Date of Award

August 2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Robert J. Jeske

Committee Members

Richard W. Edwards IV, Jennifer Haas

Keywords

Eastern Agricultural Complex, Langford, Maize, Mortuary, Paleoethnobotany, Upper Mississippian

Abstract

Archaeologists working in northern Illinois have conducted research on Langford Tradition (ca AD 1100-1450) sites for more than a century. The last 40 years have seen increasing methodological sophistication providing for a relatively nuanced understanding of food technology and resource use. Paleoethnobotany has provided one way to observe the diversity of plant use among Langford site occupants. Using standard paleoethnobotanical practices, plant macroremain from the Robinson Reserve Site (11CK2) are analyzed. The results of the plant macroremain analysis are then compared to existing floral data from the Washington Irving Site (11K52). This research investigates whether site functionality is distinguishable between Langford tradition mortuary and village sites.

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