Abstract
Investigations associated with the recently completed Avenue of the Saints highway project resulted in the documentation of two Late Woodland Ralls phase (cal A.D. 700–900) bluff-base settlements located in the Mississippi floodplain of northeastern Missouri. This article summarizes the result of excavations at both sites. Pottery consisted mostly of crushed rock and sand-tempered jars with cord-roughened exterior surfaces. Decoration on the orifice of vessels was very common. Burlington/Keokuk chert was the primary raw material used in the production of flaked tools and is assumed to be from local sources. Hafted bifaces were rare but when present mostly belonged to the Lowe and Scallorn clusters. The Ralls inhabitants were farmers cultivating a number of different starchy seed crops but not maize. Nut resources and fish were also important contributors to their diet. Based on artifact and feature data, both Avenue of the Saints sites represent short duration occupations by relatively small groups of people.
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