This grant permits publication of Dr. Brown's five volume Spiro Studies Reports. Since they were written some time ago, they will be revised and then edited and published in the Memoir Series of the Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan. The Sprio site provides the key archaeological record of Mississippian Period developments in the U.S. Eastern woodlands. This period saw the rise of a level of social complexity which nearly rivaled that seen in the civilizations of Middle and South America. The site provides a 600 year record of mound construction, site use and burial practices. The original data was generated through WPA sponsored excavations which took place between 1936 and 1941. Spiro has also yielded a large quantity and variety of prestige goods and these can be used to reconstruct large scale trade networks and social stratification. Dr. Brown's analysis provides an essential informational base for this long sequence and presents data on a wide range of materials. The reports total over 1200 pages and includes over 200 mounted illustrations. Although the information existed in manuscript form for some time, it is not widely available and this publication should alleviate the problem. Since this research was supported with government funds, and such work achieves its full value only when the results are disseminated, it is important to publish these manuscripts. They will aid archaeologists in their interpretation of the American past.
