The Mississippianization of the Illinois and Apple River Valleys

Abstract

This chapter investigates Mississippian beginnings in three regions; the Lower Illinois River Valley, the Central Illinois River Valley, and the Apple River Valley. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries each region witnessed a cultural transformation represented archaeologically in the appearance of Cahokian-style material culture. The nature of this transformation was highly variable as the inhabitants of some regions came to embrace a more complete assortment of Cahokian traditions than others.