Mississippi Valley archaeological site reveals transition from hunter-gatherer to farming cultures
Woodville, Miss . — Professor Meg Kassabaum climbed a ladder down into the earth, where bits of pottery and charcoal and stripes of soil and sand sketch the story of the ancient Native Americans who once lived in the Mississippi Valley.
Her research team has spent the past four weeks at a site on Smith Creek not far from the state line investigating a transformative period in history. The site contains artifacts from two distinct cultures, which saw a transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, the University of Pennsylvania anthropologist said.
The two societies — the Coles Creek mound builders and later Plaquemine culture — also have their own social structures and distinctive artwork, which Kassabaum showed in pottery found in the recent dig, which was beginning to wind down Thursday afternoon.
Her team has explored three sites west of Woodville, Mississippi. Two of the digs have focused on a pair of mounds, while the third is in an area between them, an area the researchers call a central plaza that is now a family’s front yard.
Read more: http://theadvocate.com/news/12677031-123/mississippi-valley-archaeological-site-reveals (Baton Rouge Advocate)
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