Where Have All the Houses Gone? Webb's Adena House in Historical Context

Abstract

William S. Webb's post circles, which he interpreted as houses, are best seen as defined ritual spaces representing a type of construction which was elaborated through time with the addition of different spatial footprints and was closely related to the shapes of earthwork enclosures in the Adena-Hopewell continuum. There is good, emerging evidence for quite different domestic structures in the preceding Late Archaic, as well as in sites that have been called Adena, which also resonates with the emerging evidence for Hopewell domestic architecture. These examples suggest domestic structural variability and short-term occupation/use despite the complexity of the ritual spaces reflected in post circles and earthworks. Interestingly, it has taken some time for this reality to emerge, reflecting Webb's skill in presenting his data for the pivotal role has played in culture history. Between 1940 and 1957, William S. WebbSpositioned in Eastern United States culture history, building on earlier work (Greenman 1932; MUIs 1902; Shetrone 1920). Besides developing a long and detailed archaeological trait list for which he is generally remembered, he also constructed his view of Ohio Valley settlement in specific structures and their integration into communities. His synthesis indirectly continues to shape interpretation, even in the presence of new evidence that challenges one or more of his central ideas, although his specific culture historical reconstruction, which derived by migration from Mexico and saw it persisting for over 3,000 years (Griffin 1974: xiv), has not survived (Clay 2005). Perhaps most important, his structures were earthshaking, providing the earliest concrete evidence for in the Eastern United States, which early radiocarbon dates suggested might also be some of the earliest north of Mexico. When formulated (and even now for some), Webb's reconstruction of settlement, because of these structures, resonated principally with what was felt should have been settlement at that point in New World prehistory. Here I review Webb's data and additional data used by others to elaborate aspects of his reconstruction. I focus on the context of the important sites and suggest other ways to view them, which leads me to the interpretation that Webb's houses are formally important in the development of earthworks (mounds and enclosures of various forms including and HopeweU) and unrelated to domestic habitations. Then I review regional Late Archaic structure data, which suggest the expectation that later Woodland structures were variable in form and generally short-term, reflecting different uses and functions. Webb's postcircle houses, by default, become members of a class of socially integrating ritual spaces that reached their greatest elaboration as earthworks in the Hopewell peak of Ohio Valley Middle Woodland. Factoring this view into the current dialogue on the nature of Ohio HopeweU and settlement produces a more informed and varied expectation of Woodland settlement as a platform from which to explore other aspects of Middle Woodland societies. Housing Folk For release when you get damn good and ready to (read the text first to Webb and get his ok). (anonymous handwritten note, 1930, Box 5, UARP). Webb's most concise statement of settlement came not from his professional publications (Webb and Baby 1957; Webb and Snow 1945) but from his unpublished University of Kentucky Distinguished Professor lecture delivered on April 22, 1948 (Box 5, UARP). Here he said, Adena is known in Kentucky to have left evidence of agriculture, sunflowers, beans, squash- no maize. The practice of agriculture is probably the secret which made possible their high development and communal life ....... organized communities consisting of many dwelling constituted a village which was associated with one or more larger used for communal purposes. …

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