Definition: The Hopewell civilization (also called Adena in some regions) is a prehistoric culture of the American middle west. Recent evidence has pretty much proven that Adena is indistinguishable from the Hopewell of the central North American continent, although there may some regional variations. Village settlements date between 500 BC-AD 200; large shaped burial mounds and extensive trade networks are Adena/Hopewell characteristics.
The Hopewell are best known for their enormous effigy mounds, built all over the American midwest, many of which fell victim to agricultural activities of the American farmer and deliberate vandalism resulting from the collapse of the lost races myth (aka, moundbuilders theory).
Sources
The Hopewell Mica Claw illustrated in the figure is courtesy the Field Museum, part of their ongoing exhibit "
Ancient Americas".
Bernardini, Wesley. 2004 Hopewell geometric earthworks: a case study in the referential and experiential meaning of monuments. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 23(3):331-356.
Caldwell, Joseph R. 1964 Hopewellian Studies. In Scientific Papers. Robert L. Hall, ed. Springfield: Illinois State Museum.
Deuel, Thorne B. 1952 The Hopewellian Community. In Hopewellian Communities in Illinois; Scientific Papers volume 5. Thorne B. Deuel, ed. Pp. 249-270. Springfield: Illinois State Museum.
Smith, Bruce D. 1988. Hopewellian farmers of Eastern North America. 11th International Congress of Pre-and Protohistoric Sciences. Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.
Struever, Stuart. 1972 An analysis of the Hopewell Interaction Sphere. In Social Exchange and Interaction. In Anthropological Papers. Gail L. Houart, ed. Pp. 47-79. Ann Arbor: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
No comments:
Post a Comment