archaeology

"A Cahokia Market" By Michael Hampshire Courtesy of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Collinsville, Illinois

Spiro Stone Ear Spool. D:3" Le Flore Co., OK

The artifacts on virtual display were specifically chosen for their exceptional quality, representative style and remarkable workmanship. They are each among the finest known in either public or private collections. Because the Mississippians lived throughout what is now the Midwest and Southeast United States, artifacts from each of our corresponding modern states are represented here. Although the Mississippian Moundbuilders knew no state boundaries as we do today, it can be gratifying to realize that superb artifacts were found in our own proverbial backyards.

Each of the featured artifacts have been organized into categories including pottery, pipes, hardstone, discoidals, flint (both points and implements), ear ornaments, shell ornaments and beads. Although the Moundbuilders shared cultural affiliations with one another throughout the Midwest and Southeast United States, artifacts were not uniformly manufactured by style or materials. Local materials often varied despite widespread trade. For instance, Mill Creek and Kaolin cherts were commonly used in Illinois for the manufacture of flint implements. By contrast, Dover flint was more commonly used in Tennessee and Kentucky. That does not mean that materials were not traded. They were. However, artisans tended to use local materials rather than exotic materials from distant sources.

Celts. Southern Style Longest is 17" Southeast US

Some Mississippian artifacts are commonly found throughout the Mississippian world. For example, celts were widely distributed though local styles account for variations in shape. Midwestern celts tend to have a wide and flat poll, but southern style celts tend to have a rounded or pointed poll. Other artifacts are only found in limited areas perhaps due to differing regional influences. For example, notched hoes are common in Illinois and Missouri but they are not encountered in Georgia. Drilled spatulates have been recovered throughout northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee, but they have been not found in Illinois, Missouri and eastern Oklahoma. These are just a few examples. Despite the variations and regional differences, the Mississippians skillfully crafted some of the finest Stone Age artifacts ever produced in North America.

Perforated Discoidal. D: 3.5" State of Kentucky.

Americans have a long tradition of collecting Native American artifacts. Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Jimmy Carter collected Native American artifacts. Boy scouts and farm boys have searched freshly plowed fields in search of "arrowheads". Even Federal laws permit the picking up of arrowheads from the surface of the ground on Federal lands. However, as a final point, great care has been taken to verify that each artifact displayed in this website was acquired without violating any Federal, state or local laws. There is much controversy today regarding the unauthorized digging of Native American artifacts on Federal and Indian lands, or on private lands without permission from the landowner. As a collector of these wonders from our prehistoric native past, I have intended to exhibit in this website many of these Mississippian art treasures. However, I wish to assure all who may view this site that the artifacts on virtual display were all legally obtained, they were found on private land with permission from the specific landowner, and many have been in private collections since the 19^th Century. I have never condoned the breaking of any laws in the pursuit of acquiring prehistoric Native American art treasures.

Anthony Stein