The Fort Ancient people were the last prehistoric culture to inhabit the Middle Ohio Valley (ca. A.D. 1000-1650). They were named after the Fort Ancient site that was in fact built by a culture, the Hopewell that preceded them by at least 500 year. The first farmers of the Ohio Valley, the Fort Ancient people lived in sturdy wooden houses in palisaded villages, but only a handful has been scientifically excavated. Foremost among these is SunWatch Indian Village, a public facility of the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, which was intensely excavated in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s and partially reconstructed for the general public.
This volume focuses on the development of this culture and its relationship with the wider Mississippian culture. It draws heavily on the years of research at SunWatch because it is the best-studied Fort Ancient site. The issue is how are Fort Ancient societies similar to Mississippian and how do they differ. Is Fort Ancient a culture that developed independently, or is it a sub-set of the larger agrarian societies of the time? Because they lack clear evidence of hierarchical social structure and extensive trade, most scholars have minimized the relationship between the two cultures.
Cook examines the development of Fort Ancient village social structure and finds it strikingly similar to the Mississippian’s. He carefully examines the human remains, the material goods, and village layout and compares that data to the better-known Mississippian evidence. By placing the emphasis on the similarities rather than the differences, Cook brings new insight into the connection between the two, while providing a model for future research. SunWatch Indian Village is open to the public daily except Mondays. See www.sunwatch.org
