Classifying the Past: The Great Plains Taxonomic System - Ep 13

In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, host Carlton Shield Chief Gover unpacks the history and evolution of the Great Plains taxonomic system—the framework used by archaeologists to categorize and understand cultural periods in the region. From the early development of typologies to modern refinements, this system has shaped how researchers interpret the archaeological record of the Plains.

Links:

• The Midwestern Taxonomic Method as an Aid to Archaeological Culture Study by W.C. McKern (1939)

• The Sedentary Horizon of the Northern Plains by Donald J. Lehmer (1954)

• Method and Theory in American Archaeology by Gordon R. Willey and Philip Phillips (1958)

• Horizon and Tradition in the Northern Plains by Donald K. Lehmer and Warren W. Caldwell (1966)

• Taxonomic Practice and Middle Missouri Prehistory: A Perspective on Donald J. Lehmer’s Contributions by Richard A. Krause (1977)

• The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)

• Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)

• Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty Bio

Transcripts

• For a transcript of this episode, tap the Zencastr icon on in the upper left corner of the Podcast image.

Contact:

• Instagram: @‌pawnee_archaeologist

• Email: greatplainsarchpodcast@gmail.com

Affiliates

• Motion