The Archaeology of Houses and Households in the Native Southeast

232 Pages·2017·9.23 MB·English

by  Benjamin A. Steere

The
Archaeology
of Houses
and Households
in the
Native Southeast
Archaeology of the Ameri can South:
New Directions and Perspectives
SerieS editor
Christopher B. Rodning
editorial adviSory Board
Robin A. Beck
John H. Blitz
I. Randolph Daniel Jr.
Kandace R. Hollenbach
Patrick C. Livingood
Tanya M. Peres
Thomas J. Pluckhahn
Mark A. Rees
Amanda L. Regnier
Sissel Schroeder
Lynne P. Sullivan
Ian Thompson
Richard A. Weinstein
Gregory D. Wilson
A Dan Josselyn Memorial Publication
The
Archaeology
of Houses
and Households
in the
Native Southeast
Benjamin A. Steere
The University of Alab ama Press
Tuscaloosa
The University of Alab ama Press
Tuscaloosa, Ala bama 35487–0380
uapress.ua.edu
Copyright © 2017 by the University of Alab ama Press
All rights reserved.
Inquiries about reproducing material from this work should be addressed to the
University of Alab ama Press.
Typeface: Caslon and Gill Sans
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover image: Stylized post pattern of a Mississippian period house; courtesy of the
author
Cover design: Todd Lape / Lape Designs
Cataloging- in- Publication data is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: 978- 0- 8173- 1949- 6
E- ISBN: 978- 0- 8173- 9119- 5
For Elizabeth, Alexander, and Zachary
This work is dedicated to the descendants of the people who built
the houses I have written about in this book. I have donated my
royalties for this book to the Society for Americ an Archaeology
Native Ameri can Scholarship Fund. This program is designed
to help Native Americ an students pursue advanced studies in
archaeology.

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
1. Patterns of Architectural Variability in the Native Southeast 16
2. Environmental Factors in Architectural Variation 64
3. Household Composition and Economics 85
4. Houses and Architectural Symbolism 111
5. Houses, Status, and Settlement 138
6. Conclusion: A Macroregional Perspective on
Architectural Variation in the Native Southeast 176
Appendix: Description of the Architectural Variables 185
References Cited 191
Index 213

Illustrations
Figures
I.1. Map of Middle and Late Woodland Period Sites
Recorded in the Database 8
I.2. Map of Early Mississippian Period Sites Recorded in the Database 9
I.3. Map of Middle and Late Mississippian Period Sites
Recorded in the Database 10
I.4. Map of Historic Indian Period Sites Recorded in the Database 11
1.1. Histogram of Middle Woodland Period Domestic Structure Area 23
1.2. Histogram of Late Woodland Period Domestic Structure Area 23
1.3. Histogram of Early Mississippian Period Domestic Structure Area 25
1.4. Histogram of Early Mississippian Period
Nondomestic Structure Area 25
1.5. Histogram of Middle Mississippian Period
Domestic Structure Area 26
1.6. Histogram of Middle Mississippian Period
Nondomestic Structure Area 27
1.7. Histogram of Late Mississippian Period Domestic Structure Area 27
1.8. Histogram of Late Mississippian Period
Nondomestic Structure Area 28
1.9. Histogram of Late Mississippian Storage Structure Area 29
1.10. Histogram of Historic Indian Period Domestic Structure Area 30
1.11. Bar Chart of Mean and Median Floor Area for
Domestic Structures 33