The Norman (34WG2) and Harlan (34CK6) Sites: Political Dynamics of Closely Spaced Mississippian Polities In Eastern Oklahoma

This case study highlights an unusual relationship between two major prehistoric ceremonial centers in eastern Oklahoma. The Norman and Harlan sites are the second and third largest Mississippian mound centers in Oklahoma and yet are located less than than 5 km apart. New radiocarbon evidence indicates that the two sites had overlapping occupations which seem to contradict current understandings of late prehistoric political dynamics during the Mississippian period. (Black and white version)