University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-1977 Middle and Late Archaic Mortuary Patterning: An Example from the Western Tennessee Valley Ann L. Magennis University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Magennis, Ann L., "Middle and Late Archaic Mortuary Patterning: An Example from the Western Tennessee Valley. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1977. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1340 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Ann L. Magennis entitled "Middle and Late Archaic Mortuary Patterning: An Example from the Western Tennessee Valley." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. Fred H. Smith, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: William M. Bass, Richard L. Jantz, Charles H. Faulkner Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Ann L. Magennis entitled "Middle and Late Archaic Mortuary Patterning: An Example from the Western Tennessee Valley." I recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Accepted for the Council: ;ie-.s/s '7? . nt3� 9 C!of. � MIDDLE AND LATE ARCHAIC MORTUARY PATTE RNING: AN EXAMPLE FROM THE WESTERN TENNESSEE VALL EY A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Ann L. Magenni s August 1977 ACKNm4LEDGMENTS To Dr. Fred H. Smith, mY committee chairman, I extend mY gratitude for his sincere encouragement and support throughout the various stages of the preparation of mY thesis. A special thanks is also given to the other members of my committee, Dr. Richard L. Jantz, Dr. Charles H. Faulkner, and Dr. William M. Bass, for the helpful comments and criticisms of the manuscript. Dr. Major C. R. McCollough was very helpful for the identifica­ tion and sorting of the artifactual material from the Eva site. I am truly grateful to Mr. Larry Kimball for his patience and assistance with the cultural chronology of the Eva and Cherry sites. I would like to thank Dr. Alfred K. Guthe for allowing me access to the collections and for making available the field records at the Frank H. McClung Museum. Sincere thanks and appreciation are extended to Mr. Dan Palkovich who willingly and cheerfully gave of his time to produce the excellent maps for mY thesis. I would especially like to thank Ms. Ann M. Palkovich for her continual encouragement, moral support, and helpful comments and criticisms during various stages of the research and for reading many portions of the rough draft of mY thesis. A final word of appreciation goes to my parents, for without their support, both moral and financial, none of this would have been possible. ii ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to descri be and analyze the social organization and structure of Middle and Late Archaic popul ations in the western Tennessee Va lley . The stratified Middle and Late Archaic Eva site yielded a temporal ly sequential skeletal series that al lowed for the examination of changes in social and demographic structure through time at a single site. Compari son of the Late Archaic Eva series with the Late Archaic Cherry sample faci litated the exami nation of spatial differences in these two parameters. Res ults of the analys is of mo rtuary acti vity indicate that there was little elaboration in the mortuary ritual and that all individual s were affo rded similar treatment at death. There was a continuation through time and between locations of the essential features of mortuary acti vity. Any di fferences in treatment of the dead can be expl ained in terms of age or sex. There was no evi dence for differen­ tial treatment that coul d be indicative of status positions. The hypothesis is supported that an egalitari an social system is in opera­ tion duri ng both the Middle and Late Archaic culture periods in the western Tennessee Val ley. Analys is of the population structure of these Archaic hun ters and gatherers was accompl ished by means of a life table assuming stable population conditions. Resul ts of the analys is suggest that the Eva and Cherry cemetery samples are not representative of true biological populations. It was proposed that continually shifting settlement and subsistence with concomi tant fl uctuation in the size and internal age iii iv composition is a. plausible explanation for the observed biases in the skeletal samples. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION • . 1 II. THE ARCHEOLOGY . • • • . • •• . 9 The Eva Site (6BN12) • • • • • 9 The Cherry Site (84BN74) •.••••• . 15 Chronology of the Eva and Cherry Sites • 18 Relative Dating•..• .••••..••••••.• • • • 20 The Eva I component. • • • • • • • • • . 