Introduction

From AD 900 to AD 1600 a complex and changing constellation of chiefdoms occupied much of the Southeastern United States. Called the Mississippian, after the central Mississippi alluvial valley where extensive remains from this culture were identified in the nineteenth century, this way of life was characterized by sedentary communities, intensive maize agriculture, platform mounds, and a hierarchical society. The subsistence economy was based on the intensive utilization of both cultigens and wild plant and animal resources, and large settlements were located, for the most part, on the terraces of major drainages.

The story of the emergence and evolution of these societies has fascinated archaeologists for over a century. Research emphases have changed from concerns about the origin of these “mound builders,” to interest in material culture and chronology and, most recently, to questions about the organization, operation, and evolution of these societies. As archaeological research has progressed a tremendous amount of information has been collected. Thousands of Mississippian sites are now known from the region, and hundreds have been extensively excavated. In some areas chronological resolution on the order of 100-year intervals is now possible, giving researchers the opportunity to examine political and organizational change with a fine degree of chronological control.

A rich ethnohistoric record is also available, dating from the era of initial Spanish, French, and English exploration. The earliest sixteenth-century accounts, before the native chiefdoms collapsed from contact-induced depopulation and warfare, contain invaluable descriptions of life in these societies, evidence of considerable value in the examination of archaeological materials.