be attributed to the increased reliance on agriculture and expansion of long-distance trade during this period. The significant lifestyle changes from a small, nomadic, hunter-gatherer society to a large, sedentary, agrarian society resulted in major health changes among the population. After analyzing trends in bone growth, enamel development, lesions, and mortality, archaeologists determined that there was a major decline in health following the adoption and intensification of agriculture. Compared to the hunter-gatherers before them, skeletons of farmers at Dickson Mounds indicate a significant increase in enamel defects, iron-deficiency anemia, bone lesions, and degenerative spinal conditions. The decline in health of Dickson Mounds’ population over time can be attributed to the increased reliance on agriculture, which led to a less varied and less nutritious diet, more strenuous physical labor in the fields, and more crowded permanent settlements that facilitated the spread of infectious diseases. Some also say the decline in health is due to the expansion of long-distance trade with larger economic systems, such as Cahokia, which resulted in exploitative relations in which residents of Dickson Mounds were giving away needed food for items of symbolic value. Social organization Analysis of mortuary behavior from excavations of burial sites at Dickson Mounds provides important insight into the social organization of early Native Americans. Dickson Mounds was a hierarchically organized society. The particular objects an individual was buried with largely indicate his or her social status. For example, an abundance of tools, copper ornaments, and objects made from imported raw materials suggest high rank of an individual. Burials containing pots, spoons, and beads are much more common and indicate a modest social rank. Age and sex were also visible determinants of status, which is uncommon in most hierarchically organized societies. Burials were clustered into distinct age-sex classes. For example, mature males with high-ranking status characterized one cluster of burials. Another cluster of burials contained individuals of younger age and lower status. Specific objects signified the status of the various age-sex groups. Whereas objects serving functional purposes (such as cutting or piercing) noted the status of men, cultural and religious artifacts along with ornamental items noted the status of females. Marine shells tended to note the status of children. Deep class divisions in the society at Dickson Mounds are also apparent through analysis of the health and heights of the individual skeletons. For example, skeletons from burials show children of an elite class tended