Millstone Bluff Archaeological Project

玉米是史前北美最重要的农作物，在东南部和下中西部，大约在公元1000年，玉米园艺的大规模集约化与社会等级的上升密切相关。这一点在与密西西比文化土墩中心和不同的丧葬待遇有关的令人印象深刻的土方工程中表现得最为明显，通常涉及将精心制作的物品或异国情调的原材料与坟墓一起拘留。这些与密西西比河有关的大型遗址位于自然资源丰富、土壤肥沃的河底环境中。然而，近年来，考古学家在不太理想的高地地区发现了较小的-但仍然是重要的遗址。有些似乎与诸如开采盐作为盐等具体职能有关，而另一些则难以以这种方式解释。大河底遗址消失约。公元1,300年，高地遗址变得突出，这一时期或稍早于这一时期，或就在这一时期。根据现有的数据，无法确定这些地区是否只是在低地占领解体后才有人居住，或者它们是否构成了一个更大的同步社会和政治体系的一部分。也有人认为，高地民族是相对自治的。这个问题对希望了解密西西比河现象的考古学家很有兴趣。也许最大和最复杂的北美史前遗址是这一传统的一部分。有证据表明，大量的人生活在稳定的，长寿的等级组织的社会和主要中心之间的长距离交流发生。研究人员希望了解导致这些社会发展和维持的机制，为了实现这一目标，有必要将这些中心置于更广泛的地理背景下。 这就是巴特勒博士和科布斯博士研究的目标。 在国家科学基金会的支持下，这两位调查人员和他们的同事将在米尔斯通海崖遗址进行挖掘，该遗址位于肖尼山一座孤立的台地状山丘的顶部，距离俄亥俄州河约20公里。米尔斯通海崖显示了一个明确的网站计划与中央广场约1000平方米。m.，周围是一系列不同的凹陷（房子盆），排列成多层。在两个实地考察季节中，该小组将对该地点进行地球物理调查和挖掘，对周围地区进行行人调查，并在邻近的Mississperage地点进行挖掘。研究的目的之一是准确地确定占领的跨度，以确定它是否成功或与河底占领一致。通过对陶瓷和其他文化遗迹的分析，将有可能确定米尔斯通海崖居民行使的自治程度。对房屋之间物质遗存变化的研究将揭示遗址本身的社会组织和分层程度。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将在夏季考古实地学校的范围内进行，因此具有重要的培训目的。它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据，并为最重要的史前美洲原住民文化之一提供新的线索。

The great intensification of maize horticulture, the most important prehistoric North American crop, in the Southeast and lower Midwest that occurred around 1000 AD was closely linked to the rise of social hierarchy. This has been manifested most overtly in the impressive earthworks associated with Mississippian culture mound centers and differential mortuary treatment, often involving the internment of elaborate objects or exotic raw materials with graves. Such large impressive sites associated with the Mississippian are located in river bottom environments with abundant natural resources and rich soil. In recent years however archaeologists have discovered smaller - yet still substantial sites - in less desirable highland areas. Some appear associated with specific functions such as salt mining yet others are difficult to explain in that way. Large river bottom sites disappear ca. 1,300 AD and it is either slightly before or at just about this time that upland sites become prominent. Given the available data it is not possible to determine whether these latter regions were inhabited only after the breakup of the bottomland occupations or whether they formed part of a larger coincident social and political system. It has also been suggested that upland peoples were relatively autonomous. The question is of interest to archaeologists who wish to understand the Mississippean phenomenon. Perhaps the largest and most complex North American prehistoric sites are part of this tradition. Evidence indicates that large numbers of people lived were incorporated into stable, long-lived hierarchically organized societies and that long distance exchange between major centers took place. Researchers wish to understand the mechanisms which led to the development and maintenance of such societies and to accomplish this it is necessary to set these centers into a broader geographic context. That is the goal of Drs. Butler and Cobbs research. With National Science Foundation support these two investigators and their colleagues will conduct excavation at the Millstone Bluff Site, located on the top of an isolated mesa-like hill in the Shawnee Hills about 20 km from the Ohio River. Millstone Bluff displays a clear site plan with a central plaza of about 1000 sq. m., surrounded by a series of distinct depressions (house basins) arranged in multiple tiers. Over the course of two field seasons, the team will conduct geophysical survey and excavation of the site, carry out a pedestrian survey of the surrounding region and excavate at an adjacent Mississppean age locality. One goal of the research is to accurately date the span of occupation to determine whether it succeeds or is coincident with river bottom occupation. Through analysis of ceramics and other cultural remains it will be possible to determine the degree of autonomy exercised by the Millstone Bluff inhabitants. Examination of variation in material remains between houses will shed light on the social organization and degree of stratification within the site itself. This research is important for several reasons. It will take place within the context of a summer archaeological field school and thus serve an important training purpose. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and shed new light on one of the most important prehistoric Native American cultures.