This book is the first to specifically trace the movement of Mississippian maize farmers throughout the US Midwest and Southeast. By providing a backdrop of shifting climatic conditions during the period, this volume also investigates the relationship between farmers and their environments. Detailed regional overviews of key locations in the Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley, and the peripheries of the Mississippian culture area reveal patterns and variation in the expression of Mississippian culture and interactions between migrants and local communities. Methodologically, the case studies highlight the strengths of integrating a variety of data sets to identify migration.
The volume provides a broader case study of the links between climate change, migration, and the spread of agriculture that is relevant to archaeologists and anthropologists studying early agricultural societies throughout the world. Key patterns of adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of droughts, for example, provide a framework for understanding the options available to societies in the face of climate change afforded by the time-depth of an archaeological perspective.
Robert A. Cook is a Professor of Anthropology at Ohio State University. He has been active in professional archaeology for nearly thirty years. His primary research is focused on human migration and the spread of maize agriculture, the development of villages, and cultural affiliation in the Midwestern US. of He is the author of two books, the most recent being
Continuity and Change in the Native American Village: Multicultural Origins and Descendants of the Fort Ancient Culture published by Cambridge University Press. In addition, he has published numerous journal articles and book chapters. He has received three Scholarly Accomplishment Awards for his research from Ohio State and many of his findings have been featured in a variety of news outlets.
Aaron R. Comstock is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Indiana University East and has been active in professional archaeology for about 15 years. His primary research interests focus on better understanding the relationships between farming societies and their local environments, particularly as this relates to long term adaptations to changing climate. Ongoing research helps shed light on the complex processes underlying the emergence of the agrarian village life in the Middle Ohio Valley of North America. Numerous publications, presentations, and public outreach events, highlight his passion for educating professional and public communities as to the importance of understanding past societies in this area of the world.
