John Kelly | Washington University in St. Louis (original) (raw)
Address: Columbia, Illinois, United States
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The appearance of large-scale aggregations of population during the eleventh century signaled a t... more The appearance of large-scale aggregations of population during the eleventh century signaled a transformation of the social order in large parts of the Midwest and the Southeast. These enlargements of settlement corresponded roughly with changes in subsistence, innovations in technology, and new ways of connecting people through ritual means. They are registered in so many material categories that archaeologists have marked the transformation as the beginning of Mississippian culture. Although commonly labeled the "Big Bang" , its scope points to a more general kind of structural change that William Sewell has labeled an event . While the factors leading to this eventful change have been hotly debated, one key aspect is broadly agreed upon-that changes in the structure of social relations had to be central. Key to understanding this web of relations is the concept of social surplus. This chapter argues that surplus is a critical vehicle for examining the social processes behind these changes in the structure of relations through the archaeological signatures they left behind.
Flotation-recovered plant remains from a series of 11 sod block samples, 7 features, a limestone ... more Flotation-recovered plant remains from a series of 11 sod block samples, 7 features,
a limestone concentration, and a mass of organic debris provide
insights into the construction of Monks Mound. The presence of uncarbonized
seeds exclusively of annuals (other than those of perennial elderberry
and wild grape, which probably represent food remains) indicates that the construction
of Monks Mound was relatively continuous. The presence of quillwort
megaspores and other indicators of wetlands provide additional data
on how Monks Mound was constructed and where some borrow and/or
sod blocks were likely obtained to construct at least part of this monument.
The appearance of large-scale aggregations of population during the eleventh century signaled a t... more The appearance of large-scale aggregations of population during the eleventh century signaled a transformation of the social order in large parts of the Midwest and the Southeast. These enlargements of settlement corresponded roughly with changes in subsistence, innovations in technology, and new ways of connecting people through ritual means. They are registered in so many material categories that archaeologists have marked the transformation as the beginning of Mississippian culture. Although commonly labeled the "Big Bang" , its scope points to a more general kind of structural change that William Sewell has labeled an event . While the factors leading to this eventful change have been hotly debated, one key aspect is broadly agreed upon-that changes in the structure of social relations had to be central. Key to understanding this web of relations is the concept of social surplus. This chapter argues that surplus is a critical vehicle for examining the social processes behind these changes in the structure of relations through the archaeological signatures they left behind.
Flotation-recovered plant remains from a series of 11 sod block samples, 7 features, a limestone ... more Flotation-recovered plant remains from a series of 11 sod block samples, 7 features,
a limestone concentration, and a mass of organic debris provide
insights into the construction of Monks Mound. The presence of uncarbonized
seeds exclusively of annuals (other than those of perennial elderberry
and wild grape, which probably represent food remains) indicates that the construction
of Monks Mound was relatively continuous. The presence of quillwort
megaspores and other indicators of wetlands provide additional data
on how Monks Mound was constructed and where some borrow and/or
sod blocks were likely obtained to construct at least part of this monument.