The Mississippian Component at the Eoff I Site, Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 12-1978 The Mississippian Component at the Eoff I Site, Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee Lloyd Norris Chapman University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Chapman, Lloyd Norris, "The Mississippian Component at the Eoff I Site, Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1978. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/4246 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 Lloyd Norris Chapman entitled "The Mississippian Component at the Eoff I Site, 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: Major C. R. McCollough, Walter E. Klippel, Paul W. Parmalee 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 Lloyd Norris Chapman entitled "The Mississippian Component at the Eoff I Site, Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee." I recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. Charles Faulkner, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Accepted for the Council: Vice Chance11 or Graduate Studies and Research THE MISSISSIPPIAN COMPONENT AT THE EOFF I SITE, NORMANDY RESERVOIR, COFFEE COUNTY, TENNESSEE A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Lloyd Norris Chapman December 1978 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my thesis committee -- Dr. Charles H. Faulkner (Chairman), Dr. Walter E. Klippel, Dr. Major C. R. McCollough, and Dr. Paul W. Parmalee, for their assistance and support during the preparation of this thesis. Considerable credit is due Dr. Faulkner and Dr. McCollough for their continued encouragement and support for a number of years, especially since the inception of the Normandy Archaeological Project in 1972. Three other individuals to whom I owe a considerable debt for the academic stimulation and friendship that they have offered over the years are Dr. Michael Collins of the Department of Anthropology, University of Kentucky, Dr. Benn�e C. Keel of Inter agency Archaeological Services, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, and Mr. Stanley South of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina. The 1975 excavations at the Eoff I Site were supported by a contact between Tennessee Valley Authority and The University of Tennes see Department of Anthropology. The excavations were conducted as part of the 1975 University of Tennessee Archaeological Field School and were directed by Dr. Faulkner whose primary assistants were Mr. James E. Cobb and Ms. Carroll H. Kleinhans. During the latter portion of the sunmer field:season, Dr. McCollough's field school crew was shifted to Eoff I to assist in the excavatfons. Dr. McCollough's primary assistant was Mr. Glyn Duvall. Dr. Keel's field school from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, was also shifted to the Eoff I Site to ii iii assist in the excavations during the latter portions of the summer field season. Dr. Keel was assisted by Mr. Steve Davis. The excavations which continued into the late fall-early winter of 1975 after a Mississippian structure was discovered were directed by Ms. Kleinhans with the assistance of Mr. Will Bacon and the Coffee County Archaeology Club. The final field drawings and recording of the semi-subterranean structure was done by Mr. _DuVall-and Mr. Larry Kimball. Analysis of the Eoff I Mississippian component has been supported by a contact from Interagency Archaeological Services--At]anta, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, Department of the Interior. The efforts of all the individuals involved in the excavation, analysis, and administration of this segment of the Normandy Archaeological Project are gratefully acknowledged. The final copy of the thesis was typed by Ms. Marian Harper. Ms. Terry Faulkner drew the reconstruction of the loophandle illustrated in Figure. 