Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Archaeology of Angel Mounds

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

Under the supervision of Dr. K. Anne Pyburn, Dru McGill will analyze data collected from ceramic ceramics previously excavated from the Mississippian-era archaeological site of Angel Mounds. Angel Mounds State Historic Site, located on the Ohio River in southwest Indiana, is a civic-ceremonial center dating between A.D. 1000-1450, which includes large platform mounds and hundreds of structures surrounded by a fortification wall. Recent research has suggested the existence of "neighborhoods" at Angel Mounds, organized by kinship relationships. During Works Progress Administration-era, and subsequent Indiana University field-programs, archaeologists removed over two million artifacts from Angel Mounds, many of which have been minimally studied. McGill will focus his analysis on approximately 4,000 ceramic sherds to help understand the functions of residential groups and the organization of craft production at Angel Mounds and other Mississippian archaeological sites. The research is significant because it will shed new light on America's past. It will also help scientists to understand the basic processes which led to the development and maintenance of complex societies. Research on craft production and social organization provides insight into cultural features which are thought to influence a number of other theories and practices in archaeology, including: subsistence, ethnicity, ideology, identity, political economy, socio-political complexity, and kin and gender relations. A majority of previous research on craft production has focused on highly decorated "prestige-goods," which, while likely important to the political and economic strategies of Mississippian elites, constitute a small percentage of pottery found at Mississippian sites (approximately 1% at Angel Mounds). This study complements earlier work by focusing on plain utilitarian pottery likely made in domestic contexts. Utilitarian pottery will be analyzed by measuring various aspects of the "recipes" and formation techniques used by potters to process clay and shape pottery vessels, with the goal of determining if signatures exist for different pottery-making neighborhoods, or if pottery was made according to other standards (e.g. technological efficiency). By examining differences in pottery production techniques between neighborhoods or kin groups in Angel Mounds, this study has the potential to demonstrate intra-site diversity at Mississippian sites and support the idea that "commoners" were active agents in the creation of diverse Mississippian identities. Additionally, this research may contribute to our understanding of the extent of elite control over craft production, and the roles of women in households and kin groups in prehistoric societies. The project will also have broader impacts for public audiences. McGill will utilize his public education contacts at elementary and secondary schools, libraries, and state parks in Indiana (developed over five years of archaeology outreach experiences) to offer public lectures, classroom visits, and informative pamphlets and posters. Through these media, McGill will increase public knowledge about archaeology, the lives of prehistoric peoples, and science generally. Project data and conclusions will also be disseminated to the scientific community through publications and presentations at professional conferences. Finally, the broader impacts of this project include graduate student training for the author, and undergraduate student training for project research assistants, who will gain insight into collection management practices, ceramic analysis, and archaeology education.