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In this paper are presented two cases of abnormal colouration individuals of Mus spicilegus from northern border of the species' range. The individuals were caught during long-term research (from 2002 to 2021) of species in autumn-winter seasons in field biotopes on south-eastern Slovakia. The first individual captured on December 2, 2004, was subadult male. The second individual captured on November 11, 2020, was subadult female. Determination by morphological traits and subsequent dissection confirmed that both trapped mice were subadults. According to the findings, the observed individuals meet the criterion of flavism. The dorsal fur was yellow (or beige); the auricle, feet, and tail were light; and coloration on the belly was white. This finding is important not only in terms of colour anomalies, but also in terms of genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study was quantified bacular size, variation, and allometry in mound-building mice (Mus spicilegus) from the western Carpathians (Slovakia). The study presents the first knowledge of morphological variation in three baculum traits based on the analysis of 11 adult and 60 subadult males. According to descriptive statistics, bacula are variable in size. Despite the small number of adult individuals, the Mann-Whitney test indicated significant differences (p < 0.05) in proportions between age groups. However, to confirm these results, larger numbers of adults and subadults will need to be tested in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to account for the impressive and unusual archaeological record of the World Heritage site of Poverty Point have often faltered. The vast and diverse set of artifacts, the spectacular and well-designed earthworks, and the millions of baked-clay objects known as Poverty Point Objects are all distinctive and anomalous features of the site. This paper argues that the archaeological record of Poverty Point can best be explained as the product of periodic, ritualized feasting events. Drawing on diverse archaeological and anthropological studies of feasting I demonstrate that it is a useful research framework for understanding the site's content because many of the archaeological signatures of feasting are present at Poverty Point. I argue furthermore that Poverty Point Objects were an integral component of this culture of feasting and offer hypotheses on their role in the feasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To aid our understanding of prehispanic social change in a subcontinental context, this article presents data and analysis relating to the occupational histories of 351 Mississippian platform mound sites in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Based on the premise that sites with platform mounds served as the administrative and ritual centers for Mississippian polities, our study demonstrates that polities in the study area rose and fell with some regularity, and in many cases, new polities succeeded old ones in the same locations. Our work expands on a previous analysis of 47 northern Georgia area sites. Through a theoretical framework tailored for macroregional processes and a rule-based approach in collecting and standardizing data from previous work, this study serves as an example for incorporating different processes and regions to provide a more coherent and complete picture of the Mississippian macroregion. Our results show that polity cycling was typical in our study area, and we argue that the rise and fall of polities is best described within a theoretical framework emphasizing collapse and resilience. By treating collapse as a normal feature of Mississippian polities, we can better understand the interconnectedness of Mississippian polities across regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present the occupational history of the Pontal da Barra site, located within the estuary of the Patos lagoon in southern Brazil. The Pontal da Barra was occupied by a community of fishermen and earthen mound builders (Cerritos de Indios). From 2500 to 1800 BP the site was a temporary camp, became a permanent settlement between 1800 and 1200 BP, and was ultimately abandoned around 1000 BP. The occupational history is archaeologically visible in the increased architectural complexity of the mound structures and its surrounding areas, the management of soil within the mounds, and the multifunctional aspects of the monumental mounds. As part of a regional territory, the wetland of the Pontal da Barra became a meaningful place within the spatial domain of the mound builders. The site was systemically occupied for 1,500 years by agents of a long-term indigenous history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The Australian Coptotermes (Family: Rhinotermitidae) are a small monophyletic group of termites, some of which build mounds. In this study, we construct predicted distributions based on environmental data (niche models) for all Australian species of Coptotermes to test whether specific environmental factors have contributed to the evolution of mound-building behaviour and whether the degree of niche similarity and degree of phylogenetic similarity are correlated. Location The Australian mainland, including the known native ranges of all Australian species of Coptotermes. Methods We estimated the phylogenetic relationships between the species of Australian Coptotermes. We then generated and compared environmental niche models in a phylogenetic framework for all study species to test niche conservation. Our analyses were based on location data from our own sampling and from the Atlas of Living Australia, genetic data from a previous study of Australian Coptotermes, and environmental data from WorldClim and ASRIS. Results We found that no environmental variable differed consistently between mound-building and non-mound-building taxa and that the differences in niches between pairs of Australian species of Coptotermes are uncorrelated with time since divergence. The environmental tolerances of the Australian Coptotermes termites are more restricted by rainfall than they are by soil or temperature. Main conclusions Our results show that mound-building behaviour has not necessarily evolved in response to similar abiotic conditions. Our results are consistent with ecological speciation leading to niche divergence since Coptotermes first arrived in Australia ~12.5 million years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the achievements in agriculture, architecture, and travel networking of the Moundbuilders Native American Civilization in North America, who had preceded the nations that initially encountered European explorers post 1492.

