Monitoring Mississippian Homestead Occupation Span and Economy Using Ceramic Refuse

Occupation spans of small late prehistoric sites in the American Bottom of southwestern Illinois are estimated through consideration of the formation of ceramic refuse. Archaeological and ethnographic data inform a model which takes the form of both a computer simulation and a quantitative transform. Critical variables include a behavioral assemblage, a disposal assemblage, vessel use life, and breakage and replacement rates. A number of factors may have influenced settlement duration, but a preliminary examination does not reveal a significant correlation between environmental features and occupation span. The relation of these lower-order settlements to higher-order centers in the American Bottom settlement hierarchy may not have necessitated maximizing the economic potential of a given rural catchment.