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Understanding the Rise of Complexity at Cahokia: Evidence of Nonlocal Caddo Ceramic Specialists in the East St. Louis Precinct

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2023

Shawn P. Lambert Open the ORCID record for Shawn P. Lambert [Opens in a new window]  and
Paige A. Ford
Shawn P. Lambert
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
Paige A. Ford
Affiliation:
Plum Bayou Research Station, Arkansas Archeological Survey, Scott, AR, USA
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Abstract

This article investigates the rise of social complexity of Cahokia's multiethnic city through a robust stylistic grammar analysis of early Caddo fine ware vessels at Cahokia's East St. Louis Precinct. We explore ceramic production and distribution to shed light on whether Caddo-like fine wares were produced by Caddo potters who lived and crafted at Cahokia, were produced by local Cahokia potters who copied Caddo motifs, or were imported to Cahokia from the southern Caddo area. This investigation helps us better understand the nature of Caddo connections at the beginning of Cahokia's development and provides a means of identifying and interpreting new levels of social interactions between the Caddo world and Cahokia. The stylistic grammar results show that the majority of the Caddo-like vessels at Cahokia have identical stylistic grammar as vessels from the Caddo world. This strongly suggests that Caddo craft specialists migrated to, lived, and crafted their homeland vessels at Cahokia and thus were key social actors in its development.

Resumen

Resumen

Este artículo investiga el surgimiento de la complejidad social de la ciudad multiétnica de Cahokia a través de un sólido análisis estilístico de la gramática de las primeras vasijas de cerámica fina Caddo en el recinto de East St. Louis de Cahokia. Exploramos la producción y distribución de cerámica para arrojar luz sobre si las cerámicas finas similares a Caddo fueron producidas por alfareros Caddo que vivían y elaboraban en Cahokia, si fueron producidas por alfareros locales de Cahokia que copiaron motivos Caddo, o si las vasijas fueron importadas a Cahokia desde el sur de Caddo. área. Esta investigación nos ayuda a comprender mejor la naturaleza de las conexiones Caddo al comienzo del desarrollo de Cahokia y proporciona un medio para identificar e interpretar nuevos niveles de interacciones sociales entre el mundo Caddo y Cahokia. Los resultados de la gramática estilística muestran que la mayoría de las vasijas similares a Caddo en Cahokia tienen una gramática estilística idéntica a las vasijas del mundo Caddo. Esto sugiere fuertemente que los especialistas en artesanía de Caddo emigraron, vivieron y fabricaron las embarcaciones de su tierra natal en Cahokia y, por lo tanto, fueron actores sociales clave en su desarrollo.

Keywords

CaddoCahokiaceramicsstylesocial complexitycomplex societiesCaddoCahokiacerámicaestilocomplejidad socialsociedades complejas
Type
Article
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 88 , Issue 3 , July 2023 , pp. 361 - 385
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for American Archaeology

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