University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Middle Woodland hilltop enclosures: The built environment, construction and function

Connolly, Robert Patrick

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Description

Title
Middle Woodland hilltop enclosures: The built environment, construction and function
Author(s)
Connolly, Robert Patrick
Issue Date
1996
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Lewis, R. Barry
Department of Study
Anthropology
Discipline
Anthropology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Anthropology, Archaeology
Language
eng
Abstract
  • This dissertation examines the structure and function of Middle Woodland period (200 B.C.-A.D. 400) hilltop enclosures in the Ohio Valley. It describes the physical structure and temporal development of hilltop enclosure architecture and analyzes the associated activity areas. The concept of the built environment, which incorporates dimensions of space, time, and communication, is used to develop a holistic interpretation of the earthwork systems.
  • The Fort Ancient site (33WA2) in Warren County, Ohio, is used as the main case study for testing hypotheses about the structure, development, and functions of hilltop sites. Fort Ancient is the largest and most thoroughly investigated of the hilltop enclosures in the Ohio Valley.
  • By tracing the temporal development of the Fort Ancient complex, the rules and trends of an architectural design grammar can be delineated. These rules, which are focused on the gateway complexes, are used to develop a model or ideal expectation of hilltop enclosure architecture. This model is then compared with other hilltop enclosures in the region to determine if the same design grammar rules were applied in the construction of those sites.
  • The results show, first, a 300 year continuity in the evolution of the design grammar rules at Fort Ancient. Second, the functional meaning assigned to specific spaces in and near the Fort Ancient enclosure changed over time as the earthwork was expanded. Third, the application of the Fort Ancient model to other contemporaneous hilltop enclosure sites shows that the design grammar was not applied throughout the region. Finally, Middle Woodland hilltop enclosures are most accurately viewed as precisely constructed corporate centers in which the same range of activities were performed as at the classic Hopewell geometric earthworks of the Scioto Valley.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/21759
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1996 Connolly, Robert Patrick

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Dissertations and Theses - Anthropology