Together the Mound Bottom site and Pack Site contain up to 34 earthen mounds, including between 11 and 14 at Mound Bottom and 20 at Pack. This change corresponds to a period of apparent political destabilization in the region, as the centralized authority of Mound Bottom and other large early sites gave way to fortified, autonomous village centers. [5] However, any sign of the palisade had been plowed away by the early 1920s. In, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, 30 Days of Tennessee Archaeology, Day 13: A Visit to Mound Bottom, Mound Bottom: Archaeological Treasures in Cheatham County, An Example of Intentional Late Prehistoric Dental Mutilation from Middle Tennessee. Archaeologists believe this Native American town had important political and ceremonial functions. The complex, which consists of earthen platform and burial mounds, a 7-acre central plaza, and habitation areas, was occupied between approximately 1000 and 1300 AD,[1] during the Mississippian period. A.D. 1000) by individuals from outside the region. According to early historical reports the Mound Bottom complex was surrounded by an earthen wall topped with a palisade of upright logs. Instead, archaeologists refer to these eastern North American societies as Mississippian. Mound Bottom is situated on a horseshoe bend of the Harpeth River at the river's confluence with Mound Creek, which approaches the riverbank opposite the site from the east. Mound Bottom is a prehistoric Native American complex in Cheatham County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Around A.D. 950 Mound Bottom emerged as a sacred ceremonial center for hundreds of farming families scattered throughout the Harpeth River valley, and over the succeeding three hundred years the site grew into a fortified city, serving as the social political, economic, and religious center for one of North America’s most complex native civilizations. Today archaeologists understand that Mound Bottom, Pack, and other late prehistoric mound sites in the area surrounding Nashville were constructed by a regional Mississippian culture known as Middle Cumberland Mississippian. Instead, archaeologists refer to these eastern North American societies as Mississippian. Michael C. Moore, Emanuel Breitburg, Kevin E. Smith, and Mary Beth Trubitt. http://tnency.utk.tennessee.edu/entries/mound-bottom/. Look at Mound Bottom, Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States from different perspectives. If you're planning a road trip or exploring the local area, make sure you check out some of these places to get a feel for the surrounding community. Tennessee state archaeologist P.E. Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area Mound Bottom is part of the largest prehistoric mound group in Tennessee, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Tennessee Conservationist is a multimedia platform published by Tennessee State Parks, a division of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Based on artifact types and skeletal examinations, it appears these founders may have come from the American Bottom, and possibly from the site of Cahokia. [12], View of the central plaza and platform mound at Mound Bottom, from May's Mace Bluff, Michael C. Moore, David H. Dye, and Kevin E. Smith, "WPA Excavations at the Mound Bottom and Pack Sites in Middle Tennessee, 1936-1940." In 2008 an adjacent 65-acre parcel including additional site area was purchased with the assistance of Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. This is a list of smaller local towns that surround Mound Bottom, TN. When the Cox Mound was excavated, a series of structures was found to have been built progressively, one of top of another, forming an 8-foot high mound. The photograph that so intrigued the British curator was of the Cox Mound located about 9 miles west of Clinton, TN. Due to structural similarities in the mounds and ceramic chronologies, these sites are believed to have been contemporaneous.[1]. low cost hair transplants in Mound Bottom , Tennessee(TN) Cheatham county. Functionality and information are in compliance with guidelines established by the American Association for State and Local History for online state and regional encyclopedias. Touch for map. Mound Bottom is a prehistoric Native American complex located in Kingston Springs. Almost one thousand years ago, a thriving city of several thousand Native Americans was situated in a bend of the Harpeth River not far downstream from Kingston Springs in Cheatham County. ★ Mound Bottom background and history. Join Aaron Deter-Wolf as he tells us about an ongoing study of the Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area. George E. Lankford, "Regional Approaches to Iconographic Art." The Registered Agent on file for this company is David Zauner and is located at 1031 Forest Dr, Kingston Springs, TN 37082-8184. [6] In addition to the earthen, mounds, the site also included hundreds of houses, cemeteries, and agricultural fields. Mound Bottom is a large Mississippian Period Indian Mound Complex. Mound Bottom was a cultural and civic hub during what is known as the Mississippian period of Native American history. Originally attached to Montgomery Bell State Park, Harpeth River State Park  and the Tennessee Division of Archaeology currently manage the area as an archaeological preserve. The complex, which consists of earthwork platform and burial mounds, a central plaza, and habitation areas, was occupied between approximately 1000 and 1300 AD, during the Mississippian period. Nearest major airport to Mound Bottom, Tennessee: PLEASE NOTE: Mound Bottom may be a smaller town so be sure to check all locations and airports. [7], Early Tennessee historian John Haywood noted Mound Bottom's importance as an aboriginal site in 1823, and early settlers reported seeing large fortifications and towers at the site. This airport is in Nashville, Tennessee and is 32 miles from the center of Mound Bottom, TN. In Middle Tennessee, Mississippian cultures lasted from A.D. 900 to 1450. Around A.D. 1200, probably few leaders in eastern North America were unaware of the city at “Mound Bottom.”