19b. · The University of.Tennessee Photographic Services pre pared the photographs for the thesis. My deep appreciation goes to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Chapman, Jr. , for their -support of my academic endeavors over the years. I dedicate this thesis to my wife, Nancy Jane, to whom I express my appreciation for her patience and understanding during the months of its preparation. ABSTRACT Analysis of the Mississippian component features from the Eoff I site in the Normandy Reservoir, upper Duck River, Coffee County, Tennessee, has indicated that the component represents an Early ,Mississippian Banks phase occupation dating from between A. D. 1068 and A. D. 1170. The spatial distribution of features at the site along with the artifactual content of these features suggests that a major cluster of features was placed in consistent arrangement with each of two semi subterranean structures. A storage zone is possibly indicated by a cluster of features with morphological characteristics usually associated with storage facilities and also by the significantly larger ceramic vessels found within this cluster. The variety of artifactual classes present in the Mississippian features indicated that a variety of functions were undertaken during this period of occupation. Subsistence appears to have been based on a combination of agriculture, wild plant food gathering, and hunting. The relationships between the Banks phase and Mississippian sites in the upper Caney Fork drainage area are discussed as well as the possible relationships with the Langston phase of northern Alabama. The major conclusion of these discussions is that even though there do appear to be similarities between the Mississippian occupations in the three areas, at this time it is not possible to document a firm rela tionship between the areas, but that research directed toward the exploration of these possible relationships should be undertaken. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE • • 8 • • • • • • I. INTRODUCTION ,_. 1 The Mississippian Tradition 2 Mississippian Sites Within the Normandy Reservoir 5 40CF5 Mississippian component . 6 40CF108 Mississippian component . 7 40CF111 Mississippian component .. 9 The Banks phase ..• 9 Mississippian Research Problems . 10 II. ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND •• 12 Physiography •• . • . • 12 Geology and Lithic Resources 14 Soils•. 17 Climate . 18 Fauna . 18 Flora 20 III. SITE BACKGROUND'• • 22 Description . 22 Survey ••• 26 1972 Test Excavations 27 1973 Excavations .. 28 1975 Excavation Season 30 V vi CHAPTER PAGE IV. FEATURE MORPHOLOGY 33 Pits ....... 36 Shallow circular pits (n = 2) • 36 Deep circular pits (n = 3) 38 Basins .• 43 Deep oval basins (n = 1) 43 Shallow circular basin (n = 1) 44 Shallow oval basins (n = 9) .. 44 Shallow amorphous basins (n = 3) 48 Deep circular basin (n = 2) ••. ' . 48 Deep amorphous basins (n = 4) •. 49 Miscellaneous . 51 V. STRUCTURAL REMAINS . 53 Structures . 53 Postholes . 61 VI. FAUNAL REMAINS . 63 Invertebrates: Mollusca 64 Gastropoda 64 Pelecypoda 64 Vertebrates • 64 Marrmals 67 Birds • . 67 Reptiles . 73 Amphibians 73 Fish 76 vii CHAPTER PAGE Worked Bone and Shell•• 76 Marine shell beads (n = 3) 76 Splinter bone awls (n = 2) 82 Bone pins (n = 3) .• 82 Antler tine (n = l) • . 83 Problematical bone tool (n = l) • 83 Turtle shell (n = l) •• .. 84 Miscellaneous worked bone (n = l) •.•••••• 84 VII. BOTANICAL REMAINS ••••••• . 85 VIII. CERAMICS ••• . • 91 Analytical Methods .•• .• .••• . 91 Body Sherds •• • . • . ••• 92 Shell tempered ware . 94 Limestone tempered ware •••• 95 Chert tempered ware ••• 97 Clay tempered ware ••••• 97 Sand tempered ware . 98 Mixed tempered wares 99 Rim Sherds . •. •• • . 100 Shell tempered rims •• 100 Limestone tempered rims . 104 Chert tempered rims .• .••• 106 Limestone-chert tempered rims• 106 Shell-limestone tempered rims . 106 Shell-chert tempered rims •• 107 viii CHAPTER PAGE Shell-clay tempered rims .• .••• 108 Shell-limestone-chert tempered rims •• 108 Shell-chert-clay tempered rims .•• 109 Shell-limestone-chert-clay tempered rims . 109 . Handles .......•. 109 Shell tempered handles 113 Chert tempered handles 113 Shell-limestone tempered handles 113 Shell-chert tempered handles •.• 113 Limestone-chert tempered handles .••• 115 Shell-limestone-chert tempered handles . 115 Shell-chert-clay tempered handles 115 Shell-limestone-chert-clay tempered handles 115 Miscellaneous Ceramic Artifacts • 116 Water bottle fragments 116 Beads • 118 Pipes • . 120 Ear plug 120 Pottery trowel 120 Sherd disk 121 Applique 121 Lug . 121 Pode 121 IX. LITHICS •• 122 Lithic Raw Materials 123 ix CHAPTER PAGE Primary Lithics •..•.