Mississippian Polities in the Middle Cumberland Region of Tennessee
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MISSISSIPPIAN POLITIES IN THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND REGION OF TENNESSEE by EMILY LYNNE BEAHM (Under the Direction of David J. Hally) ABSTRACT In the Middle Cumberland region of north-central Tennessee, close to fifty mound centers rose and fell between A.D. 1050 and 1450. Although these centers were not all occupied at the same time, their distribution within the region is quite dense. In this dissertation I examine five mound sites located on the eastern edge of the Middle Cumberland region in order to better understand the temporal and political relationships among these closely spaced polities. I conducted a detailed ceramic analysis to further refine the established ceramic chronology for the region and date each site’s occupation as specifically as possible. The mound construction and occupation dates, size and complexity of the mound sites in the sample were compared to understand to their sociopolitical relationships. I found that mound sites in the Middle Cumberland region are located at closer proximities than contemporary mound sites documented in northern Georgia. Specific landscape traits such as local resources, symbolically significant features and strategic locations for defense, trade and communication differ between mound centers, and likely affected decisions about polity center locations. INDEX WORDS: Archaeology, Chiefdoms, Mississippian period, Ceramic analysis, Tennessee, Middle Cumberland region, Chronology, Social identity MISSISSIPPIAN POLITIES IN THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND REGION OF TENNESSEE by EMILY LYNNE BEAHM B.S., Middle Tennessee State University, 2005 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2013 © 2013 Emily Lynne Beahm All Rights Reserved MISSISSIPPIAN POLITIES IN THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND REGION OF TENNESSEE by EMILY LYNNE BEAHM Major Professor: David J. Hally Committee: Stephen A. Kowalewski Elizabeth J. Reitz Kevin E. Smith Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2013 DEDICATION To my parents Edward and Marcie Beahm. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank David Hally for his diligent assistance, direction, and knowledgeable insights throughout all stages of this dissertation. I am very grateful to Elizabeth Reitz and Steve Kowalewski for serving on my committee and providing me with challenging and though-provoking classes at UGA. I thank Kevin Smith for giving me the opportunity to work at such an amazing site and for teaching, advising, encouraging and collaborating with me over the past ten years. This dissertation owes a great deal to the twenty-odd years of research in the Middle Cumberland region conducted by Kevin Smith and Mike Moore. I appreciate everyone at the Tennessee Division of Archaeology, particularly Mike Moore, Suzanne Hoyal, and Aaron Deter Wolf for always being willing to provide assistance and answer questions. Thank you to Tanya Peres and Shannon Hodge from Middle Tennessee State University for working with me at Castalian Springs and for being amazing role models. The seven years of field schools at Castalian Springs would not have been possible without the help of Doris and Lee Myers, Nathan Harsh, John Garrott, Pam Illot, and especially the McKees. I would like to thank all the students that participated in MTSU’s fieldschool at Castalian Springs from 2005 to 2011: Kristen Alldredge, Brandon Andrews, Travis Antee, Rachel Bagby, Mitch Bearden, Alex Bird, John Bock, Robin Bombardi, Becca Booker, Kristen Bradley, Salina Branson, Brittany Brewer, Wayne Borovy , Andrew Brown, Matthew Brown, Sarah Budai, Aaron Cammarn, Colisha Campbell, Clay Cantrell, Nemanja Cavlovic, Jennifer Clinton, Larry v Cole, Alex Collins, Matt Colvin, Jessica Connatser, Nora Cole, Alex Corsi, Amanda Cothern, Amanda Counce, Matthew Cox, Mark Crawford, Holly Crick, Courtney Croft, Brandy Dacus, Jesse Dalton, Brady Davis, Sean Dial, Hillary Dodd, Meagan Dotson, Jason Eberhard, Joan Estabrook, Kellum Everett, Noah Flanigan, Lacey Fleming, Lori Ford, Lynn Funkhouser, , Brooke Garrett, Tiffany George, Skylar Gleaves, Barrett Gobelet, Tiffany Goldhamer, Amy Goldstein, Sarah Grissom, Gavin Hale, Richard Hall, Michael Hampton, Catlin Hicks, Adara Holland, Laura Howard, Amy Howell, Renee Hyden, Jamie Ide, Teresa Ingalls, Brittany Jackson, Matt Jones, Ali Jordan, Zach Kaubisch, Joey Keasler, Libby Knight, Austin Kretzer, Grey Ladd, Rebekah Layne, Kelly Ledford, John Locke, Kerri Lorrigan, Ginny Lucas, Nicki Luttrell, Kevin McDaniel, Alethia McGarvey, Ryan McNutt, Valerie Melendez, Mallory Melton, Richard Morris, Gage Myers, Megan O’Connell, Brittani O’Neal, Katherine Onks, Kendra