Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

767

Date

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Earth Sciences

Concentration

Archaeology

Committee Chair

David H Dye

Committee Member

George H Swihart

Committee Member

Roy B Van Arsdale

Abstract

The University of Memphis conducted field school excavations at the Woodlyn archaeological site (22DS517) during the summers of 1997 and 1998. Seventeen units were excavated yielding a multitude of artifacts, data, and features. AMS dates wee obtained from radiocarbon samples collected during the excavations. To better understand the extent of the temporal occupation at Woodlyn and to further refine the age range and cultural markers of the Walls Phase, I examined the artifacts and features associated with the dated radiocarbon samples. During the mid-sixteenth century, Woodlyn was a town included in the polity known as Quizquiz based on the Hernando De Soto narratives. Archaeologists have suggested that the Woodlyn site was abandoned prior to De Soto's arrival in the southeast, while others speculate that the De Soto expedition may have encountered Woodlyn before crossing the Mississippi River. The radiometric age range distributions suggest that Woodlyn was still active shortly before the arrival of the De Soto expedition. The new AMS dates provide an important data set for the interpretation of the Walls phase and its association with the De Soto expedition.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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