Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T08:00:41.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Dates Confirm Early Zea Mays in the Mississippi River Valley

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Thomas J. Riley
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 109 Davenport Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
Gregory R. Walz
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 109 Davenport Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
Charles J. Bareis
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 109 Davenport Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
Andrew C. Fortier
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 109 Davenport Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
Kathryn E. Parker
Affiliation:
Great Lakes Ecosystems, P.O. Box 156, Indian River, MI 49749

Abstract

Two accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates obtained from samples of Zea mays from the Holding site, 11MS118, in the American Bottom near East St. Louis, Illinois, establish the presence of maize in the Mississippi Valley between 170 B.C. and A.D. 60. The dates finally establish the occurrence of Middle Woodland maize in Illinois and are the earliest dates thus far for maize east of the Mississippi River. Other reports of early Middle Woodland maize in the Midcontinent region should not be discounted unless AMS dating and other supporting information show the maize to be a contaminant at the site at which it occurs. Recent stable carbon-isotope experiments suggest that the relative contribution of maize to Middle Woodland diets is still an open question.

Resumen

Resumen

Dos fechas de radiocarbono tomados directamente de Zea mays del sitio Holding, 11MS118, en el American Bottom, cerca de East St. Louis, Illinois, establecen la presencia del maíz en la cuenca del Río Misisipi entre 170 B.C. y A.D. 60. Estas fechas finalmente establecen la ocurrencia de maíz en el período Woodland Medio en Illinois y hasta ahora son las fechas más tempranas al este del Río Misisipi. Otros reportes de maíz en el Woodland Medio temprano no deben ser descartados a no ser que sean rechazados por fechamiento de acelerador de espectrometría de masas (AMS) o que se demuestre que el maíz es un contaminante en el sitio investigado. Experimentos recientes con isotopos estables de carbono sugieren que la contribución relativa del maíz a las dietas del Woodland Medio es una pregunta que todavía queda abierta.

