Other Mann Phase Sites

A number of outlying Mann phase sites have been investigated over the past decades. These sites are mostly found on the floodplain or low terraces adjacent to the Ohio River and all seem to be relatively small, consisting of no more than one to three households. Two such sites, Grabert and Kuester, have been more thoroughly investigated, indicating a pattern of repeated, possibly year-round occupation. The only Mann phase structures identified thus far are small, circular residences of single-post construction. Botanical evidence suggests that Mann phase peoples were full participants in the cultivation of Eastern Agricultural Complex plants. Two Mann phase ceremonial sites, the Martin site and New Harmony mounds, have also been excavated. The assemblages at both were dominated by domestic debris. The lack of habitation features at either site suggests that their occupation was short-term. There is also some suggestion that small numbers of Mann phase peoples resided outside of southwestern Indiana, particularly in southern Illinois. The GE Mound site, which many have considered to be a Mann phase earthwork, is almost certainly of early Middle Woodland construction, predating the Mann phase by at least 100 years.