Mississippian period (archaeology)

The Mississippian period is an archaeological cultural era in the history of the Southern United States and adjacent areas of the Eastern Woodlands spanning the end of the 10th century to the 16th century. It was preceded by the Late Woodland period and succeeded by the colonial-era Mississippian shatter zone. The Mississippians were characterized by theocratic governance, population centers, and the predominance of maize agriculture. This stood in contrast to the peoples of the preceding Woodland period, who primarily used EAC crops, and whose mound-building activities were more limited to burial mounds. The Mississippian period is itself subdivided into the Early, Middle and Late Mississippian periods.