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Although hunting and gathering and the cultivation of native plants remained important, Mississippian economy was based largely on corn agriculture. Within the first two centuries of the period, beans were added to their diet. Mississippians expanded their small gardens into larger farms. The bounty of food supported towns and cities, enormous public works such as temple mounds and log stockades, and brought about the spread of Mississippian culture throughout eastern North America. A far-flung network of exchange included raw materials and finished goods such as special stone hoes and marine shell beads. Agriculture influenced every aspect of Native American life and in some instances dramatically changed it. Seasonal variation in the availability of food was overcome by storing foods for consumption during the cold weather months. And instead of moving across the landscape to acquire resources such as stone and marine shell, residents exchanged items for raw materials and/or finished products.
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