Date of Award
1-1-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Anthropology
First Advisor
Matthew L. Murray
Second Advisor
Jodi Skipper
Third Advisor
Krista L. Eschbach
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Carter Robinson (44LE10, occupied from ca. A.D. 1200-1400) is a Mississippian mound site located on the frontier between the edge of the Mississippian world and the beginning of the Radford culture area in southwestern Virginia. Although several structures have been identified and studied in the past, only one structure has been featured intentional burning and reconstruction throughout the occupation of the site, and is designated as Structure 2. This structure is also unique due to its location at the site, on a small rise about 80-meters east of the mound, a construction area typically reserved for the homes of minor political elites. Previous interpretations describe this structure as being a multi-phase domestic structure. At the start of research reported in this thesis, I hypothesize that Structure 2 was a ceremonial or ritual space rather than a domestic structure. I then explore whether that space was gendered (male/female) or gender-neutral by analyzing various kinds of data recovered from Structure 2 in 2017. Data from the structure include artifacts, macrobotanical remains, and radiocarbon dates. The data from Structure 2 are then compared to similar sites in the region and throughout the Mississippian world, and through the lenses of household archaeological theory and frontier theory. Analysis of the artifact assemblage, macrobotanical remains, and radiocarbon dates from Structure 2 and comparative research indicate that the structure was a multi-phase domestic building as previously interpreted but that it also had a ceremonial aspect.
Recommended Citation
Greene, Taylor, "Ceremony on the Frontier: An Analysis of a Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century Multi-Phase Mississippian Structure at the Carter Robinson Site, Lee County, Virginia" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2508.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2508