelia Nuttall
Etowah Gorgets with Serpent Symbol	142	(1)
The Etowah Spider Gorgets	143	(1)
Etowah Woodpecker Gorgets	143	(2)
Molluscan Shells from Etowah Mounds	145	(6)
Frank Collins Baker
Comparison of the Four Groups	145	(1)
Fresh Water Mollusca	146	(1)
Aquatic Bivalves or Clams	146	(1)
Aquatic Gastropods or Snails	147	(1)
Marine Mollusca	148	(1)
Clams or Bivalves	148	(1)
Snails	149	(2)
Carters Quarter Site	151	(4)
Surface Finds, Carter Quarter Site	155	(1)
Fort Mountain	155	(1)
Reconnoissances	156	(3)
Explorations Near Natchez, Mississippi	159	(7)
Field Work	160	(1)
The Emerald Mound	161	(2)
The Ferguson Mounds	163	(1)
Artifacts from the Surface	164	(1)
Observations upon Explorations near Natchez	164	(2)
General Observations and Conclusions	166	(7)
Mexican-Etowah Comparisons	168	(1)
A Discussion of Origin	168	(2)
The Writer's Theory	170	(1)
Mr. Brannon's Remarks	171	(2)
Index	173