World Prehistory

For this assignment i chose the Lake Jackson Mounds located in Tallahassee Florida

You will write a research paper on a prehistoric (pre AD 1492, i.e. not Spanish or post-Spanish) archaeological site that you have visited in person. This paper will demonstrate your capacity to contextualize, understand, and interpret an archaeological site within broader, cross-cultural trends in world prehistory. It will also allow you to demonstrate your research skills in this contextualization.In this course, we have discussed how archaeologists can deduce the social, economic, and religious organization of a community from examining the material record of these communities. You will now attempt to do this yourselves. Specifically: visit a prehistoric archaeological site (before AD 1492) in the Southeast US. This can be anywhere, but for practical reasons it will probably be easiest to visit a site in the vicinity of Tallahassee. Tour the site, noting the distribution of preserved features (i.e., architecture, walls, house platforms, storage pits, ritual sites, garbage dumps, open spaces). Then, do library research on the period and archaeological culture(s) to which the site belonged. Using this research, evaluate and describe the type of social, economic, and religious organization that characterized this community. In general, think about the following:

Was this a hunter-gatherer or a farming community? What evidence supports this, from this site and more broadly?Was this community likely egalitarian, or less egalitarian, or one with pronounced social hierarchies? What evidence supports this, from this site and comparable sites?Is there evidence for public as well as private spaces, and how are these spaces organized? What information from other, comparable site supports your assertion?Where, if at all, is there evidence for ritual activity? Was this large- or small-scale? Is this present at other, comparable sites?Is there any evidence for craft activity or production at this site, or other sites belonging to this period or culture?How is the site situated in the landscape? What does this suggest about how the people lived there? Is this site unusual or more normal with regard to other sites from this period/culture?

This is a research paper. You will conduct library research in order to better understand the archaeological site you visit. Specifically, you will use this research (either on the particular site itself, or sites that belong to the same period/culture) to address questions like those listed above.Good sources of information are academic books (i.e., books written by academics derived from their research) and academic articles (i.e., articles and papers written by academics and published by respectable academic journals). Both types of resource are available via FSU libraries. If you’re not sure what constitutes an academic book versus a popular book, or if you’re not sure what constitutes a respectable journal, ask a librarian (online or in person). In general, though, make sure that the author(s) or editor(s) is or was an academic, and also avoid using source from prior to 1980; these are likely to be scientifically out of date.Do not use internet sources or popular books, including Wikipedia and online encyclopedias. However, note that many academic journals are accessible online as well as in hard copy, and it is fine to make reference to these (i.e., they count as published, not internet, resources). You must make reference to at least five academic sources, information regarding which will be included in your bibliography (see below).

This paper must be at minimum 2000 words in length. Format the text and pages accordingly: Times New Roman 12pt font, double-spaced, with 1” margins. Please remember to include a header with your name, the class, date, and word count.When you make reference to sources in your bibliography, follow the Harvard embedded style, not footnotes. For example:“Scott (2017:53) argues that…”“It is clear from the literature on this topic (e.g., Laffoon and Leppard 2018) that…”“In some cases, however, scholars have suggested that the opposite is the case (Leppard and Pilaar Birch 2016; Pilaar Birch 2018)…”“Pilaar Birch (2018) objects to the earlier scholarship (e.g., Scott 2017:56-60)…”

Reference academic books like this:
Scott, J.C. 2017. Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States. New Haven: Yale University Press.Pilaar Birch, S.E. ed. 2018. Multispecies Archaeology. London and New York: Routledge.

Reference a journal article like this:
Laffoon, J.E. and T.P. Leppard. 2019. “87Sr/86Sr data indicate human post-juvenile residence mobility decreases over time-elapsed since initial Holocene island colonization in the Pacific and Caribbean.” Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11(5):1757-1768.

Reference a chapter in an academic book like this:
Leppard, T.P. and S.E. Pilaar Birch. 2016.“The insular ecology and palaeoenvironmental impacts of the domestic goat (Capra hircus) in Mediterranean Neolithization.” In Géoarchéologie des îles de Méditerranée, edited by M. Ghilardi, F. Leandri, J. Bloemendal, L. Lespez and S. Fachard. Paris: CNRS Editions, 47-56.

This is a formal paper, so please write in a formal style. Grammar, spelling, and syntax will impact your grade. An introduction section and a conclusion section are vital. In general, good academic writing should not be flowery or elaborate: tell the reader what you will argue; argue it; and then tell them what you have argued. Do not use contractions (it’s, wasn’t). Avoid colloquial expressions, and certainly avoid clichés (e.g., papers beginning “Since the dawn of time, humans have done x…” are rarely good papers).This is not an opinion paper. Use good evidence, derived from research, to support your claims and arguments.