Mississippian capitals : an archaeological investigation of precolumbian political structure
Examining the built environment of political capitals in chiefdoms offers archaeologists one means to explore the dynamics of chiefly political structure. The investigation of political capitals provides useful insight into the nature of political structure because a capital's shape and size reflect various aspects of the leader's power (the ability to control others' actions) and authority (legitimized power). This is primarily because the interaction between leaders and populace requires that leaders advertise their access to power and authority in order to maintain them. One highly effective means of advertisement is through architecture, especially the architecture of the capital. Cross-cultural data from 30 chiefdom areas worldwide demonstrate that the built environment of chiefly capitals reflects aspects of political structure. Characteristics relating to size and number are shown to express the chief's power (e.g., the ability of the chief to mobilize labor). Characteristics relating to location (horizontal or vertical), form, and decoration convey information about the chiefs authority. The Mississippian world (the southeastern and midwestern United States between about A.D. 900 and 1600) offers a venue for the study of chiefly capitals in the archaeological record. Data compiled from 536 Mississippian mound sites reveal the wealth of archaeological information available on the built environment of Mississippian capitals. This abundance of data makes possible broad comparative analyses of many architectural features of Mississippian capitals, including layout, orientation, platform mounds, chiefs' houses, religious structures, earthworks, and palisades. A closer look at one Mississippian capital provides detail on political dynamics in an individual Mississippian chiefdom. The Lake Jackson site in northwest Honda was the capital of the Mississippian chiefdom of Apalachee. Based on the results of archaeological investigations at the site, a ceramic chronology and an analysis of the structure and development of the site is presented. The considerable data from Lake Jackson make possible the analysis of transformations in power and authority both within the larger context of the Mississippian world and in the narrower world of Apalachee
Thesis, Dissertation, English, 1994
1994