Although it has been occupied for as long and possesses a mound-building tradition of considerable scale and interest, Muller contends that the archaeology of the lower Ohio River Valley—from the confluence with the Mississippi to the falls at Louisville, Kentucky – remains less well-known that that of the elaborate mound-building cultures of the upper valley. This study provides a synthesis of archaeological work done in the region, emphasizing population growth and adaptation within an ecological framework in an attempt to explain the area’s cultural evolution.
Jon Muller is Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
1: Background to the Archaeology of the Lower Ohio Valley; 2: Environments of the Lower Ohio Valley; 3: The First Settlers; 4: Early and Middle Woodland; 5: Late Woodland; 6: Mississippian; 7: Late Mississippian and Historic
