Joseph Ralston Caldwell, not only a well-known archaeologist, but also the author of Trend and Tradition in the Prehistory of the Eastern United States and Irene Mound Site. Caldwell, born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 4, 1916, is notably recognized for his works on the Native Americans, the Hopewell Mounds, and his definition of an "interaction sphere".
He married in 1950, and had five children, just prior to the start of his professional career. Caldwell, as an archeologist at the Smithsonian Institution, began a river basin survey in 1949. During 1950, he worked for the National Park Service, which he continued for the next six years. This led to his completion of his PhD in Anthropology, which he earned at the University of Chicago, Illinois in 1957. Also during this year, Caldwell became the head curator of anthropology at the Illinois State Museum. The duration of this job was over the course of ten years, and by 1968, he became a staff member at the University of Georgia. Eventually in 1970, he became a professor.
In 1957, Caldwell wrote Trends and Tradition in the Prehistory of the Eastern United States. This is yet another aspect which illustrates Caldwell's interest in cultural and social issues. In this book Caldwell defines an interaction sphere. The sphere is "a region in which an archaeologist perceives continuous intra-area diffusions of cultural forms", the similarities found in an area, however, are incomplete. Also, not all cultural traits may have been wide spread throughout the area. In order to clarify this point, Caldwell uses the Hopewell mounds, as an example. The Hopewell mounds discovered often contained more than one deceased individual. Alongside the body, various types of artifacts were found. Some examples of artifacts found include: stone tobacco pipes, small human figurines, and chipped flint. Caldwell reasoned that these artifacts could not sufficiently represent a single culture, based on the regional differences in secular and domestic artifacts. He concluded that the cultures of several separate regions engaged in an interaction situation. Located in southern Ohio, not too far from where Caldwell was born, the Hopewell Mounds are included in what is known as the Middle Woodland archaeological complexes. These mounds, which represent religious and political centers, can reach twelve meters high, one hundred fifty meters long, and fifty-five meters wide.
By 1959, Caldwell directed his studies toward the Mississippian Period, as he had just recently completed his dissertation. Caldwell defined Upper Mississippian " as deriving from a complex situation of indigenous older elements where there is an adaptation to Mississippian ways in a variety of situations". He worked at the Museum of Illinois when he presented the definition. Caldwell continued at the museum until he became an anthropology professor in Georgia. He ended his career at the university, but the date remains uncertain. Caldwell belonged to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Fellow American Anthropology Association and the Society of American Archaeologists. Jospeh Caldwell died in 1973.
References:
Callahan, K.L. Joseph Caldwell, Hopewell and the Interaction Sphere, www.csun.edu/~ms44278/caldwell.htm. May 15, 2000.
Moeller, R.W. Middle Woodland and the Hopewells, www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/2596/hopewell.htm. September 7, 2000.
N. A. 12th edition of American Men and Women of Science: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 1 A-K. New York: Bowker, 1973.
Written by: J.J. Cramblit