Ritual and Subsistence: Paleobotany at the Smith Creek Site (22wk526)

The Smith Creek Archaeological Project focuses on a mound site in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. The site (22Wk526) has three earthen mounds surrounding an open plaza dating to the Coles Creek period (AD 700 – 1200) and a probable village are at the south end of the site dating to the Anna Phase of the Plaquemine period (AD 1200 – 1350). This thesis examines paleobotanical material from the flotation and water screening samples from this village area. The discussion centers around both subsistence, with a focus on the beginnings of corn agriculture, and ritual uses of plants, with a focus on sweet gum. Additionally, other plant remains found at the site will be discussed in terms of what they illuminate about the use of plants at the Coles Creek-Plaquemine transition.