Prehistoric Mortuary Patterning and Change in the Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 3-1982 Prehistoric Mortuary Patterning and Change in the Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee Tracy Charles Brown University of Tennessee, Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Brown, Tracy Charles, "Prehistoric Mortuary Patterning and Change in the Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1982. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/3715 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 Tracy Charles Brown entitled "Prehistoric Mortuary Patterning and Change in the Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee." 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. Charles H. Faulkner, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Walter E. Klippel, Jefferson Chapman 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 Counci l: I am submi tti ng herewi th a thesis wri tten by Tracy Charles Brown enti tled 11 Pre histori c Mortuary Patterning and Change in the Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee.11 I have exami ned the fi nal copy of thi s thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requi rements for the degree of Master of Arts , wi th a major in Anthropology. Charles H. Fau1kner, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Accepted for the Counci l: Vi ce Chance 11 or Graduate Studies and Research PREHISTORIC MORTUARY PATTERNING AND CHANGE IN THE NORMANDY RESERVOIR, COFFEE COUNTY , TENNESSEE A Thesis Presented fo r the Master of Arts Degree The Uni versity of Te nnessee , Knoxvi lle Tracy Charl es Brown Ma rch 1982 3057936 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deepest appreci ati on to the members of my thesis commi ttee--Or. Charles H. Faulkner ( Chai rman ) , Dr . Walter E. Kli ppel, and Dr. Jefferson Chapman for thei r gui dance and support in the preparation of this thesis. In addi tion to these indi viduals , I would li ke to thank Mr . David McMahan , Mr. Douglas Lane , Mr. Gerald Kline, and Ms. Ann Reed for thei r many cons tructi ve sugges tions and cri ticisms pertinent to improvement of the text. Very special thanks and apprecia tion are due Ms . Patri ci a A. Cri dlebaugh fo r her many supporti ve thoughts on the philosophy and psychology of thesis wri ti ng. The drawi ng and modi fication of fi gures was performed by Terry Faulkner. Maxi ne Ma rti n ty ped the fi nal draft . Fi nally , I would like to thank my wi fe Kathy for her patience, love , and most able typi ng fi ngers . Wi thout. these things , this research would not have been easily completed. i i ABSTRACT A total of 127 human buri als dati ng from the Late Archaic Ledbetter phase through the Mi ssissippi an Banks phase was recovered from sites in the Norma ndy Reservoir, Coffee County , Tennessee, and three nearby sites located outs ide the reservoir area . Formal com parative analys es of mo rtuary attri bute states were performed on phase-level burial samples . These analyses resulted in the isolation of mortuary patterning phenomena involving body disposal, the spatial organizati on of burials on sites and their integration with communi ty patterns , and the location of burials on functionally differentiated site ty pes within local settlement systems . In turn , these patterni ng phenomena were assessed for thei r possible social impli cati ons . The generation of detailed data on mo rtuary behavior fo r each buri al-y ieldi ng phase of the No rmandy prehistori c sequence allowed the development of a diachroni c perspecti ve on stabili ty and change in local mortuary practices . iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. I NTRO DUCT! ON 1 Theoretical and Methodologi cal Background of Mo rtuary Studies . 6 Mortuary Sample . 18 Research Problems ... 21 Research Me thodology 23 II. THE LEDBETTER PHASE .. 34 Culture-Hi stori cal Background 34 Mo rtuary Sample . 35 Burial Description ..•... 38 Integration of Mortuary Patterning with Settlement 39 Social Interpretation ..... 42 III. THE WADE PHAS E 44 Cul ture-Histori cal Background . 44 Mortuary Sample . 45 Comparative Analysis of Mo rtuary Attri bute States 48 Integration of Mo rtuary Patterning with Settlement 52 Social Interpretation . 58 IV. THE LONG BRANCH PHASE .. 65 Culture-Historical Background . 65 Mo rtuary Samp 1 e . 68 Comparative Analysis of Mo rtuary Attri bute States 72 Integration of Mo rtuary Patterning wi th Settlement 73 Social Interpretati on 78 V. THE Mc FARLAND PHASE ... 