Dr. Meghan Buchanan’s archaeological research on Mississippian societies (ca. AD 1000-1600) of the Midwest and Southeast has focused on the consequences of violence and warfare associated with the rise and fall of these complex polities. In particular, she is interested how warfare impacted the daily practices of Mississippian peoples as they had to contend with long term threats of violence, food uncertainty, and restricted access to resources.
Currently, Dr. Buchanan is researching Mississippian societies along the Tallapoosa River in Alabama.
Her research draws on excavation, remote sensing, and the reanalysis of legacy collections at Auburn to explore the following questions: Were the interactions between the diverse groups of people in the Lower Tallapoosa contentious or peaceful? Did some of their interactions result in new kinds of communities and material practices? What happened to the people who lived in the region prior to A.D. 1400? What happened to these communities after the de Soto entrada came through the region in A.D. 1540?
Research Interests
- Mississippian societies of the Midwest and Southeast
