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THE STATUS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE MISSISSIPPI ALLUVIAL VALLEY
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t h the rocant NEWSLETTERS we have been report in-g on the status, of our knowledce of tha Mississippi A11uvia! Valley. The text has been taken from A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF THE STATUS OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE MISSISSIPPI ALLUVIAL VALLEY, September 1:360, Ly Dr. Charles R.McG?msey 111, Hester A. Davis, and James B., Griffin, Arkansas Archaeological Survey, Coordinating Office.
Th;s month we continue with the section on the M;ssissippian period. Once ar;ain we refer you to the Table produced on page NEWS-LETTER IV - ?.
The M i ss i ss i pp i an Period 1000 - 10OT A. D-.
Miss i ss ?pp ian Culture
Principal sources of data are the Turner-Snodgrass, Beckwith's Ford, Bryant, Gant, Campbell, Crosno, Lawhorn, Chucalissa, 3anks, Kersey, Cherry Valley, Nodena, Rose, Parkin, Hazel, Menard, Dupree, Walls, W.nterville, Lake George, 01 ver,Lake Cormorant, Mab'n, Manny; Jaketown. plus the s"rveys of P,F<>G, and the explorations of Moore.
The diagnostic characteristics are a preponderance of shell tempering in pottery almost of the exclusion of any other temper in the later portions of the period; increased quantities of grave goods with burials, burial normally in the village area rather than- in mounds; painted pottery in later portions; handles on vessels; large, tightly knit villages with associated platform mounds.
The basis for temporal placement are Cl*:- dates in southeast Missouri, the Yazoo Basin, and Tensas Basin. Strat cuts at many of the above listed sites has helped plus stylistic cohesiveness of a general sort. Distribution is throughout the Valley, on both sides of the River, from the Cairo Lowlands (Missouri) to the Arkansas River on the west, and to the vicinity of Vicksburg on the east, though in the southern part of the Yazoo Basin these sites are late in,jtime and overlie occupations of Plaquemine Culture.	\	v*
Specific characteristics'are Plain shell tempered pottery predominant in the early portion, with some incising and cord marking. In later times an increased proportion of incising and punctated decoration with the addition of effigies, painted wares, and in the very 1 atest..port ion of the period, engraving, pottery, trowels, ear plugs, and cones. Non-ceramic characteristics are small projectile points, chipped hoes, discoidals, small celts, turtle backed scrapers, bone fishhooks, bore awls, shell ear plugs, shell spoons and shell gorgets. Houses are rectang-jl ar, of wall trench const ruct i on, 15 to 20 feet a-cross the side usually. At Turner-Snodgrass, rectangular wall trench houses are with interior ledge and slightly depressed floor and 12 major interior roof supports and probably hanging walls, Construction of houses var:es in derail from region tc region. Pyramidal mounds, when mere than or?, at a site, generally appear tc be placed in a planned relat !en^b;lp, Ditches sr.d	I	float	tens	are common, at larger
sites, and conical or low mounds also present. Burials usually placed in the /il?laqe, usually extended, norms! iy with one to six pottery vessel." anc occac :ona? stone, bone, or she? i objects. Site plans