[McClung Museum] [Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee]

        [Red-Black Rule]

        ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE NATIVE PEOPLES OF TENNESSEE



        PALEOINDIAN PERIOD - 10,000+ to 8000 BC

        [First Tennesseans] THE FIRST TENNESSEANS
        (79K)

        Life-size mural by Greg Harlin.                 		       
        This scene is based upon the excavations at the Coats-Hines site in Williamson County, Tennessee, where two mastodon skeletons were found; close examination of the bones revealed that one showed clear cut marks -- evidence of the association of humans with this now extinct Ice-Age elephant. Radiocarbon dates place this event in what archaeologists call the Paleoindian Period, around 12,000 years ago.

        In the foreground, men are repairing and remounting stone spearpoints onto foreshafts that tip the spears used in hunting. In the background, a mastodon is being butchered in the marshy area where it perhaps had been trapped. The meat is being processed for both consumption and drying for future use.
        [Blue Rule]

        STONE TOOL MANUFACTURE

        [Tools and Chipping Debris]
        TOOLS AND CHIPPING DEBRIS.
        (34K)

        Tools and chipping debris recreate the archaeological remains of stone tool manufacture. They are exhibited in a glass-covered floor case.


        PALEOINDIAN PROJECTILE POINTS

        The chert points that tipped the spears, darts, and arrows of the Indians of Tennessee are called projectile points by archaeologists. Over the millennia, projectile point styles changed (like skirt lengths, tie widths, and car fins) and, because years of excavations have enabled archaeologists to date the contexts of these distinctive points, they can be used as "cultural identifiers" and "time markers." The many types of projectile points from Tennessee can be seen in the exhibit.

        [Projectile Points] PALEOINDIAN PROJECTILE POINTS.
        (28K)

        These chert lanceolate points have a large flake or flute removed from each side that may have helped stabilize the hafting. These points are associated with the first humans in Tennessee, around 12,000 years ago.


        MASTODON REMAINS

        [Mastodon Remains]
        MASTODON REMAINS.
        (32K)

        Excavation of 12,000-year-old mastodon (an extinct elephant) remains in Williamson County, Tennessee. One of the bones showed cut marks suggesting butchering by Paleoindians.

        [Red-Black Rule]

        [Back]       [Carved Sandstone Figure]       [Permanent Exhibits]
        Archaeology Main Page       McClung Homepage       Permanent Exhibits Page