When you discover the whole country of the Natchez there are several little hills interspersed here and there, upon which the inhabitants have built and made their settlements. The prospect of it is charming.

—antoine le page du pratz, histoire de la louisiane, 1758.

This richly illustrated volume reports upon the archaeological investigations of the Natchez Bluffs region of Mississippi conducted by the Lower Mississippi Survey (LMS) during the summer field seasons of 1971 and 1972. The first year was directed to intensive survey of the region, and a few limited test excavations. The second year focused on larger-scale excavations at a range of late prehistoric and historic sites.

The book sets out a chronology for this region, describes more than 130 sites that wereencountered during the survey, chronicles the excavations at 10 key sites, and ends with a synthesis that traces changes in population, settlement distributions, and mound construction through time. In so doing it provides an important touchstone for understanding the long history of human occupation in the southern Lower Mississippi Valley.