Browsing by Author "Porth, Erik Steven"

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    Raised ground, razed structure: ceramic chronology, occupation and chiefly authority on Mound P at Moundville
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Porth, Erik Steven; Blitz, John Howard; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Mound P is the largest mound on the western plaza periphery at Moundville in west-central Alabama. Excavations on the western mound flank revealed at least two mound construction episodes and a large amount of modern disturbance. Excavations on the mound summit intersected a large burnt daub structure that was previously indicated by a magnetometer survey. Moundville was depopulated around A.D. 1400 and the occupation of mound summits after this time indicates that leadership positions in the region were still important. Mounds were used as symbols of authority that leaders could co-opt to legitimize their position. A ceramic chronology was developed based on the site's type-variety system for the mound to determine the date of terminal occupation on the summit of the mound. This revealed that the mound was used lightly during the Moundville IV (A.D. 1520-1650) ceramic phase. Other artifacts from the mound suggest that the pigment complex was in use on the summit but a stone manufacturing industry was not. It is suggested that Mound P was occupied late in Moundville's history but abandoned prior to the Protohistoric period and the Spanish intrusion into the Southeastern United States.
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    Reconsidering institutional collapse and social transformation at Moundville during the Fifteenth century
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Porth, Erik Steven; Blitz, John Howard; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The collapse of ancient complex societies is a topic that denotes a rapid disruption to traditional ways of life. This research reconsiders models for social collapse from the Mississippian center of Moundville, located in west-central Alabama. Collapse has been recognized at the site as a rupture in mound ceremonialism, nonlocal connections, and representational art. These changes indicate that structural elements were no longer enacted by influential individuals or were reproduced at other locations around communal institutions. This paper evaluates these models through an analysis of stratigraphically excavated ceramic, stone, and ritual paraphernalia from Mound P at Moundville that date from A.D. 1400-1520. Around A.D. 1450, the settlement pattern in the region shifted and some ritual practices were emphasized as others fell out of favor, suggesting there was a change in social organization but continuity in ritual expression. This research demonstrates that mound construction ceased and nonlocal connections were de-emphasized, but that representational art shifted to emphasize a restricted range of imagery in a highly visual manner. The change and continuity of produced and consumed objects during the fifteenth century indicates that there were structural shifts, not collapse, in materiality and monumentality during the fifteenth century in the Black Warrior Valley.