The functions of Archaic-period mounds in the Lower Mississippi River valley are generally poorly understood. Poverty Point's Mound C provides a unique opportunity to examine the function of one Late Archaic mound. Archaeological excavation of Mound C revealed a complex construction sequence consisting of numerous, thin, flat-topped construction stages. The presence of cultural features on the surfaces of some stages suggests these mound stage summits were used for cultural activities. The nearly complete absence of macroartifacts, however, makes it difficult to discern the types of activities undertaken on these surfaces. Microartifacts from the surfaces of these construction platforms provide an alternative perspective on the nature of activities associated with this earthwork. The analysis of microartifacts from Mound C, coupled with the limited number of macroartifacts, suggests that individual mound stage summits were intentionally cleaned prior to the addition of subsequent construction stages. The Mound C microartifact assemblages further indicate that this architectural feature was used unlike any other previously excavated context at Poverty Point. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the history of construction and function of earthen mounds along the Mississippi River Valley by Native American groups. Topics discussed include collections of stone artifacts from Poverty Point, extension of stone material exchange network of the Poverty Point from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast along the Mississippi River, and the cessation of trade interactions and burial activity that characterized Hopewell Interaction Sphere society at around 500 CE.

Anthropogenic coastal landscapes often incorporate shell, a durable remnant of subsistence activity. Collection, consumption, and even feasting can thus contribute to histories of site formation and mound construction. This research assesses how oyster consumption related to the creation of Mound A, a shell mound at the Roberts Island Shell Mound Complex in Citrus County, Florida, is differentiated from the instances of oyster consumption that resulted in the midden constituting the rest of the island. I compare the size of shell remains from mound and off-mound midden contexts to assess variation in the sizes represented across the samples, stratigraphic variation within each context, and evidence for directional change indicative of over-exploitation. I identify a relationship of dependence between shell size and stratigraphic depth in off-mound samples that does not appear in mound samples, suggesting a relatively short period of time for the accumulation of mound deposit oyster shells. The findings of this study point to mound construction at Roberts Island Shell Mound Complex as a distinct and deliberate activity, with the construction event likely sharing importance with the community aggregation and consumption that facilitated it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shell mound sites dating from the mid-Holocene and containing very large numbers of the estuarine bivalve Anadara granosa are found across northern Australia. It has recently been proposed that the economic, social and cultural practices linked to their formation ceased some 500-700 years ago across northern Australia as a result of environmental changes leading to the substantially reduced availability of A. granosa. This has been used in support of arguments that ethnographic data are irrelevant to archaeological interpretations of shell mound sites. The Albatross Bay region, Cape York Peninsula, has been cited as one area potentially showing a continuity of mound building after 500-700 cal. BP; however, radiocarbon data for the region have not been reviewed in the context of this debate. This paper reviews both new and previously published radiocarbon determinations from shell matrix sites at Albatross Bay and integrates these with newly available site data for the region. Analysis of this dataset shows a dramatic increase in mound construction activity during the last millennium, continuing up until ca 200 cal. BP. This shows that shell mound construction did not universally cease across northern Australia at 500-700 cal. BP. This paper calls for further refinement of the broader model via the development of more nuanced, regionally specific models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the past and current interpretations of the ages and cultural affiliations of the effigy mounds of the Upper Midwest. Topics discussed include the apparent incompatibility between the Ho-Chunk and Chiwere people with both Effigy Mound and Oneota archaeology and the need to address direct historical relationships between the builders and succeeding groups. Ideology, ritual, and oral tradition is also examined as a means of attaining an understanding of such relationships.

