woodland period moundbuilders of the bluegrass - Kentucky ...

CopperBariteMicaShellsShellsShellsShellsAdena CultureBy identifying the sources of non-local materials, archaeologistscan document the extent of Adena long-distance exchange.needed copper for bracelets, rings, and beads; and marine shells (conch,marginella, and columella) for beads and ornaments. They also neededflat pieces of copper they could cut into antler headdresses or wraparound wooden ear ornaments. They needed sections of mica they couldshape into crescents and attach to clothing.Bluegrass Adena peoples did not have to travel far, though, to getcopper, marine shells, or mica. That’s because they were involved inlong-distance trade networks that linked them to people and placesthousands of miles away. These non-local raw materials, or the finisheditems made from them, moved great distances simply by being tradedfrom person-to-person through these exchange networks.What did the Bluegrass Adena peoples have to offer in exchange foritems made from copper, marine shells, and mica? Archaeologists thinkperhaps barite: raw, powdered, or fashioned into objects. That’s becausethe Bluegrass region may have been the only source of it, making ita rare commodity. Adena people could have dug it from undergroundveins and sinkholes or gathered it from along creek banks in their hometerritories.20