Twelve Millennia: Archaeology of the Upper Mississippi River Valley (Bur Oak Book)

273 Pages·2003·4.43 MB·English

by  James L. & Robert F. Theler & Boszhardt

t w e l v e m i l l e n n i a
a bur oak book
Twelve Millennia
Archaeology of the Upper
Mississippi River Valley
James L. Theler and Robert F. Boszhardt
University of Iowa Press Iowa City
University of Iowa Press, Iowa City 52242
Copyright © 2003 by the University of Iowa Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Design by April Leidig-Higgins
http://www.uiowa.edu/uiowapress
No part of this book may be reproduced or used in
any form or by any means without permission in
writing from the publisher. All reasonable steps have
been taken to contact copyright holders of material
used in this book. The publisher would be pleased
to make suitable arrangements with any whom it
has not been possible to reach.
The publication of this book was generously
supported by the University of Iowa Foundation.
Printed on acid-free paper
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Theler, James L., 1946–
Twelve millennia: archaeology of the upper
Mississippi River Valley / by James L. Theler and
Robert F. Boszhardt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN0-87745-847-2 (pbk.)
1. Indians of North America—Mississippi River
Valley—Antiquities. 2. Mound-builders—
Mississippi River Valley. 3. Excavations
(Archaeology)—Mississippi River Valley.
4. Mississippi River Valley—Antiquities.
I. Title: 12 millennia. II. Boszhardt, Robert F.
III. Title.
E78.M75 T44 2003
977'.01—dc21 2002073296
03 04 05 06 07 P 5 4 3 2 1
For the people of the
Upper Mississippi Valley,
past and present

c o n t e n t s
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
chapter one
Introduction to Archaeology 1
chapter two
Environment of the Upper 19
Mississippi River Valley
chapter three
Past Climate of the Upper 33
Mississippi River Valley
chapter four
A Brief History of Upper 39
Mississippi River Valley
Archaeology
chapter five
The First People 53
chapter six
69 The Archaic Tradition
chapter seven
85 The First Revolution
chapter eight
97 The Woodland Tradition
chapter nine
121 The Beginning of Tribes
chapter ten
141 The Second Revolution
chapter eleven
157 The Oneota Culture
chapter twelve
173 The End of Prehistory
189 Epilogue
193 Appendix A. Animal Remains
215 Appendix B. Rock Art
229 Appendix C. Places to Visit
233 Recommended Readings and Sources
245 Index
viii | contents
p r e f a c e
The story of pre-European people living in the Upper Mississippi River Val-
ley, as told in the archaeological record, spans at least 12,000 years. To put
that in perspective, envision a foot-long ruler with each inch representing a
millennium. On that scale, Columbus would have reached the New World
half an inch ago, the United States declared independence less than a quarter
of an inch ago, the automobile was invented a tenth of an inch ago, and the
age of computers occupies only the last one-thirtieth of an inch. The more
than 11 inches before these events represent the time the region was occupied
by pre-European Native American cultures. It is a time before written rec-
ords in much of North America and is therefore technically prehistory. This
prehistoric story survives only in oral traditions of Native people and as ma-
terial remains or archaeological artifacts.
The story presented here is one based on archaeology in the Upper Missis-
sippi River Valley region. It is a story of cultural and natural continuity and
change. Sometimes the changes were minor and gradual, but at several crit-
ical points change was dramatic, revolutionizing cultural adaptations to the en-
vironment and between societies. Some changes were instigated by climatic
shifts, such as the end of the last Ice Age, while others were mirrored in tech-
nological innovations, such as the development of pottery, the introduction
of the bow and arrow, and the adaptation of corn agriculture.