Abstract: The stratigraphic excavation of the Pago Lindo archaeological complex, in central-eastern Uruguay (La Plata basin), helped to propose an alternative model for mound formation that expresses the intrinsic complexity of prehistoric earthen architecture. This model, known as the spatial–temporal discontinuous model, sees mound complexes as multi-functional areas, with diverse earth works occupied and abandoned intermittently. Since earthen mound sediments are homogeneous, resemble natural soils and show evidences of intense bioturbation, soil micromorphology was used to confirm, refute and further investigate issues raised during field work, related with the prime material used for mound construction, detection of major episodes of mound building, identification of activity areas and taphonomic processes. In this paper, we present the results of the micromorphological analyses of two different earth works from the Pago Lindo archaeological complex (a mound and a micro-relief). Analyses proved the recurrent use of surface horizons for mound and micro-relief building throughout the entire period of site occupation. It also demonstrated the difficulty in identifying discrete depositional episodes and occupation surfaces, because of the intense bioturbation. Two activity areas where recognized: a domestic hut built over a platform, ca. 1600 yrs. BP; and an area of plant residue accumulation over a platform, raised almost 800 hundred year after the domestic hut. The practice of cleaning the occupation surfaces was interpreted from the complete absence of bioarchaeological remains (bones and micro-charcoal). The use of micromorphology as a complementary tool in the stratigraphic excavation of Pago Lindo unraveled evidences that corroborate a newly proposed model for mound growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents an examination of the archaeological excavation of the Upper Mississippian Oakwood Mound located in Oakwood Cemetery in Joliet, Illinois. It traces the history of excavations at the site beginning with those conducted in 1926 through the University of Chicago's Archaeological Survey of Illinois, headed by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology's chairperson, Fay-Cooper Cole. Through the examination of remains, information is provided on the population's chronological, cultural, osteological and dietary characteristics. Additionally, site's artifacts are attributed to the Langford cultural pattern and details regarding the population's burial practices are provided.

The article discusses the use of variously colored soils in the construction of Hopewellian earthworks located in the Illinois River valley in west-central Illinois. The author argues that the practice of mound building, involving the hauling and placing of various soils in a particular order, was part of a shared process of community construction and reproduction. The contrasting soils, most obviously differing in their color, clearly demarcated each component of the mound as the community witnessed its unfolding construction. The author argues, however, that contemporary observations of the colors of the soils are very different from the original Hopewellian experience.

The article discusses the historiography of the Caddo Indians during the period preceding 1685, which was written by Texas historians. The portrayal of the Caddo Indians as a people deriving from the Mississippian culture and from the Hopewell cultural tradition of mound-building is presented. An overview of the archaeological research on the Caddo Indians is presented. An overview of the reasons that Texas historians attribute the Caddo Indians abandoning their settlements and temple mounds, including overpopulation, drought and poor yields from corn planting, is also provided.

Previous studies of the Hohokam have suggested that obsidian procurement and distribution practices were conducted differently between two subsequent intervals, the Sedentary and Classic periods. In the Sedentary period, obsidian may have changed hands at events associated with the ballcourt ritual. By the Classic period, obsidian is argued to have moved either through an elite-sponsored or kinship-based economy. However, the Sedentary and Classic periods are long temporal intervals, which, when used to describe changes in time, can mask short-term but significant temporal variation. Our research employs a refined dating scheme, standard lithic analysis, and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry on a sample of obsidian from the Hohokam village of Las Colinas to determine: (1) when the change in obsidian exchange pattems actually began, (2) if the transition was an immediate shift or a gradual trend, and more generally (3) the behavioral changes related to the Sedentary to Classic transition. The results of our study suggest that there was not one decisive transition in the obsidian exchange system, but rather changes in the procurement patterns (i.e., frequency and sources) at two different points in time. These shifts in the movement of obsidian were felt at Las Colinas, and perhaps across much of the Hohokam region, and were seemingly related to the demise of the ballcourt network at the end of the middle Sedentary and the later rise of platform mounds during the early Classic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the lack of grave goods has been the focus of most scholarly discussion of Coles Creek burial practices, the mortuary analyses presented here focus on recognizing correspondences among sex, age, and burial position. Using assemblages from three Coles Creek sites (Greenhouse, Lake George, and Mount Nebo), I find that while there is significant intersite variability among Coles Creek mortuary programs, certain age groups are consistently treated differently from each other and from everyone else. Thus interments were being made with deliberate care and consideration for those involved and are not nearly as haphazard and disorderly as previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prehistoric earthworks of Ohio have played a major role in the development of American archaeology and they continue to figure prominently in archaeological research. However, while