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Ohio Hopewell Trophy-Skull Artifacts as Evidence for Competition in Middle Woodland Societies Circa 50 B.C.. A.D. 350

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Mark F. Seeman
Mark F. Seeman*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
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Abstract

During the Middle Woodland period in eastern North America, modified human skulls are interjected into a broader pattern of "trophy"-artifact manufacture. Interpretations of these human trophies have resulted in a polarity of opinion-that they are the remains of (1) revered ancestors, or (2) defeated enemies. Both previous investigations of the problem support exclusively the "revered-ancestor" interpretation. Results of the present study, which makes use of a six-site Ohio Hopewell sample and stylistic and biological analyses, do not support this position, and are seen as reflecting a competitive component in Hopewell society.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 53 , Issue 3 , July 1988 , pp. 565 - 577
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1988

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References

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