essay

Human subsistence at Moundville: the stable-isotope data

archaeology of the moundville chiefdomWashington, DcPublished In 1998 • Pages: 120-132

By: Schoeninger, Margaret J., Schurr, Mark R..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Stable carbon nitrogen isotope analyses of approximately 250 human, animal, and maize samples indicate changes in human subsistence strategies during occupation at pre-Contact Moundville in Alabama. Data suggest increased maize use between Moundville I and the subsequent Moundville II phase. Most important, a decrease in the carbon isotope values between Moundville III and the subsequent Moundville IV phase, coupled with a lack of change in the nitrogen isotope values suggest a decrease in dependence on maize and an increased dependence on gathered plant foods. This supports earlier hypotheses explaining Moundville's collapse as due to internal rather than external factors (p. 120).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Laboratory analysis of materials other than dating methods in archaeology
Organization and analysis of results of research
Nutrition
Morbidity
Diet
Chronologies and culture sequences
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Mississippian
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2000
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Eastern Woodlands
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle ; 2005
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1100 BP - 350 BP (900 A.D. - 1650 A.D.)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Moundville, Black Warrior Valley, Alabama, United States
NotesAdditional notes
Margaret J. Schoeninger and Mark R. Schurr
For bibliographical references see document 21: [Knight and Steponaitis]
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
98006875
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Mississippian culture