Kolomoki

by Pluckhahn, Thomas J.

• ISBN13: 9780817350178
• ISBN10: 0817350179
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: Univ of Alabama Pr

Summary

Kolomoki--one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the southeastern United States--includes at least nine large earthen mounds in the lower Chattahoochee River valley of southwest Georgia. The largest, Mound A, rises approximately 20 meters above the terrace that borders it. From its flat-topped summit, a visitor can survey the string of smaller mounds that form an arc to the south and west. Archaeological research had previously placed Kolomoki within the Mississippian period (ca. A.D. 1000-1500) primarily because of the size and form of the mounds. But this book presents data for the main period of occupation and mound construction that confirm an earlier date, in the Woodland period (ca. A.D. 350-750). Even though the long-standing confusion over Kolomoki's dating has now been settled, questions remain regarding the lifeways of its inhabitants. Thomas Pluckhan's research has recovered evidence concerning the level of site occupation and the house styles and daily lives of its dwellers. He presents here a new, revised history of Kolomoki from its founding to its eventual abandonment, with particular attention to the economy and ceremony at the settlement. This study makes an important contribution to the understanding of "middle range" societies, particularly the manner in which ceremony could both level and accentuate status differentiation within them. It provides a readable overview of one of the most important--but historically least understood--prehistoric Native American sites in the United States.

Table of Contents

Figures and Tables	vii
Acknowledgments	xiii
1. An Introduction to Kolomoki	1	(14)
2. Putting Kolomoki in Its Place: Defining the Temporal, Ecological, and Cultural Contexts	15	(32)
3. Preliminary Definition of Activity Areas at Kolomoki: Summary of Previous Research	47	(44)
4. Defining Activity Areas at Kolomoki: Results of Intensive Sampling	91	(35)
5. Characterizing Activity Areas at Kolomoki: Results of Test Excavations and Geophysical Prospection	126	(20)
6. Examining a Domestic Activity Area at Kolomoki: Results of Small Block Excavations	146	(34)
7. Kolomoki as a Historical Process	180	(43)
Notes	223	(4)
References Cited	227	(24)
Index	251