Early Woodland Traditions in the Northern American Bottom: Material Culture and Settlement Dynamics

Investigations over the past thirty years in the American Bottom have revealed a sequence of Early Woodland cultural entities covering an 800-year period, but with a few notable exceptions, data have been mostly restricted to assemblages and settlements south of Cahokia. This paper addresses what we currently know about Early Woodland traditions identified north of Cahokia. Much of this evidence comes from IDOT investigations related to the FAP-310 Highway Project. In addition to Marion culture components we have more information about the Black Sand culture, as well as a newly defined Cass Complex that appears to be a hybrid of Florence and Marion. Neither Black Sand nor Cass Complex materials are found south of Cahokia. The Early Woodland period is a dynamic time with different overlapping small groups of people moving in and out of the region, leaving only a small signature on the landscape.