1 / 22

The Mississippians

The Mississippians. The “Mound Builders”. Location. The Basics. Mississippian culture began around 700/800 A.D. – lasted until 1500/1600 A.D. They traveled throughout the Mississippi Basin, forming an elaborate network of trade through water Distinguishing characteristics:

brendy
Télécharger la présentation

The Mississippians

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Mississippians The “Mound Builders”

  2. Location

  3. The Basics • Mississippian culture began around 700/800 A.D. – lasted until 1500/1600 A.D. • They traveled throughout the Mississippi Basin, forming an elaborate network of trade through water • Distinguishing characteristics: – Flat-topped earth mounds which temples were built upon – Ceramics with deeply carved lines – Effigies – ceramics, pipes, figurines

  4. Government • Most Mississippians lived in a type of society called a chiefdom. • Chiefdoms are societies in which people are ranked according to the family they belong to. Some families have high status than others. • In chiefdoms, the ruler usually comes from a high-status family and has more privileges than ordinary people. • Chiefs can be compared to kings, but they are not as powerful. • Chiefs lived on platform mounds, which were elevated, and separate from ordinary houses.

  5. A Chief’s home on top of the mounds. This is what a Mississippian Chief might have looked like.

  6. Social Structure • Nobility dominated traffic in imported goods: – copper, mica, shells • Nobility also had artistic excellence: pottery, stonework, and embossed copper • Nobility were the only ones to be put in mounds • Mississippian social pyramid: – Chief at top followed by: related elites, then skilled Artisans, “commoners” (farmers)

  7. Religion • The Mississippians built religious temples atop some of the burial mounds. • Although it’s difficult to tell exactly what type of religion the Mississippians had, since they left behind no written language, a great deal can be learned about their religion from the artwork that they left behind. • Because they relied on the earth for their food, their religion seems to be tied closely to nature. • Statues of kneeling figures indicate that they worshipped at the mounds.

  8. Mississippian Priest with a flint mace and a severed head. This painting was based off of a copper plate found in one of the mounds.

  9. Mounds What Were Mounds Built For? • Burial grounds • Location of temples • Location for homes How were they built? • Workers would carry heavy baskets of dirt, one at a time, to their building sites. • Each mound could take months or even years to build. • Mounds range from 20’ to 300’ wide.

  10. Emerald Mound Modern day gazebo on an ancient mound….really??? Monks Mound

  11. Burials • High status burials – Accompanied by sacrifices (human) – Many elaborate grave goods - Copper celts, breastplates - Stone discs -Paints - Exotic resources and finished artifacts -pottery • Lower status burials: in cemeteries near mounds or in charnel houses, few grave goods

  12. Falcon made of copper A replica of an excavated body from a mound Serpent made of mica Copper breastplate Owl, toad and raccoon pipes

  13. Agriculture • Because the Mississippians lived along the Mississippi River Valley, they took advantage of the excellent, high fertility of the natural banks. An added benefit was the availability of fish from the rivers. • They mostly grew maize (corn), squash, gourds, and beans. Their main meat was turkey.

  14. What Kincaid Mounds might have looked like at the time of the Mississippians

  15. Technology • They even invented tools, such as digging sticks and hoes to till the soil • Most tools being used before were archaic and used at the time of the cavemen Some hoe fragments found in mounds

  16. Contributions • The main contribution of the Mississippians culture were their great artistic creations. • Archaeologists have discovered countless hand-made creations that the Mississippians left behind, ranging from arrowheads, clay pots, sculptures, and jewelry, all of which were hand painted. • Don’t forget the mounds themselves, many of which are still standing today. Each year thousands of tourists visit the burial mounds to marvel at these ancient creations.

  17. Effigies / Pottery Bever, Cat and Dog Effigies Human Effigies

  18. Explorer - DeSoto • Hernando DeSoto was a Spanish explorer looking for the fountain of youth in the south • While looking, he visited many mound building villages, often staying for a month or two • Some encounters were violent, some were peaceful • He was the first person to document the life of the Mississippians • This was the first introduction of European ways, that eventually lead to their destruction

  19. The Falcon Dancer Mississippian Falcon Dancer shown on a tablet Conch shell cup Earspool, beads and shells

  20. Gorgets • Gorgets are pendants that are worn on the chest, hung from a string or a necklace. • Ancient Native Americans made gorgets of rare materials such as copper or marine shell, which had to be obtained through trade. • A number of similar gorgets have been found throughout the Mississippi River Valley and in the southeastern part of the United States.

More Related