A Study of the Ceramics at the Ebert Canebrake Site (1MC25)

The Ebert Canebrake site is a small multi-component village in Macon County, Alabama. The primary focus of this thesis is to explain the presence of two distinct ceramic traditions on-site during the Mississippi period (AD 1000-1450). Local Shine II ceramics are typified by sand tempering and are related to the Lamar culture of eastern Georgia and western Alabama. Big Eddy phase ceramics are typified by shell tempering and Moundville-like designs from the Black Warrior River Valley in western Alabama. The temporal and spatial relationship of these materials on site is examined through an artifact analysis based upon stratified samples recovered from the 2012 excavation at the site and a 1997 program of auger testing. Sand tempered vessels were made on-site for their full occupational history, while the relative frequency of shell tempered sherds doubled after A.D. 1450. Spatially, there does not seem to be an obvious separation between the initial occupants and newcomers, which indicates a peaceful integration and creation of a new group. My findings support that these patterns at Ebert Canebrake are best explained by the arrival and integration of an intrusive Big Eddy group by the local Shine II residents.