a select group of larger earthwork sites have been intensively studied and resurveyed with geophysical survey instruments, much of the ongoing earthwork research, and reference to less-well-known sites, still relies on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century maps. In this article, we present the results of magnetic gradient surveys at three earthwork complexes in south central Ohio. Though much degraded by agricultural plowing and other historic impacts, our survey results show that despite near invisibility at the surface, Ohio's earthwork sites are (1) readily detected in geophysical surveys, (2) more complex than most early maps suggest, and (3) more numerous and varied than once thought. Given the major role these sites have taken on in studies that explore topics ranging from community structure and burial ceremonialism to population mobility and the development of socioeconomic complexity, a radical redrafting of the nineteenth-century maps could have far-reaching implications in the study of Woodland period (specifically, ca. 300 B.C.-A.D. 500) cultures in the Midwest U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, significant quantitative information on prehistoric diets has come to light from a variety of locations in the Caddoan archaeological area, a region encompassing eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, northeast Texas, and northwest Louisiana. Most of this research is based on macro-botanical and faunal remains analysis. As an additional line of evidence for the growing body of botanical and faunal data, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen were analyzed from 82 human and faunal samples from the Arkansas basin and Ozark Highlands in eastern Oklahoma. The research investigates the role of maize in diets through time and across sex and status dimensions. Spanning six phases, within the time range 300 B.C. to A.D. 1650, mean δ13C values increase from -19.2 to -12.7 parts per million (‰). Although present prior to A.D. 1000 substantial increases in the use of maize do not begin until the Harlan phase (A.D. 1050-1250). Even with increased use, maize never dominates the diet to the extent seen in Mississippian period sites farther east. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of time remains a crucial one in Lower Illinois Valley archaeology, and key problems remain unresolved. In this paper, new radiocarbon assays and published dates are used to test hypotheses concerning intra-site bluff top mound chronologies, timing and structure of valley settlement, and the emergence of regional symbolic communities during the Middle Woodland period (ca. 50 cal B.C.-cal A.D. 400). We show that within sites Middle Woodland mounds were constructed first on prominent, distal bluff ridges and subsequently in less-visible spaces, though additional dates are needed to fully understand intra-site chronology. Our analyses generally support previous studies suggesting a north-to-south settlement trajectory of the valley, though habitation site dates indicate a more complicated pattern of regional occupation that has vet to be fully explicated. In addition, floodplain regional symbolic communities also emerged along a north-to-south pattern, though not as rapidly as bluff crest mounds. Importantly, results indicate future areas of research necessary to elucidate regional chronology, resettlement of the valley, and community interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The complexity of mound construction, as revealed through geoarchaeological analyses, indicates the cultural significance of mounds may be as well reflected in the earthen construction materials and their arrangement, as it is in the artifacts abandoned on their summits. We use geoarchaeological examples from three sites in the Mississippi River basin, Shiloh Mounds, Cahokia, and Poverty Point, to advocate a geoarchaeological approach that considers multiple scales from the regional soils and geomorphology, field observation of lithostratigraphic units, to the micro-scale identification of the mineralogy and soil development in order to decipher the source and processing of the soils and sediments. We focus on the use of five types of construction referred to here as: sod blocks, soil blocks, loaded fills, zoned fills and veneers. Also we address the selection and transportation of soils and sediments used in mound building and what these types of deposits reveal about the methods used to build mounds. These data can be used to evaluate and understand organization of labor, pace of construction, and mound appearance. We hold there is a considerable (although unquantified) difference between earth moving and mound building and that the construction of these important monuments required considerable knowledge, skill, planning, hard work, and attention to symbolic and ritual meaning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Site 22L1504 is a predominantly Archaic period site in Lincoln County, Mississippi. One of its primary elements of interest is a single conical mound from which small-diameter cores revealed evidence of advanced pedogenesis. A radiocarbon sample from one soil core produced a date suggesting that the mound was Archaic in age (Fulmer 2001); however, it was unclear whether the sample came from within the mound or an underlying midden. In the spring of 2006, we excavated a 1-x-1-m unit in the mound to investigate this question. Diagnostic lithic artifacts, an advanced state of soil horizonation, and a lack of ceramics indicate that the mound is of Archaic period. construction, with as many as five construction stages and artifact-rich features. We describe the soil profiles, features, and artifacts recovered from the mound, with comparisons to excavation units in an adjacent Archaic midden to show that there is no clear evidence for the mound being a functionally specific locus. We also present radiocarbon dates that indicate the earthwork is over 5,000 years old. These results are evaluated within the broader context of Archaic mound building, focusing in particular on environmental parameters underlying bet-hedging behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volume is a