Type
Reports
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Adair, M. J. 1988 Prehistoric Agriculture in the Central Plains. Publications in Anthropology No. 16. University of Kansas, Lawrence.Google Scholar
Adovasio, J. M., Gunn, J. D., Donahue, J., and Stuckenrath, S. 1977 Meadowcroft Rockshelter : Retrospect 1976. Pennsylvania Archaeologist 47(2-3).Google Scholar
Adovasio, J. M., Carlisle, R. C., Johnson, W. C., Fitzgibbons, P. T., Applegarth, J. D., Donahue, J., Drennan, R., and Yedlowski, J. L. 1982 The Prehistory of the Paintsville Reservoir, Johnson and Morgan Counties, Kentucky. Ethnology Monographs No. 6. Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.Google Scholar
Ambrose, S. H., and Norr, L. 1992 Experimental Evidence for the Relationship of the Carbon Isotope Ratios of Whole Diet and Dietary Protein to Those of Bone Collagen and Carbonate. In Molecular Archaeology of Prehistoric Human Bone, edited by Lambert, J. and Grupe, G., pp. 137. Springer Verlag, Berlin.Google Scholar
Asch, D. L., and Asch, N. B. 1985a Prehistoric Plant Cultivation in-West-Central Illinois. In Prehistoric Food Production in North America, edited by Ford, R. I., pp. 149203. Anthropological Papers No. 75. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Asch, D. L., and Asch, N. B. 1985b Archaeobotany. In Smiling Dan Structure and Function at a Middle Woodland Settlement in the Illinois Valley, edited by Stafford, B. D. and Sant, M. B., pp. 327399. Research Series Vol. 2. Center for American Archeology, Kampsville, Illinois.Google Scholar
Bareis, C. J., and Porter, J. W. (editors) 1984 American Bottom Archaeology. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.Google Scholar
Bennett, C. L., Beukens, R. P., Clover, M. R., Elmore, D., Gove, H. E., Kilius, L., Litherland, A. E., and Purser, K. H. 1978 Radiocarbon Dating with Electrostatic Accelerators : Dating of Milligram Samples. Science 201 : 345347.Google Scholar
Bennett, C. L., Beukens, R. P., Clover, M. R., Gove, H. E., Liebert, R. B., Litherland, A. E., Purser, K. H., and Sondheim, W. E. 1977 Radiocarbon Dating Using Electrostatic Accelerators : Negative Ions Provide the Key. Science 198 : 508510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bentz, C, McElrath, D. L., Finney, F. A., and Lacampagne, R. B. 1988 Late Woodland Sites in the American Bottom Uplands. American Bottom Archaeology, FAI-270 Site Reports Vol. 18. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.Google Scholar
Chapman, J., and Crites, G. D. 1987 Evidence for Early Maize (Zea mays) from the Icehouse Bottom Site, Tennessee. American Antiquity 52 : 352354.Google Scholar
Conard, J., Asch, D. L., Asch, N. B., Elmore, D., Gove, H. E., Rubin, M., Brown, J. A., Wiant, M. D., Farnsworth, K. B., and Cook, T. G. 1984 Accelerator Radiocarbon Dating of Evidence for Prehistoric Horticulture in Illinois. Nature 308 : 443446.Google Scholar
Faulkner, C. H. 1988 Middle Woodland Community and Settlement Patterns on the Eastern Highland Rim, Tennessee. In Middle Woodland Settlement and Ceremonialism in the Mid-South and Lower Mississippi Valley, edited by Mainfort, R. C., pp. 7798. Archaeological Report No. 22. Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson.Google Scholar
Ford, R. I. 1987 Dating of Early Maize in the Eastern United States. Paper presented at the 10th Ethnobiology Meetings, Gainesville, Florida.Google Scholar
Fortier, A. C, Maher, T. O., Williams, J. A., Meinkoth, M. C., Parker, K. E., and Kelly, L. S. 1989 The Holding Site : A Hopewell Community in the American Bottom. American Bottom Archaeology, FAI-270 Site Reports Vol. 19. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.Google Scholar
Garland, E. B. 1990 Late Archaic and Early Woodland Adaptation in the Lower St. Joseph River Valley. Michigan Cultural Resources Investigations Series No. 2. Michigan Department of State, Lansing.Google Scholar
Griffin, J. B. 1989 Foreword. In The Holding Site : A Hopewell Community in the American Bottom, by Fortier, A. C., Maher, T. O., Williams, J. A., Meinkoth, M. C., Parker, K. E., and Kelly, L. S., pp. xvii-xxii. American Bottom Archaeology Site Reports Vol. 19. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.Google Scholar
Jefferies, R. W., and Butler, B. M. 1982 The Carrier Mills Archaeological Project. Research Paper No. 33. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Carbondale, Illinois.Google Scholar
Kelly, J. E., Finney, F. A., McElrath, D. L., and Ozuk, S. J. 1984 The Late Woodland Period. In American Bottom Archaeology, edited by Bareis, C. J., and Porter, J. W., pp. 104127. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.Google Scholar
Koch, P., Behrensmeyer, A. K., Tuross, N., and Fogel, M. L. 1990 Annual Report of the Director, Geophysical Laboratory, 1989-90, pp. 105113. Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington, D. C. Google Scholar
Lathrap, D. W. 1987 The Introduction of Maize in Prehistoric Eastern North America : The View from the Santa Elena Peninsula. In Emergent Horticultural Economies of the Eastern Woodlands, edited by Keegan, W. F., pp. 345369. Occasional Paper No. 7. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.Google Scholar
Maher, T. O. 1989 Radiocarbon Dates. In The Holding Site : A Hopewell Community in the American Bottom, by Fortier, A. C., Maher, T. O., Williams, J. A., Meinkoth, M. C., Parker, K. E., and Kelly, L. S., pp. 483-488. American Bottom Archaeology, FAI-270 Site Reports Vol. 19. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.Google Scholar
Muller, R. A., Stephenson, E. J., and Mast, T. S. 1978 Radioisotope Dating with an Accelerator : A Blind Measurement. Science 201 : 347348.Google Scholar
Parker, K. E. 1989 Archaeobotanical Assemblage. In The Holding Site : A Hopewell Community in the American Bottom, by Fortier, A. C., Maher, T. O., Williams, J. A., Meinkoth, M. C., Parker, K. E., and Kelly, L. S., pp. 429464. American Bottom Archaeology, FAI-270 Site Reports Vol. 19. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.Google Scholar
Riley, T. J., Edging, R., and Rossen, J. 1990 Cultigens in Prehistoric Eastern North America. Current Anthropology 31 : 525538.Google Scholar
Scarry, C. M. 1990 Plant Remains from the Walling Truncated Mound : Evidence for Middle Woodland Horticultural Activities. In Excavation of the Truncated Mound at the Walling Site, by Knight, V. J., pp. 115128. Report of Investigations No. 56. Alabama State Museum of Natural History, Division of Archaeology, University of Alabama, Birmingham.Google Scholar
Smith, B. D. 1992 Rivers of Change. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C. Google Scholar
Stothers, D. M., and Bechtel, S. K. 1987 Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis : An Interregional Perspective. Archaeology of Eastern North America 15 : 137154.Google Scholar
Struever, S. 1965 Middle Woodland Culture History in the Great Lakes Riverine Area. American Antiquity 31 : 211223.Google Scholar
Struever, S., and Vickery, K. D. 1973 The Beginnings of Cultivation in the Midwest-Riverine Area of the United States. American Anthropologist 75 : 11971220.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M., and Reimer, P. J. 1993 Radiocarbon Calibration Program Rev. 3. 0. 2. Radiocarbon 35 : 215230.Google Scholar
Wymer, D. A. 1992 Trends and Disparities : The Woodland Paleoethnobotanical Record of the Mid-Ohio Valley. In Cultural Variability in Context, edited by Seeman, M. F., pp. 6576. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology Special Paper No. 7. Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio. Google Scholar