. His work was part of an aggressive explo - ration campaign sponsored by the Peabody Museum at Harvard University (Moore and Smith 2009). Aaron is the Prehistoric Archaeologist with the Tennessee Division of Archaeology for the State of Tennessee, essive in size and beauti fully located .. Riah ~oded bluf~s end the Tivar close t … The site core includes at least 12 earthen mounds oriented around a 7-acre plaza within a meander bend of the Harpeth River. Moving from east to west, the state is divided into six major physiographic provinces (Figure 1): the Unaka Mountains (Appalachians), the Great Valley, the Cumberland Plateau, the Highland Rim which surrounds the fifth, the Central Basin, and the Gulf Coastal Plain of West Tennessee (Folmsbee, Corlew, and Mitch… Those excavations were directed by Charles Nash, and examined several cemeteries and a burial mound. News stories; Recent updates; NRHP updates; Website statistics; Locations low cost hair transplants in Mound Bottom , Tennessee(TN) Cheatham county. Mound Bottom, a state owned archaeological area, lies in a horseshoe bend of the Harpeth River about one mile north of Highway 70 on Cedar Hill Road. According to Moore and Smith (2009, page 210), by A.D. 1475, Mississippian settlement of the region drop well below the level of archaeological visibility. Mound Bottom Press is a Tennessee Domestic Non-Profit Corporation filed on June 16, 1998. They conducted intensive agriculture based on corn, beans, squash, and many other domesticated plants. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1325 Cedar Hill Road, Kingston Springs TN 37082, United States of America. 954.567.5868. Because this Tennessee civilization disappeared centuries before written records, archaeologists will never know the original name of Mound Bottom, nor that of the people who lived there. 1000–1350 CE). Parmenio Edward Cox, Tennessee's first State Archaeologist, conducted a month of fieldwork at Mound Bottom in 1926. Archaeological investigations over the past two centuries have demonstrated the trade connections between the ruling families of Mound Bottom and chiefs of similar civilizations: copper necklaces, earspools, and headdresses were imported from the Lake Superior and Appalachian regions; fragile pottery vessels were imported from southern Illinois and the Tennessee River Valley; and conch shell cups and jewelry from the Gulf Coast. One Hundred Years of Archaeology at Gordontown: A Fortified Mississippian Town in Middle Tennessee. [11], In 1923, William E. Myer, also working with the Smithsonian, carried out the first modern investigation of the Mound Bottom site. Discover the beauty hidden in the maps. Mound Bottom is a prehistoric Native American complex in Cheatham County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. “New research has revealed that Mound Bottom was one of the first mound centers in the Central Basin and that it was a political center of the region.” The new research was compiled by Aaron Deter-Wolf, a State of Tennessee archaeologist who wrote a 44-page document to enhance the site’s National Register file. Kuttruff and O'Brien tested six mounds and 19 houses. Mound Bottom Across the river are the remains of an 800-year old town built by ancient Native American Indians. Free and open company data on Tennessee (US) company MOUND BOTTOM PRESS (company number 000352897), 1070 DOAK DR PEGRAM, TN 37143 USA The complex, which consists of earthen platform and burial mounds, a 7-acre central plaza, and habitation areas, was occupied between approximately 1000 and 1300 AD, during the Mississippian period. Cox followed up on Myer's finds in 1926, uncovering a number of stone box burials and baked clay floors. 36° 8.17′ N, 87° 5.914′ W. Marker is near Kingston Springs, Tennessee, in Cheatham County. [4], In 2005, Mound Bottom became part of Harpeth River State Park, a "linear park" connecting several archaeological, historical, and natural areas along the lower Harpeth. Local towns near Mound Bottom, TN. Because this Tennessee civilization disappeared centuries before written records, archaeologists will never know the original name of Mound Bottom, nor that of the people who lived there. In, Michael J. O’Brien and Carl Kuttruff, "Excavations at Mound Bottom, A Palisaded Mississippian Center in Cheatham County, Tennessee,", Wiliam Edward Myer, "Archaeological Field Work in Tennessee,". The late prehistoric Native American culture of the Nashville Basin has been referenced in older and non-scholarly sources as being either the Mound Builders or the Stone Graves