Combining Geophysics, Photogrammetry, and Archaeological Testing at the Mississippian Pile Mound Site, Upper Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

Summary

The Pile Mound survey includes magnetometry paired with targeted ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI), low-altitude aerial photogrammetry and test excavations over the ca. 6.5 ha site. The EMI survey focused on the mound proper and several distinct magnetometry anomalies to the south and east. The aerial imagery was used to create a photomosaic and digital elevation model (DEM) of the mound and immediate surroundings, and to topographically correct the GPR data. From the GPR survey, we have delineated the location of at least two large rock piles within the mound. Knowledge of mounds in the Upper Cumberland Plateau is lacking (the closest large excavation occurred at the Croley-Evans sites (15Kx24) mound in Kentucky, some 80 km away), so it is unclear if this is atypical, but this type of mound construction distinguishes it from other Mississippian mounds. In addition, the associated ceramic assemblage appears to reflect more similarity to the East Tennessee Valley rather than the Middle Cumberland region. All together these data provide a unique opportunity to better understand the Mississippian occupation in the Upper Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage