ANTH 210 Lecture Notes - Maya Ceramics, Great Zimbabwe, Mississippian Culture
23 Apr 2013
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Document Summary
Elites were religious leaders or had supernatural contact. Big bang theory : leader at cahokia predicted some extreme event haley"s. Comet and the people did whatever the leader wanted afterwards- reorganization of cahokia. Strictly planned, oriented, and distributed use of space. From larger scale to smaller scale- even at the house level. Distinctive ceramic vessel given as an elaborate gift to bring back home from ceremonial center- filled with food as well- allowed elites to coerce people into complying. Chunky game: exclusive ceremonial life, entertainment, exclusive realm of chunky game is cahokia, played for wagers that could be ritual in nature, sacrifice for losing team. Religious: men burials are oriented perpendicular to the mounds. Residential space: ethnic identity of mississippian culture, pre: wall posts, post: wall trenches, acquiring an element that is associated with cahokia- gain prestige of being a part of the state, houses are prefabricated in cahokia. Woodhenge: observatory, astronomical sightings, knowledge of astronomy, elites of cahokia.