Race. Online Edition © 2002 ~ 2018, The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. Mound Bottom’s origins likely began as a ceremonial meeting place around 950 AD, eventually growing into … description, info and more. Both Mound Bottom and Pack appear to have been initially established early in the Mississippian period (ca. The state of Tennessee is long and narrow, stretching 432 miles from the high mountains of the Appalachians and the Great Smoky Mountains on the east to the Mississippi River on the west. It's owned by the state and is a unit of Harpeth River State Park. Toggle navigation. The Mound Bottom site was a very large city in Tennessee during the Mississippian era. Mound Bottom. The site is closed to the public, although guided tours are available by request. A large temple mound and several smaller mounds surrounded an open plaza. Mound Bottom (40CH8) is a complex of Mississip- pian mounds and village located on the Harpeth River, a tributary of the Cumberland, in Cheatham County, Tennessee (Figure 1). [3], Mound Bottom and the adjacent pictograph at May's Mace Bluff were the inspiration for the 2014 Tennessee Archaeology Awareness Month poster, created by the Tennessee Council for Professional Archaeology. The results of those excavations were published in 2012 in the journal Southeastern Archaeology. It is Plate 108 in the Smithsonian Bulletin. The site is closed to the public, and it is hoped that a future archaeological park with an interpretive center will be created to promote appreciation for the achievements of Tennessee’s late prehistoric native people. The company's filing status is listed as Inactive - Dissolved (Administrative) and its File Number is 000333472. The mounds on the Cheatham site were used in spiritual practices. Includes Mound Bottom in Kingston Springs, Tennessee maps, description, photos and more. Home; Video . The Registered Agent on file for this company is Jason D Holton and is located at 1070 Doak Dr, Pegram, TN 37143. The detailed road map represents one of many map types and styles available. Mound Bottom Site - A large, 1,000 year-old Mississippian Period town site located on the Harpeth River in Cheatham County, Tennessee. The first modern study of the site was conducted in 1923 by William E. Myer, and shortly after by Tennessee state archaeologist Parmenio Edward Cox. Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area is an ancient Native American mound center in Cheatham County, Tennessee that dates to the Mississippian period of regional prehistory (ca. [1], In 1972, the State of Tennessee purchased the Mound Bottom site to preserve it as a state archaeological area. Marker is on Cedar Hill Road 0.4 miles south of Mound Creek Road, on the right when traveling south. [7] This is followed in turn by a gradual abandonment of the region toward the end of the fourteenth century. In recognition of its importance as an archaeological site, the State of Tennessee purchased Mound Bottom in 1973. The Conservationist advocates for the preservation and protection of the state’s natural and cultural resources. Contact us if you have any questions.. Faced with increasing competition from similar towns in the Central Basin, Mound Bottom declined as an important center in Middle Tennessee around A.D. 1300. [2][10], By A.D. 1350, Mound Bottom and Pack appear to have been abandoned as a major centers, and while mound building and repair ceased, both sites continued to be used as burial locations. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Obion Mounds (40 HY 14), also known as the Work Farm Site, is an archaeological site of the Mississippian culture located north of Paris, Henry County, Tennessee, on the north fork of the Obion River. Friends Of Mound Bottom, Inc. is a Tennessee Domestic Non-Profit Corporation filed on June 26, 1997. Their most significant achievements included the construction and use of large flat-topped earthen pyramids as platforms for temples and elite residences and the creation of one of the most spectacular artistic traditions of the western hemisphere. It is located in Cheatham County on a broad horseshoe-shaped bend of the Harpeth River. The state owned Mississippian archaeological site is about one mile north of highway 70 on Cedar Hill Road. The Mound Bottom site is likely associated with another mound complex located just over a mile to the south known as the Pack Site, or Great Mound Division, and together they have been called the "Great Mound Group." The initial Mound Bottom investigation was con-ducted by Edwin Curtiss in late May 1878. Mound Bottom is approximately one mile north of the point where U.S. Route 70 crosses the Harpeth River, on the outskirts of Kingston Springs, Tennessee. 