Date
Summer 7-2003
Document Type
Thesis
Location
Mobile, AL
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Philip Carr
Abstract
The John Forrest Site is located in Claiborne County, Mississippi, just east of the Mississippi River. The site is situated on a large, flat ridge above James Creek. Today, the John Forrest Site appears to be nothing more than a large field, with woods bordering its extreme edges and slopes. However, years of surface collection by the landowner, John Forrest, has produced a large collection of artifacts. This surface assemblage contains a wide variety of stone tools and production debris, as well as some relatively rare types of stone artifacts. Blade cores, micro drills, and stone beads are absent at most Middle and Late Archaic site, but contained in the John Forrest assemblage. The focus of this thesis is a thorough description and analysis of the surface collection from the John Forrest Site. The significance of this assemblage is that it provides evidence with which to investigate aspects of culture not usually associated with the Middle Archaic, namely craft specialization and how it may be related to the rise of cultural complexity. A comparison with other Middle Archaic sites in the region allows the John Forrest assemblage to be placed in a broader context. I conclude by discussing the implications of the John Forrest Site for reconstructing Middle Archaic lifeways.
Recommended Citation
Hadley, Alison, "Beads, Bifaces, and Blade Cores from the Middle Archaic" (2003). Anthropology Undergraduate Senior Theses. 18.
https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/anthro_ugrad_theses/18