Owensby, Tyler Parrott, Russell Parsley, Andrea Patton, Erik Porth, Jolene Randle, Emily Reid, Tracy Rodriguez, Erica Roe, Elizabeth Roth, Ellen-Craig Russell, Amber Ryder, Tiffany Saul, Amber Schmuhl, Lauren Schorr, Rusty Simmons, Natalie Smith, Rae Smith, Cy Taylor, Jerome Teague, Jesse Tune, Natasha Vang, Kim Vasut, Ethan Walden, Brandi Wall, Mike Warren, Noriko Warren, Tyler Windham, Lee Wolfe and Clark Wright. Special thanks to Erik Porth, Brandy Dacus and Michael Hampton for working as field assistants at Castalian Springs. In addition to the above field school students, a number of past students, family members of students, Middle Cumberland Archaeological Society members, local residents, and other interested parties, volunteered their time, labor, and expertise to the Castalian Springs excavations. They include Gwen Ayers, Elbert Bagby, Dom Baker, David Bates, Elizabeth Bates, Mitch Bearden, Connie Bucholz-Beahm, Edward Beahm, Marcia Beahm, Robert Beahm, vi Heather Birgess, David Boen, Debbie Boen, Ron Borders, Jane Bowden, Josh Bowden, Luke Bowden, Lindsey Bowman, Howie.R. Brainerd, Kay Brainerd, Brittany Brewer, James A.Brown, Emily Burlon, Betty Callis, Elizabeth Cañas, Heather Carden, Thomas Carden, Jennifer James Carll, Clinton, Claire Cobb, Evan Cole, Angelia Collins, Heather Conden, Daniel Connatser, Adelaide Corkern, Clarie Corkern, Clay Corkern, Pamela Cothern, Edie Crane, Mark Crawford, Brandy Dacus, Stan Dacus, Tracie Dacus, Derrick Davis, Shelley Davis, Georgia Dennis, Andrea Dearman, Frank Dearman, Ellis Durham, Candace Ellison, Patrick Ellison, Mary Everett, Susan Finger, Tara Fisher, Lacey Fleming, Gregory Ford, Tony Ford, Ann Funkhouser, Lynn Funkhouser, Matt Funkhouser, Carrie Garner, Brooke Garrett, Susan Ghorbani, Bailey Gillreath, Doris Gilmore, Sam Gilmore, Richard Gleaves, Skylar Gleaves, Amanda Gonzales, A.C. Graves, Barbara Graves, Elaine Hackerman, Gavin Hale, Sara Hamill, Michael Hampton, Julia Harrington, Mike Henderson, Brooke Hendrix, Rick Hendrix, George Heinrich, Chris Hogan, Drew Hogan, Alison Howell, Sheryl Howell, Collin Howser, Cristina Hudgins, Teresa Ingalls, LeAnne Johnson, Ali Jordan, Susan Jordan, Laura Joseph, Shannon Kendall, Alex Keasler, Joey Keasler, Jesse Keen, Chelsea King, Timothy Knapp, Jane Knight, Riley Knight, Vernon James Knight, Caroline Kiev, Alija Kutyla, Grey Ladd, Dimesa Lee, Nathan Lesnak, Forrestt Lorigan, Hollie Lorigan, Jason Lorigan, Kerri Lorigan, Laycee Lorigan, Grady Lowery, Selah Lowery, Nicki Luttrell, Brittan Mangrum, Carol Mayia, Katie May, Lauren May, Mark McKee III, Christy McNutt, Ryan McNutt, Robert Miller, Gage Myers, Sandra Norby, Kristen North, Mike O’Connell, Adrien O’Neal, Michael O’Neal, Kendra Owenby, John Pafford, Karen Pendley, Barbara Pennington, Karen Petersen, Michael Poissett, Steven Porth, Valorie Randle, Claire Randolph, Emily Reid, F. Kent Reilly, Steaven C. Robbins, Steve Robbins, Lib Roller, Misty Ross, Cindy Russell, Ellen-Craig Russell, Ken Russell, Chris Salt, Joseph Saul, Tiffany vii Saul, Mary Saums, David Saunders, Aaron Schmuhl, Robert Sharp, Judith Shook, William Siesser, Ritchie Simmons, Scooter Simmons, Andrew Smith, Deborah Smith, Shannon Smith, Robert Snyder, Catherine Stewart, Elizabeth Stewart, Jeff Stewart, Angela Stroupe, Benjamin Sy, Bernie Sy, Christine Sy, Noah Sy, Paul Tangel, Jesse Tune, Kim Vasut, David Vaughan, V. Vesper, Jennie Campbell Walker, James Wallace, Nathan Watson, Susan Watson, Austin Wilson, Bob Wilson, Tammy Wilson, Tyler Windham, Lee Wolfe, Rick Wolfe, and Luyan Zhao. I truly appreciate the assistance of Sam Smith of the Division of Archaeology for facilitating contact with the current property owners of both Beasley Mounds and Moss Mounds. I thank Tom Beasley and Lewis Beasley for permitting and encouraging the project. I also thank Willy Shinault, caretaker of the property. The volunteer field crew for the 2008 Beasley Mounds project consisted of Aaron Deter- Wolf, Raymond Falkenberry, Lacey Fleming, Lynn Funkhouser, George Heinrich, Susan Hollyday, Teresa Ingalls, Tanya Peres, Erik Porth , Cy Taylor, and Jesse Tune. Brandon Andrews, Ellen-Craig Russell, Michael Hampton and Kevin Smith helped me with the 2011 fieldwork at Beasley. Additional analysis of the plethora of gastropods recovered from Beasley Mounds was conducted by Gage Myers and Amanda Cothern. I greatly appreciate the kindness and patience of Tom and Barbara Upchurch for allowing me to work at Moss Mounds. Lindsey Payne, Ellen-Craig Russell, Rusty Simmons, Kevin Smith and Kim Vasut helped me with fieldwork at the site. Radiocarbon dates used in this dissertation were funded in part by grants from Middle Tennessee State University, Office of the Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Tennessee Council for Professional Archaeology, Tennessee Division