mississippianculture

In this episode, the Seven Ages team leads off their final episode of 2022 with a discussion on a ground-breaking new report on the Cooper's Ferry archaeological site. Recent Carbon 14 dating suggests this site may pre-date Clovis occupation in North America by as much as 2,000 years. Next, the team discusses the recent geological report that indicates the Bering Land Bridge may have been a late addition to the end of the last Ice Age. The team is then joined by Nathan Odom, a park interpreter at Parkin Mounds Archaeological State Park in Arkansas. 

The Parkin Mounds Archaeological State Park is a National Historic Landmark that preserves a 17-acre Mississippian Period American Indian village located on site from A.D. 1000 to 1550. Archeologists at this research station also uncovered evidence that Hernando de Soto visited this site in 1541. The site was the location of the 1920s-era Northern Ohio Lumber Cooperage Company, and the Northern Ohio School House still remains. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Odom shares his knowledge of the history of the location, and the fascinating discoveries made there during excavations over the years. 

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team catches up for a bit of Egyptological discussion in our introduction portion of the show, before shifting our attention over to Jason Pentrail and Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Youtube channel, who continue their journey to mound-building cultural sites throughout the Southeastern United States. At their most recent stop, the team toured the stunning Mississippian site of Moundville, Alabama. Jason and Chase are joined by friend and colleague Lash LaRoux as they sit down to speak with Faculty Curator Dr. Elliot Blair. 

Dr. Elliott Blair is an anthropological archaeologist whose research focuses on the early colonial and Late Mississippian periods in the American Southeast. Much of his research focuses on population aggregation and identity at Mission Santa Catalina de Guale, a 16th and 17th-century Spanish mission located on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia. Drawing upon practice-based approaches to the archaeology of colonialism and exploring identity through situated learning theory, he examines the persistence of social identities as diverse populations formed new communities under the pressures of missionization. In his work, he uses social network analysis to explore the structure of past social relationships at multiple scales.

We are also joined by Moundville Education and Outreach Coordinator Lindsey Gordon who shares all of Moundville's outstanding programs and cultural relationships with us. 

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In this episode, the Seven Ages team is joined once again by Chase Pipes of the Chasing History Radio podcast and Youtube channel in a visit to the captivating site known as Poverty Point, the third stop on our mound builders tour. 

Poverty Point, Louisiana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest mound sites in North America. The archaeological record at Poverty Point shows that its story goes back at least 3000 years. While no written record of Poverty Points inhabitants remains, we know that the site was of significant ceremonial importance and was a hub for various regional activities including trade, production of goods, and the creation of site-specific artifacts such as the Poverty Point Objects (PPOs), a unique cooking stone found in great abundance at the site. 

Seven Ages host Jason Pentrail welcomes Poverty Point site manager and expert interpreter Mark Brink to the show. Mark discusses the history, progression, and eventual decline of Poverty Point. 

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On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we lead off the discussion with a memorial to the late Tennessee archaeologist David Dean. Remembering David's life and work with us is a friend of the program, Chase Pipes of the Smoky Mountain Relic Room, along with fellow Tennessee archaeologists Jay Franklin and Zoen McLachlan. 

Then for the remainder of the program, the team is joined by Bretton Giles and Shawn Lambert, who are the co-editors of a new anthology entitled New Methods and Theories for Analyzing Mississippian Imagery. Bretton T. Giles is an assistant research professor in sociology, anthropology, and social work at Kansas State University. Shawn P. Lambert is an assistant professor of anthropology and senior research associate with the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University.

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room
• THE BOOK: New Methods and Theories for Analyzing Mississippian Imagery

On this edition of the Seven Ages Audio Journal, we discuss the ancient Mississippian city of Cahokia, its mysterious collapse, and cultural significance in pre-Columbian North America. Joining us to discuss the riddle of Cahokia and its decline is Tim Pauketat,  the Illinois State Archaeologist and a professor of Anthropology and Medieval Studies at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Pauketat is the Director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, one of the largest archaeological research units in the United States. He was trained in global archaeology at the University of Michigan but has chosen to focus on the peoples and history of eastern North America and the Plains. Director Pauketat has published extensively on his research at the ancient city of Cahokia and other medieval-era sites along the Mississippi, having written or edited 16 books, including The Archaeology of Ancient North America, Medieval Mississippians, and Cahokia: Ancient America’s Great City. We discuss the ancient earthworks of the site, and what archaeology tells us about the mysterious rise and fall of this ancient American city. 

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Below are links to stories covered on this edition of the podcast: 

• Timothy Pauketat at the University of Illinois
• Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi
• Ancient Cahokia and the Mississippians (Case Studies in Early Societies)
• Our Sponsors: The Smoky Mountain Relic Room

"Cahokia" image in this episode's art by Michael Hampshire, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.