Origins of Mississippian Culture

Name: Origins of Mississippian Culture
Start: 600
End: 700

Type Event Region North America Time 600–700

Between 600 and 700 CE, precursory developments of Mississippian culture emerged in river valleys of eastern and midwestern North America: larger vil…

Timeline

600–650Lower Ohio River Valley · Ohio River ValleyLate Woodland sites show village population growth, more storage facilities, and traces of ceremonial activity, indicating that social differentiation and chiefly authority began to strengthen, accumulating conditions for Mississippian-style hierarchical society.
650–700Middle Mississippi River Valley · Mississippi River BasinThe proportion of maize cultivation rose, supporting larger settlements; small platform mounds and plaza layouts appeared in various regions, inheriting Hopewellian ceremonial spatial concepts and foreshadowing the later formation of large Mississippian ceremonial centers.

Sources

The Ancient Americas: A Brief History and Guide to Research — Richard E. W. Adams (1991)
Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi — Timothy R. Pauketat (2009)