80 Culture-Historical Background . 80 Mo rtuary Sample . 84 Comparati ve Analys is of Mortuary Attribute States 91 Integration of Mortuary Patterning with Settl ement 102 Soci al Interpretation 118 VI . THE OWL HOLLOW PHASE 126 Cul ture-Histori cal Background . 126 Mortuary Sample ............ 130 Comparati ve Analysis of Mo rtuary Attri bute States . 135 Integration of Mo rtuary Patterning wi th Settlement 141 iv v CHAPTER PAGE Social Interpretation 160 VI I. THE MASON PHASE . 165 Culture-Hi stori ca l Background . 165 Mo rtuary Samp 1 e· . 166 Comparati ve Analysis of Mortuary Attri bute States . 169 Integration of Mo rtuary Patterning wi th Settlement 178 Social Interpretati on · 185 VI I I. THE BANKS PHASE . 194 Culture-Hi storical Background . 194 Mortuary Sample . • . 196 Comparative Analysis of Mo rtuary Attribute States • 200 Integration of Mo rtuary Patterning wi th Settlement 202 Social Interpretation . • . • • • 206 IX. HISTORICAL/SYNTHETIC SUMMARY AND CONCLUSI ONS 212 Ledbetter Phase . 212 Wade Phase . 214 Long Branch Phase 218 McFarland Phase . 219 Owl Hol low Phase ..... 230 Mason Phase . 234 Banks Phase 239 REFERENCES . 242 VITA .... 253 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Prehistori c Phases of the Normandy Reservoir •. 4 2. Buri al Di s tri buti ons by Phase ..... 19 3. Wade Phase Fl esh Inhumati on Attri bute States 47 4. Long Branch Flesh Inhumati on Attribute States 71 5. McFarl and Redeposited Cremation Attribute States 85 6. McFarland Flesh Inhumation Attri bute States 87 7. Owl Hol low Fl esh Inhumati on Attri bute States . 131 8. Owl Hol low Redeposi ted Cremation Attribute States 133 9. Mason Fl esh Inhumation Attri bute States 168 10. Banks Fl esh Inhumation Attribute States 197 vi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Physiographic Ma p of Mi ddle Tennessee 2 2. Locations of Buri al Yiel di ng Sites in the Normandy Re servoi r . • . 3 3. Plan of the Wade Component at 40CF35 . 53 4. Settlement Plan of the Jerni gan II Si te ( 40CF37 ) 70 5. Partial Plan of the Mc Farl and Component at 40CF5 . 89 6. Buri al 1 (40CF1 18) . 103 7. Owl Hol low Site Locations 127 8. Buri al 1 ( Shaft-and-Chamber Faci lity ) at 40CF37 177 9. Vi ew of the West Portion of the Mass Buri al Trench at 40CF1 11 ..................... 199 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION From 1970-1975 the An thropol ogy Department of The University of Tennessee , Knoxville undertook intensive archaeol ogical investigations along the upper Duck River in the Highland Rim physiographic province of Middle Tennessee (Fi gure 1}. The focus of these investigations wa s the area to be inundated by the proposed Tennessee Va lley Au thority Normandy Reservoir Project in Coffee County (Fig ure 2}. As conceived and implemented , the ori gi nal research design cal led for an intensive survey and testing program to be followed by the intensive excavation of sites likely to yield informative data specific to certain phases of the prehistoric cultural sequence identified through the survey and testing program (Faul kner and McCollough 1973}. The cultural phases of the Normandy local sequence and their temporal spans are presented in Table 1. Occupational evidence dating from the Pa leo-Indian period through historic times was encountered ; however, the greatest quantities of prehistoric data were yiel ded by a number of rel atively large, often mul ticomponent sites such as the Parks site l4 0CF5} or the Ewel l III site (40CF1 18}. The bul k of the data col l ected at several such sites derived from Late Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian period tempora l contexts . Consequently, the majority of all archaeological data gathered during the project were from contexts dated to between approximately 2500 B.C. and A.D. 1400 . � D HIGHLAND RIM CUMBERLAND PLATEAU rmmJ)') (·'.·\.'::·/·1 NASHVILLE BASIN LilllliillJ GREAT VALLEY Fi gu re 1. Physiographic map of Middle Tennessee . Source : Chapman 1978 : 13. N ) MANCJHsru ...I (.· ; , .... t ! _I, ,.. ... I f . •I I j l _. ......--- ! �· .. ! ,....- .' . • JI \ L .• • • • �: • • • l • • • •: .• •· ...... '. NIIKMMWY ------- .. _. NORMANDY ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT ·•·• · Limits of Reservoir ArchaeoloQical·---------1 Sites • 0 0.5 -·· 1.0 I.S MIL[ _j Fi gu re 2. Locations of buri al yieldi ng sites in the Normandy Re servoir. w 4 TABLE 1 PREHISTORIC PHASES OF THE NORMANDY RESERVOIR Phase Date Period Bi g Sandy ca . 8000-7000 B.C.