Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Spring 2018 Characteristics and Functions of Non-Mound Mississippian Sites: A Case Study of Fitzner North End (9SN256) Lindsey R. Hinson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Hinson, Lindsey R., "Characteristics and Functions of Non-Mound Mississippian Sites: A Case Study of Fitzner North End (9SN256)" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1763. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1763 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS OF NON-MOUND MISSISSIPPIAN SITES: A CASE STUDY OF FITZNER NORTH END (9SN256) by LINDSEY ROXANNE HINSON (Under the Direction of M. Jared Wood) ABSTRACT The Mississippian time period (A.D. 900-1600) in the Southeast of North America began with the development of ranked societies where the elite governed from and resided in administrative centers with earthen mounds and no formal bureaucracy. Much of the remaining population lived at smaller, non-mound sites. Given that the majority of people in these polities lived at non-mound sites, it is important to understand these places and their contexts. Current literature does not provide a clear architectural grammar of how these sites are defined socially or archaeologically. Due to variations in socio-political organization, and amount of excavation and research, site descriptions vary. I have summarized current literature into four different types of non-mound sites: town/village, hamlet, farmstead/homestead, and limited activity/special-use. The Fitzner North End (9SN256) site, a non-mound Middle Mississippian site near the confluence of Brier Creek and the Savannah River in Georgia, provides a case study to investigate one non-mound site. Methods include block excavations guided by artifact and feature diversity and distribution, and analysis of the resulting data. In addition, a small-scale energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometry analysis provides insights into the potential for expanding this type of study for determining variations in Middle Woodland and Middle Mississippian pottery from the site. I conclude that Fitzner North End is most similar to a farmstead or homestead because of its relatively small size (0.3 ha) located near farmable rich soils. The site displays a range of domestic artifacts assumed with seasonal to year-round habitation and lacks the ceremonial/communal nature of a town/village or hamlet site, and the limited range of domestic artifacts associated with a special-use or limited activity site. This case study adds to the growing literature and invites future research studies on non-mound Mississippian sites in the Savannah River valley. INDEX WORDS: Middle Mississippian, Southeastern archaeology, Hollywood phase, Middle Savannah river, Non-mound, Site type, Site economy, Town, Village, Hamlet, Farmstead, Homestead, XRF analysis CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS OF NON-MOUND MISSISSIPPIAN SITES: A CASE STUDY OF FITZNER NORTH END (9SN256) by LINDSEY ROXANNE HINSON B.A., University of Georgia, 2010 M.A., Georgia Southern University, 2018 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS STATESBORO, GEORGIA © 2018 LINDSEY ROXANNE HINSON All Rights Reserved 1 CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS OF NON-MOUND MISSISSIPPIAN SITES: A CASE STUDY OF FITZNER NORTH END (9SN256) by LINDSEY ROXANNE HINSON Major Professor: M. Jared Wood Committee: Heidi Altman J. Matthew Compton Electronic Version Approved: May 2018 2 DEDICATION For Dav’El and Harley. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My experience of Georgia Archaeology began with summer 2009 field school excavations of Copeland (9GE18) directed by Mark Williams, and later that same summer, excavations of Fitzner (9SN220) directed by Jared Wood. These experiences showed me the uniqueness of Georgia Archaeology and confirmed my long-time childhood dreams and passions of studying archaeology. Mark Williams and Jared Wood are both equally dedicated to their respective fields of study, inspiring their students to reach beyond what they think is possible and ask questions of status quo. The answer may be as simple as beavers or the need for firewood. I would like to thank the following former students from my undergraduate career for their continued conversation, advice, motivation, and inspiration: Gretchen Eggiman, Pam Enlow, Richard Moss, and Chris Webster. Our conversations of archaeology and CRM drove my career choices and goals and confirmed that a career in archaeology was possible. I also want to thank Ben Steere, who became my graduate student mentor and offered the most logical and practical advice. These conversations provided me with the skills and knowledge to gain employment in cultural resource management. After graduating, I was fortunate enough to gain a mentor within the cultural resource management universe, Virginia Janssen. Virginia has taught and continues to teach me the art of report writing and to always take a step back from the problem. Her dedication to detail and report edits, life, and career advice have been invaluable. I would also like to thank Stefanie Smith, a former coworker. She was the catalyst for my leap to apply to graduate schools. Her dedication and work ethic to finish her thesis while working in a stressful full-time work environment inspired me to achieve similar goals. She also provided valuable office and field camaraderie, advice, and information specifically regarding the hardships of graduate school. I was better equipped mentally and emotionally for the work ethic required to obtain a graduate degree. The leap to graduate school was difficult and conversations with Jared Wood confirmed that I would be able to achieve my academic and later career goals at Georgia Southern University. Thesis topic discussions started from my lack of knowledge in larger-scale, block excavations and developed into the 4 fully-formed research topic you see here. Jared Wood guided me through this overwhelming process, providing invaluable insight into writing style, research and excavation methods, and his extensive knowledge of Mississippian studies. This thesis would not have been possible without his advice, guidance, and edits that continuously propelled me forward and encouraged me to reach outside of my comfort zone to make me a better archaeologist. I also want to thank my other two committee members, Heidi Altman and Matthew Compton. Conversations with Heidi Altman were always thoughtful, thought-provoking, and added a new layer of anthropological ideas that enriched this thesis. Matthew Compton offered an analytical perspective and conversation about artifacts, feature fill and patterns, and best curation practices. This thesis would also not be possible without the help of the Georgia Southern Summer 2016 and Spring 2017 field school participants as well as the dedicated volunteers who invested their time and energy. These volunteers were instrumental in fieldwork completion: Drew Antonisse, Cary Helmuth, Rhianna Bennett, Zachary Dirnberger, Colin Partridge, Nompumelo Hople, Alexis McGhee, John (Val) Sheridan, Dav’El Copenny, Elizabeth Campbell, Lauren Campbell, Virginia Skinner, Melanie Sparrow, Pam Enlow DeVore, Fray DeVore, Kent Hinson, Jean Hinson, Emma Tharp, Amanda Sexton, Abby Fletcher, Jack Fletcher, Katie Fletcher, Justin Morales, and Beverly Bennett. On the last day of fieldwork on a hot July day, Rhianna Bennett and Zachary Dirnberger helped put the finishing touches on excavations and toted out approximately 25 bags of feature fill for transport back to the lab for water screening. It was a rough but also rewarding last day of excavations. I want to thank Georgia Southern University College of Graduate Studies for providing funds for radiocarbon dating and energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometry analysis through the Graduate Student Professional Development Fund. These studies added another layer of complexity to this thesis. During the writing process, reviewers are vital. Dr. Jaqueline Copenny and Dav’El Copenny read and re-read my writing and provided perspective and advice. Also, my fellow graduate students Rhianna 5 Bennett and Zachary Dirnberger kept my ideas and writing on track by providing comments and discussion sessions. These discussions kept me sane. Finally, I would like to thank my partner, Dav’El Copenny, who provided love and support throughout this difficult process. There were ups and downs and he guided me through them all. He shared my academic struggle from beginning to end. Words cannot express my gratitude for his constant support. He is always my biggest fan and I could not have completed this research without his love and support. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………………………….3 LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………………… 7 LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………………… 12 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………... 16 2. MISSISSIPPIAN WORLD………………………………………………………………….