Warfare in Late Prehistoric West-Central Illinois

Social-group competition and cooperation are critical elements of models of cultural evolution. Despite the presumed significance of such interactions, archaeologists find it difficult to measure these forms of behavior. An Illinois cemetery consisting of 264 burials dating to ca. A.D. 1300 illustra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American antiquity 1991-10, Vol.56 (4), p.581-603
Main Authors: Milner, George R., Anderson, Eve, Smith, Virginia G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
America and Arctic regions
Ancient civilizations
Ancient warfare
Anthropology, Prehistoric
Anthropometry
Antiquities
Archaeological sites
Archaeology
Bones
Cemeteries
Ceramic cultures
Communities
Dakotas (Native American people)
Dakotas (Native Americans)
Deaths
Illinois
North America
Paleoanthropology
Paleontology
Prehistoric anthropology
Prehistory and protohistory
Skeleton
Valleys
Violence
Warfare
Warfare, Primitive
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Summary:Social-group competition and cooperation are critical elements of models of cultural evolution. Despite the presumed significance of such interactions, archaeologists find it difficult to measure these forms of behavior. An Illinois cemetery consisting of 264 burials dating to ca. A.D. 1300 illustrates the unique information that only mortuary sites can provide on the characteristics and intensity of prehistoric intergroup conflict. In this instance, violent death was indicated by several forms of bone damage. Chronic warfare caused a heavy loss of life (at least one-third of all adult deaths) and contributed to considerable hardship. Available evidence indicates that this conflict was part of a broader pattern of volatile Precontact-era social relationships that featured intergroup cooperation coupled with antagonism.
ISSN:0002-7316
2325-5064
DOI:10.2307/281538