In this episode of The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, we explore the Plains Woodland Period and the vast networks that connected the Great Plains to the Midwest and Southeast. Focusing on the Kansas City Hopewell, we examine the evidence for long-distance exchange, ceremonial traditions, and social ties that linked Plains communities with broader cultural movements. We also discuss Late Woodland feasting events and their role in setting the stage for later interactions with Mississippian cultures. Join us as we uncover how these early connections shaped the cultural landscape of the Plains before the rise of the Mississippian world.

Links and Sources:

Early Maize (Zea mays) in the North American Central Plains: The Microbotanical Evidence by Adair et al. in American Antiquity 87(2) pp. 333-351 (2022)

Late Woodland feasting and social networks in the lower Missouri River region by Brad Logan in North American Archaeologist 43(3) pp. 184-229 (2022)

Modeling Kanas City Hopewell Developments and Regional Social Interactions: A Multisite Ceramic Analysis and New AMS Radiocarbon Ages Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 44(1) pp. 2-41 (2019)

The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)

Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)

Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty Bio

Transcripts

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