AASH of the Mississippian Civilization

This photo features the mounds made by the Mississippians. They made almost all of their structures on top of mounds. The Mississippians were well known because of the mounds, which made them different from other cultures. The structures that were built on top of the mound include temples, houses, burial buildings, etc. As you can see in the image there are many smaller structures beside the mounds like could have been smaller shops in a market. However, the bigger buildings (most likely a house or family home) are on top of the mound, and you can see a person walking up the steps to enter the structure. The purpose of the earthen mounds was mostly for religious beliefs and ceremonies such as a burial. They were also for elite residential purposes.
Rationale: I chose this artifact because it gives lots of information on the mounds and helps us furthermore in understanding the Mississippian culture.

This image shows the social hierarchy of the Mississippian culture. In the order from highest to lowest class Great Sun (The Chief), The Elite (Sub-Chiefs and Priests), Leaders (Heads of clans and communities), and Commoners (Warriors, Workers, and Craftsmen). The Mississippians were organized into chiefdoms that were led by the nobles (leaders). Within each chiefdom the higher-class people were called the Elites and the normal people were just called Commoners. I chose this artifact because it gives a good overview of the social structure and the chain of power in the Mississippian culture. It also allows us to see what the social structure would’ve been like if we were Mississippians.

Here are some facts about the Mississippian social structure. The Mississippians were organized into chiefdoms that were led by the ruling nobles. The high class people and their family were called...

The Mississippian people were organized as chiefdoms. Chiefdoms were ranked societies and a specific kind of human social organization with social ranking as a fundamental part of their structure. In ranked societies people belonged to either elites or commoners. Elites, who made up a relatively small percentage of chiefdom populations, had a higher social standing than commoners. I chose this artifact because it helped represent how unique the Mississippian culture was when it came to social ranks and power.