30 Days of Tennessee Archaeology, Day 14: The 2014 Tennessee Archaeology Awareness Month Poster! The mounds, which consists of earthwork platform and burial mounds, a central plaza, and habitation areas, was occupied between approximately 1000 and 1300 AD. Located in a well-protected horseshoe bend, Mound Bottom, along with the adjacent Pack mounds, comprises a five-hundred-acre archaeological site which includes at least twenty-nine flat-topped earthen pyramids and burial mounds. Mound Bottom is a prehistoric Native American complex in Cheatham County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. The closest major airport to Mound Bottom, Tennessee is Nashville International Airport (BNA / KBNA). Jul 21, 2020 - Mound Bottoms State Park north of Kingston Springs, TN It is a 101 acre site west of Nashville that sits in a horseshoe bend of the Harpeth River. Contact Us. In the late 1860s, Joseph Jones of the Smithsonian Institution investigated several prehistoric sites in Tennessee, and reported "extraordinary aboriginal works" at Mound Bottom. Mound Bottom is situated on a … Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area is an ancient Native American mound complex in Cheatham County, Tennessee. [1] Some of these are flat-topped platform mounds that supported structures including ceremonial buildings or elite residences, while others were burial mounds. The Harpeth surrounds Mound Bottom on the north, south, and east, while the entry to the bend from the west is marked by rocky uplands. Maphill is more than just a map gallery. The Tennessee Division of Archaeology dispatched Carl Kuttruff and Michael O'Brien to conduct excavations at Mound Bottom in 1974 and 1975. The site is managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation as part of Harpeth River State Park. Noel Cemetery - The Noel Cemetery was a large Mississippian burial ground that contained an estimated 3,000 graves, located in Nashville, Tennessee. All Rights Reserved. The town is probably more than a thousand years old, estimated to have been populated between around 900 AD and 1300 AD based on radio carbon dating. Site access is prohibited without accompaniment by park rangers or the Tennessee Division of Archaeology. In addition, their trading networks spanned eastern North America, extending from the Great Lakes in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south, and from the eastern Great Plains in the west to the eastern Appalachian Mountains of the Carolinas. [3][4] The mound summit was originally accessed via a ramp or staircase located at the midpoint of the eastern face. The principal mound at Mound Bottom originally stood at least 36 feet tall and measured about 246 feet along each side of its base, and is oriented approximately 11 degrees east of north. Mound Bottom is a grouping of 11 to 14 Mississippian mounds raised between 1000 and 1300 AD. Get free map for your website. [1][7][9] As a result of this connection, the Middle Cumberland Culture in Tennessee was part of the larger Mississippian Ideological Interaction Sphere (previously known as the Southern Cult and Southeastern Ceremonial Complex), which connected late prehistoric cultures from the Great Lakes, Gulf Coast, and the Appalachian Mountains. You can also search for cities 100 miles from Mound Bottom, TN (or 50 miles or 30 miles). Myer uncovered evidence of a structure and hearth atop one of the mounds at the Pack site and evidence of 10 ancient houses at Mound Bottom. Mound Bottom is an American Indian village location from around 800 AD to 1450 AD. The Mound Bottom bend is one in a series of sharp bends found along the lower Harpeth as the river twists and turns through a steep gorge en route to its confluence with the Cumberland River several miles to the north. An Example of Intentional Late Prehistoric Dental Mutilation from Middle Tennessee by William O. Autry, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mound_Bottom&oldid=895111812, Protected areas of Cheatham County, Tennessee, Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee, National Register of Historic Places in Cheatham County, Tennessee, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 May 2019, at 02:15. The company's filing status is listed as Inactive - Dissolved (Administrative) and its File Number is 000352897. Mound Bottom is covered by the Lillamay, TN US Topo Map quadrant Almost surrounded by the river, it was also guarded by a high palisade wall. Mound Bottom is a large Mississippian Period town and ceremonial site located on the Harpeth River in Cheatham County, Tennessee. LandmarkHunter.com historic and notable landmarks of the u.s. Home; Updates. Archaeologists differ slightly in defining this period, offering starting dates that include 800 A.D. and 900 A.D., and ending dates such as 1400 A.D. and 1600 A.D. [2] At Mound Bottom, the principal large flat-topped mound and up to 13 additional smaller mounds were arranged around a central plaza. Lewis’s interest in Mound Bottom and Pack was stimulated by a series of earlier ex-plorations beginning in the 1870s. Cox excavated at least 70 graves and tested nine mounds No report on those excavations was published. Archaeologists believe it was constructed around 1,200 to 1,300 A.D. The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) publishes a set of the most commonly used topographic maps of the U.S. called US Topo that are separated into rectangular quadrants that are printed at 22.75"x29" or larger. Check out this ancient Native American earthwork site from the air and learn a thing or two about prehistoric America! An estimated five miles of earthen embankments and wooden palisades once surrounded these mounds and protected hundreds of houses, storehouses, craft production centers, and other buildings within the compound. The Pack Site is located on private property approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of Mound Bottom, just south of US-70, and is not open for visitation.