critical measure in quantifying differences among earthen mounds. Previous methods for measuring mound volume are prone to error by oversimplifying the symmetry of earthworks. However, the wide availability of contouring software has made it simpler to calculate volume. The results obtained using a computerized technique referred to as the gridding method are compared with previous mound volume estimates at Moundville. The outcome shows that volumes calculated using the gridding method are much smaller than the original estimates. Inflation of the volume of earthen mounds may lead to misrepresentations regarding the degree of sociopolitical organization that existed at Moundville and at other prehistoric mound-building societies in the southeastern United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a bioarchaeological reanalysis of the skeletal remains interred in the Middle Woodland burial mounds at the Helena Crossing site (3PH11). Based on current bioarchaeological methods, our reanalysis offers summaries of the sex and age estimates, pathologies, and trauma of the burials from Helena Crossing that are useful for their subsequent interpretation. We also document previously unrecognized evidence of postmortem processing in specific burials as evidenced by cut and chop marks that are associated with defleshing, disarticulating, and possibly mutilating particular corpses. We note the special attention paid to detaching and processing the mandibles and/or maxillas of several burials that indicates, along with evidence from other sites, that the mouth was an important symbolically charged orifice during the Middle Woodland period in the Eastern Woodlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on research conducted at archaeological sites associated with a protohistoric Tuscarora Indian community in North Carolina. It discusses the Tosneoc, a community identified by 18th century explorer John Lawson, and examines archaeological evidence from the Late Woodland period sites believed to have been inhabited by the tribe. It examines remains of Cashie pottery and explores the geographical distribution of remains in an effort to provide information on the tribe's land settlement patterns.

Manufacturing trajectories represent a series of choices made by artisans in the process of transforming a raw material into a useful object. In some cases these choices explicitly communicate a message; in others, patterned behaviors may result in a kind of technological style that can be used to make inferences about the manufacturer's identities. Investigation of bone tools from the Chiggerville, Read, and Baker sites in the Green River region of western Kentucky has resulted in the identification of four distinct methods of manufacturing single-piece fishhooks. Additionally, small pointed implements may represent the barbs of composite fishhooks, indicating the use of a technologically distinct fifth style. These fishhook types are interpreted as evidence for the movement of individuals throughout the mid-South in the process of social interaction and exchange and support the hypothesis that Shell Mound Archaic groups in western Kentucky were complex hunter-gatherers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Crystal River site (8CI1), located on Florida's west-central Gulf Coast, has long been counted among the most impressive yet inscrutable archaeological sites in the eastern United States. Excavations by C. B. Moore in the early twentieth century produced a number of artifacts with apparent Hopewellian affiliations, thus indicating an occupation during the Middle Woodland period. However, other features of the site--particularly the presence of flat-topped mounds and negative-painted pottery--suggested a later (Mississippian) date. This apparent conflict cast a cloud of confusion over the site, exacerbated by the later discovery of three purported limestone stelae. We present new insights into Crystal River based partly on new field work, including detailed topographic mapping, geophysical survey, and limited small-diameter coring. These field investigations, when combined with radiocarbon dates and the data gleaned from previous investigations, allow us to make new inferences regarding the chronology of settlement and mound construction at Crystal River. Specifically, we posit, based on these data, a greater degree of planning, structure, and complexity to the site from its founding, possibly as early as cal. 300 B.C. Further, these early practices impact the overarching historical trajectory of the site, guiding subsequent practices over a long time span, likely as late as cal A.D. 600. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the southeastern United States, I provide some alternative perspectives on shell mounds previously interpreted as architectural features, temple mounds, and feasting sites. The same pattern of deposition often inferred to indicate mound construction—darker-colored, highly organic strata alternating with lighter-colored, shell-rich strata—can be accounted for by domestic midden accumulation and disposal of refuse away from living areas. Observed abundances of particular shell species can result from local or regional ecological conditions. Site complexes interpreted as architectural may have evolved largely in response to short-term climate changes. Shell rings on the Georgia and South Carolina coasts probably functioned to conserve and store unconfined water. To understand ancient shell mounds, we need a sediment-oriented approach to the study of mound deposits and more attention to the environmental contexts in which shell mounds accumulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination and analysis of five ceramic vessels from the Brogley Rockshelter site located in Wisconsin's Drftless Area. It discusses what each vessel demonstrates about the individuals who occupied the shelter including the extent of their trade networks and time period the shelter was occupied. The presence of a Havana-style Hummel Dentate Stamped vessel and a burnished Hopewell Zoned vessel indicate interaction with the Hopewell of central Illinois, while a Madison ware vessel suggests the presence of a Late Woodland Effigy Mound.

