ABSTRACT Traditional interpretation of Mississippian copper symbol badges is that they were prestige items associated with both inherited and earned status. In this article we review the current state of knowledge regarding copper symbol badges, introduce two previously unreported examples from the Big Tallassee (1MC1) and Abercrombie (1RU61) sites, and propose a new interpretation for the circulation and disposition of copper symbol badges during the Mississippian and Protohistoric periods. We argue that these objects were initially incorporated into headdresses (worn in both life and death) at major Mississippian towns and then were later transformed into inalienable possessions associated with particular beings, people, or places as large polities collapsed and new political entities were formed.

中文翻译：

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重新思考密西西比铜制符号徽章：两个以前未报道的来自阿拉巴马州东部的例子

摘要 密西西比铜制标志徽章的传统解释是，它们是与继承和获得的地位相关的声望物品。在本文中，我们回顾了有关铜符号徽章的当前知识状态，介绍了来自 Big Tallassee (1MC1) 和 Abercrombie (1RU61) 站点的两个以前未报告的示例，并提出了对铜符号徽章在密西西比和原始史时期。我们认为，这些物品最初是在密西西比州的主要城镇被纳入头饰（无论生死佩戴），后来随着大型政体的崩溃和新的政治实体的形成，这些物品被转化为与特定生物、人或地方相关的不可分割的财产。