21 The Eva II component .••••. •••••. 23 The Eva III component and the Cherry site •• 26 The Eva and Cherry Skeletal Samples .•.••••••• 29 Settlement and Subsistence • . • • • • • • •. 29 III . MORTUARY PRACTICES • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • 35 Se lection of Variables for Analysis of Mort uary Practices. 42 Determination of Age and Se x of Skeletal Remains .•• 46 Determination of sex •...•••.••..•.• 46 Age determination ..••••••. ..•••... 48 Bone Pathol ogy •••.••••••••.••••.. 51 Data Man ipulation •.•.•.••••••.•..•• 55 Analysis of Mortuary Practices of the Eva and Cherry Cemetery Samples .. .••••••..••• 58 Middle Archaic: the Eva I and II component. 59 The Eva III component: Late Archaic • • • • 68 The Cherry site: Late Archaic .. • • 78 Sunmary ............... 88 IV. DEMOGRAPHY . • • • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • 92 Demography of Small -Scale Societies. • • • • . • 92 Paleodemography. • • • . • . • • • • • • • • • • . 94 The Li fe Table • • • • • . • • • • • . • • 97 Recent Devel opments in An alytical Techniques in Paleodemography. • • • . • • • • • • • •••10 1 Demographic Analys is of Archaic Skeletal Series. • • 103 Life Table Construction •••...•••••. ..••••10 8 Analysis of the Eva and Cherry Skeletal Series Based on the Life Tab 1 e • • . • • • . • • • • • . • 111 V. SUMMARY. • • • . • • • • 134 LIST OF REFE RENCES • . • • • . 139 APPENDICES • • • . • 152 v vi CHAPTER PAGE A. BURIAL MAPS OF THE EVA AND CHERRY SITES ••••••• ••153 B. SKE LETAL INVENTORY: AGE AND SEX •••••••••••• 16 2 C. CODE FORMAT. • • • •••••16 9 VITA • • • • • • • • . • • • • • . • • . 174 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 2-1 . The Frequency of Projectile Point Types in Each Component at the Eva Site .•..•.•••.•. 22 2-2. Early, Middle, and Late Archaic Point Type Clusters for the Three Levels of Stratum II at Eva. • • • • . • • 24 2-3. Morrow Mountain Dates from Tennessee and Al abama • • • • . • 25 2-4. Late and Te rminal Archaic Radiocarbon Dates from Sites in the So utheastern Uni ted States • • • • • . • • • • 27 2-5. Estimated Duration of the Eva Site Components and the Cherry Site Occupation • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • . • • 28 3-1 . Distribution of Uti litari an and Ceremonial /Ornamental Grave Goods by Age : the Eva I and II Component. • • 61 3-2. Distribution of Uti litarian and Ceremonial /Ornamental Grave Goods by Sex: Eva I and II Component. • . • • . 62 3-3. Distribution of Hunting, Domestic, and Ornamental Grave Goods by Se x for the Eva I and II Component. • • . • • 63 3-4. Correl ation Matri x for Factor Analysis of the Eva I and II Component. • . • . • • • • • • • . • • • • . • . 66 3-5 . Communali ty Estimates , Eige nvalues , and Percent Variation fo r the Factor Anal ys is of the Eva I and I I Component. 66 . 3-6. Varimax Rotated Factor Matrix for the Eva I and II Component. • 67 3-7. Distribution of Utilitarian and Ceremonial /Ornamental Grave Goods by Age : the Eva III Component . • . • 72 3-8. Distri bution of Utilitarian and Ceremonial/Ornamental Grave Goods by Sex: the Eva III Component • • • • • 73 3-9. Distribution of Hunting, Domes tic, Exotic and Ornamental Grave Goods by Sex for the Eva III Component • • . • . 74 3-10. Correlation Coefficients for the Factor Analys is of the Eva III Component. • • • . • . • • • • • • • • 76 vii viii TABLE PAGE 3-1 1. Communality Estimates, Eige nvalues, and Pe rcent of Variation for the Factor Analysis of the Eva III Component . • • • . • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • 76 3-12. Varimax Ro tated Factor Matrix fo r the Eva III Component . 77 3-13. Distribution of Util itarian and Ce remonial/Ornamental Grave Goods by Age : the Cherry Site • • • • • . • • • • • 81 3-14. Distribution of Util i tarian and Ce remonial/Ornamental Grave Goods by Sex: the Cherry Site . • . • 82 3-15. Dis tribution of Hunting , Domestic , Exotic , and Ornamental Grave Goods by Sex: the Che rry Site . 84 3-16. Co rrelation Coe ffi cients fo r the Factor Analysis of the Cherry Site . 86 3-1 7. Communa l ity Estimates , Eigenval ues , and Percent of Variation fo r the Factor Analysis of the Cherry Site • 86 3-18. Varimax Rotated Factor Matrix for the Cherry Site . • 87 4-l . Ab ridged Life Tab le for the Middle Archaic Eva I and Eva II Component for Combined Sex: Unsmoothed Values. • • 112 4-2. Ab ridged Life Table fo r the Middl e Archaic Eva I and Eva II Component fo r Combined Sex: Smoothed Val ues. 112 4-3. Ab ridged Life Table fo r the late Archaic Eva III Component for Combined Sex: Unsmoothed Values . 113 4-4.