by Joseph A. Tiffany
2021, 105 pp.
The Phipps site is a National Historic Landmark and type site of the Mill Creek culture of northwest Iowa (A.D. 1100-1250). This report provides the first complete documentation and analysis of ceramics recovered from major excavations in 1955–1956. These data are correlated with the site stratigraphy from those excavations and two later excavations to model ceramic distribution at the site and interpret the nature of the deep midden deposits found there. The results show no evidence for site abandonment or substantive changes in the major ceramic types during the occupation ca. 57 plus years of occupation. This study confirms that there is no ceramic or stratigraphic evidence for a Mississippian site intrusion at Phipps. Of equal importance the distribution of major types can be correlated with buried occupation surfaces identified stratigraphically across the site, demonstrating importance of legacy collections like Phipps for use in evaluating modern research questions.
