“…There are multiple origin points for Archaic period copper as groups in the northern Appalachians and eastern Canada are now known to have been more involved in copper production than previously assumed (Figure 1; Lattanzi 2008; Levine 1999). Although not as well understood as their counterparts in the Great Lakes, metallurgists in these other regions also engaged in exchange networks, including groups living in the Canadian Maritimes who produced objects that eventually moved as far south as Poverty Point, a massive earthwork site in northern Louisiana (Hill et al 2016). Figure 1.Location of selected copper production centers, Late Archaic shell rings, and other selected archaeological sites.…”
Section: Copper Exchange In the Archaic Woodlandsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Copper exchange is a prominent example of long-distance movement of prestige items in North America, particularly during the Late Archaic (ca. 5000–3000 cal BP), when networks originating in the Great Lakes (Rapp et al 2000), Appalachians (Goad 1978), and Canadian Maritimes (Hill et al 2016) spanned much of the Eastern Woodlands. Tracking the extent of Late Archaic period copper exchange is an important avenue of research because it is often connected to greater social hierarchy and an increase in the intensity and scale of ceremonial gatherings (Goldstein and Meyers 2014; Hill 2012; Lattanzi 2013; Levine 1999; Pleger 2000; Sanger et al 2018).…”
Analysis of human remains and a copper band found in the center of a Late Archaic (ca. 5000–3000 cal BP) shell ring demonstrate an exchange network between the Great Lakes and the coastal southeast United States. Similarities in mortuary practices suggest that the movement of objects between these two regions was more direct and unmediated than archaeologists previously assumed based on “down-the-line” models of exchange. These findings challenge prevalent notions that view preagricultural Native American communities as relatively isolated from one another and suggest instead that wide social networks spanned much of North America thousands of years before the advent of domestication.
“…There are multiple origin points for Archaic period copper as groups in the northern Appalachians and eastern Canada are now known to have been more involved in copper production than previously assumed (Figure 1; Lattanzi 2008; Levine 1999). Although not as well understood as their counterparts in the Great Lakes, metallurgists in these other regions also engaged in exchange networks, including groups living in the Canadian Maritimes who produced objects that eventually moved as far south as Poverty Point, a massive earthwork site in northern Louisiana (Hill et al 2016). Figure 1.Location of selected copper production centers, Late Archaic shell rings, and other selected archaeological sites.…”
Section: Copper Exchange In the Archaic Woodlandsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Copper exchange is a prominent example of long-distance movement of prestige items in North America, particularly during the Late Archaic (ca. 5000–3000 cal BP), when networks originating in the Great Lakes (Rapp et al 2000), Appalachians (Goad 1978), and Canadian Maritimes (Hill et al 2016) spanned much of the Eastern Woodlands. Tracking the extent of Late Archaic period copper exchange is an important avenue of research because it is often connected to greater social hierarchy and an increase in the intensity and scale of ceremonial gatherings (Goldstein and Meyers 2014; Hill 2012; Lattanzi 2013; Levine 1999; Pleger 2000; Sanger et al 2018).…”
Analysis of human remains and a copper band found in the center of a Late Archaic (ca. 5000–3000 cal BP) shell ring demonstrate an exchange network between the Great Lakes and the coastal southeast United States. Similarities in mortuary practices suggest that the movement of objects between these two regions was more direct and unmediated than archaeologists previously assumed based on “down-the-line” models of exchange. These findings challenge prevalent notions that view preagricultural Native American communities as relatively isolated from one another and suggest instead that wide social networks spanned much of North America thousands of years before the advent of domestication.
“…While large portions of the eastern United States are tied together through copper exchange and shared mortuary patterns, there is little evidence for linkages with communities living in the American Southeast where Archaic-age copper is virtually absent, apart from Poverty Point, a massive earthen mound complex in Louisiana, and an associated shell ring (6,(12)(13)(14)(15). The presence of copper at Poverty Point provides further evidence that the site was a major trade center and likely was a stage for large-scale ritual gatherings.…”
Section: Significancementioning
confidence: 99%
“…8000-3000 cal B.P.) is a notable example of long-distance trade and nascent social complexity (5)(6)(7)(8). Originating from the Great Lakes, the Canadian Maritimes, and the Appalachian Mountains, Archaic Period copper tools and objects were produced as early as 7500 cal B.P.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…), the production of utilitarian items, such as projectile points, was giving way to the creation of smaller, often decorative items (8,10), which were traded in significant numbers as far south as Tennessee (11) and in isolated locales as distant as Poverty Point, LA ( Fig. 1) (6,(12)(13)(14)(15).…”
Long-distance exchange of copper objects during the Archaic Period (ca. 8000-3000 cal B.P.) is a bellwether of emergent social complexity in the Eastern Woodlands. Originating from the Great Lakes, the Canadian Maritimes, and the Appalachian Mountains, Archaic-age copper is found in significant amounts as far south as Tennessee and in isolated pockets at major trade centers in Louisiana but is absent from most of the southeastern United States. Here we report the discovery of a copper band found with the cremated remains of at least seven individuals buried in the direct center of a Late Archaic shell ring located in coastal Georgia. Late Archaic shell rings are massive circular middens thought to be constructed, in part, during large-scale ritual gatherings and feasting events. The exotic copper and cremated remains are unique in coastal South Carolina and Georgia where Archaic-age cremations are conspicuously absent and no other Archaic copper objects have been reported. Elemental data produced through laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry shows the copper originated from the Great Lakes, effectively extending Archaic copper exchange almost 1,000 km beyond its traditional boundaries. Similarities in mortuary practices and the presence of copper originating from the Great Lakes reveal the presence of long-distance exchange relations spanning vast portions of the eastern United States and suggest an unexpected level of societal complexity at shell ring localities. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that elite actors solidified their positions through ritual gatherings and the long-distance exchange of exotic objects during the Archaic.
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