Several readers commented on the article about the Sweet Potato Village near Atlanta.  They questioned how the archaeologists could know that the Sweet Potato Village was a permanent farming settlement.  How did it differ from any of the other early Native American communities, we have discussed in this series?  The answer comes both from the artifacts and footprints left by the buildings in Sweet Potato. A common characteristic of the mounds and villages constructed by Native Americans prior to the time of the Sweet Potato Village is that very little remains of the buildings. Even when Europeans began colonizing North America, most indigenous peoples of North America outside the Southwest and Southeast still framed their homes with saplings. Saplings were much easier to cut with stone tools and were transportable. Often all that archaeologists find at such sites are hearths and the detritus of daily living.  Archaeologists assume there was once a hut or teepee, where now there is only a hearth. Pottery and grinding stones are heavy. They are not something that most people would want to carry around if their camp site was constantly on the move.  Baskets and gourds were much lighter and therefore, more appropriate for migratory peoples.  One of the many cultural changes one sees when native societies became more sedentary because of farming is the increased quantity and quality of pottery.  This is true both in the Southwest and the Southeast. [...]