Abstract:
The Hightower Village site (1TA150) is a 17th-century Kymulga phase site along the Emauhee Creek in Talladega County, Alabama. The Kymulga phase ceramic complex is a diverse ceramic assemblage consisting of grit, shell, and grog tempered wares with complicated stamping, incising, brushing, and cord marking decorations. In this dissertation I explore the distribution of such a diverse ceramic assemblage at the Hightower Village site. Through a ceramic attribute analysis, I found that the ceramic assemblage was distributed over two different groups of structures that represent two contemporaneous communities of practice. From an analysis of glass beads from the site, I conclude the structures I studied were occupied 1630-1680. I argue that these two ceramic groupings represent early material evidence of coalescence in the Coosa River valley that that sheds light upon the creation of the Creek Confederacy in the 18th century.