Fisher-hunter-gatherers built the large earthwork at Poverty Point ca. 3500 cal. B. P. Based on the massive quantities of exotic rock and construction regularities with earlier regional mound complexes, Kenneth Sassaman proposes that builders were a cosmopolitan multiethnic collective with geographically extensive origins. Close examination of Poverty Point's goods fails to support his multiethnic model and suggests that a local communal structure prevailed in Poverty Point's home- land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When Spanish explorers first arrived in the region later known as the southeastern United States in the early 16th century, they encountered complex, chiefdom level societies in many areas. These societies, with populations commonly numbering in the thousands and occasionally tens of thousands, were characterized by hereditary inequality of individuals and groups, monumental architecture, elaborate ceremonialism, and were engaged in constant warfare with one another. While state societies like those present in western South America and Mesoamerica were not found in the Southeast, most scholars believe they would have eventually emerged within the region. Indeed, some believe that a state did emerge briefly at Cahokia in the central Mississippi Valley around ca. AD 1050. The contact era societies the early European explorers saw, however, represented only the final chapter in a long record dating back thousands of years. Seemingly complex societies characterized by formal cemeteries and elaborate ceremonialism were present in the region as far back as the terminal Pleistocene some 12.000 years ago, as represented by the Dalton culture of the central Mississippi Valley, while the construction of massive mound complexes of earth and shell appears in many areas in the later Mid-Holocene era, after ca. 7000 cal yr BP. Complex societies thus persisted for thousands of years in the Southeast, with hunting and gathering providing the means of subsistence for much of this interval. Agricultural food production only became important in the final two millennia before contact, long after complex societies were widely established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual body odour is known to provide information to conspecifics about both the identity of the donor and its biological state (e.g. reproductive condition, age, diet). It is not clear whether information related to individuality and biological state is evaluated collectively or separately. To gain insight into this subject, we examined the effect of a change in diet on conspecific recognition of individual chemical signatures in mound-building mice, Mus spicilegus. The diet change consisted of the addition of an aromatic concentrate to the drinking water. We used two different procedures based on spontaneous responses of mice to the presentation of odorous stimuli: the habituation–dishabituation procedure and the habituation–generalization procedure. Mice of both sexes were able to perceive the two types of information contained in the modified chemical signature of the donor, that is, they were able both to perceive the change in diet and to identify the chemical signature of the donor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The small islands of Western Torres Strait, between the large continental islands of Australia in the south and New Guinea in the north, witnessed major cultural transformations about 400 years ago. Innovations included the commencement of dugong bone mound-building and Syrinx aruanus shell arrangements. This paper explores the archaeological evidence for these new site types, linking the archaeology to late nineteenth century ethnography on Torres Strait ritual practices. It concludes by presenting four alternative models to explain the origins of these c. 400-year-old ritual innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle Archaic (7400–5100 bp) fisher-hunter-gatherers living alongside the Lower Mississippi River were not fully sedentary but still managed to build mound complexes of impressive dimensions. The Poverty Point earthwork, built rapidly sometime after 3700 bp, was the work of a sedentary fisher-hunter-gatherer people, the Tamaroha. The colossal earthwork, the explosion of material culture, the far-reaching exchange and the swift accommodations to growing population were both cause and consequence of sedentism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alligator Mound is an animal effigy mound in central Ohio, USA. Since Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis first recorded and mapped it in 1848, many have speculated regarding its age and meaning, but with remarkably little systematic archaeological investigation. Many scholars have assumed the Hopewell culture (c. 100 BC-AD 400) built the mound, based principally on its proximity to the Newark Earthworks. The Hopewell culture, however, is not known to have built other effigy mounds. Limited excavations in 1999 revealed details of mound stratigraphy and recovered charcoal embedded in mound fill near the base of the mound. This charcoal yielded radiocarbon dates that average between AD 1170 and 1270, suggesting that the Late Prehistoric Fort Ancient culture (c. AD 1000-1550) made the mound. This result coincides with dates obtained for Serpent Mound in southern Ohio and suggests that the construction of effigy mounds in eastern North America was restricted to the Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric traditions. Ethnographic and ethnohistoric analogies suggest that the so-called 'Alligator' might actually represent the Underwater Panther and have served as a shrine for invoking the aid of supernatural powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study on mound-center settlement patterns in the South Appalachian area of Mississippi. Details on the simplex-complex chiefdom cycle; Mississippian polities in the area; Chiefdom fission-fusion process; Analysis of chiefdoms in the Savannah River valley of Georgia and South Carolina.