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Middle Ohio Valley Maize Histories: New Dates from the Crossroads of the Midcontinent

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2024

Aaron R. Comstock Open the ORCID record for Aaron R. Comstock [Opens in a new window]  and
Robert A. Cook
Aaron R. Comstock*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
Robert A. Cook
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
*
Corresponding author: Aaron R. Comstock; Email: aaron.comstock@louisville.edu
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Abstract

The transition to maize agriculture frames important cultural shifts in the Eastern Woodlands. However, the tempo and mode of this transition are unclear, particularly when analytical techniques are not standard across the region. In this article, we present evidence of directly dated maize macrobotanical fragments from the Turpin site in southwest Ohio that date between cal AD 552–649 and 684–994. These dates add to current dialogues on the spread of maize in the American Midcontinent and help further situate the Middle Ohio Valley as a cultural crossroads through which people and ideas flowed. We echo suggestions that, to refine our understanding of the introduction of maize into the region, we must develop pan-regional analytical standards and create multiple working hypotheses at a variety of scales.

Resumen

Resumen

La transición a la agricultura del maíz perfila importantes cambios culturales en los Eastern Woodlands. Sin embargo, no son claros el ritmo y la forma de esta transición, particularmente, debido a que las técnicas analíticas a lo largo de la región no están estandarizadas. En este artículo, se presenta evidencia de la datación directa y calibrada de fragmentos macrobotánicos de maíz del periodo 552-649 dC y 684-994 dC del sitio de Turpin en el suroeste de Ohio. Estas fechas se suman a los debates actuales sobre la dispersión del maíz en el continente medio americano, contribuyendo a situar aún más el valle medio del Rio Ohio como la sede de una confluencia cultural a través de la cual fluyeron diversas personas e ideas. Apoyamos las sugerencias de que para refinar a mayor detalle nuestra comprensión sobre la introducción del maíz en la región, debemos desarrollar procedimientos analíticos estandarizados para toda la región y crear múltiples hipótesis de trabajo en varias escalas.

Keywords

maizeFort AncientWoodland periodMiddle Ohio ValleymaízFort Ancientperíodo Woodlandvalle medio del Rio Ohio
Type
Report
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 89 , Issue 2 , April 2024 , pp. 319 - 326
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for American Archaeology

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