The Brentwood Library Site ( 40WM210), also known as the ''Jarman Farm Site'', is a

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American civilization that flourished in what is now the Midwestern United States, Midwestern, Eastern United States, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from appr ...

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

located in the city of Brentwood, in Williamson County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. The substantial town was occupied during Regional Period IV of the local Mississippian chronology, and there was an associated burial ground, where nearly 50

stone box grave Stone box graves were a method of burial used by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture in the Midwestern United States and the Southeastern United States. Their construction was especially common in the Cumberland River Basin, in settleme ...

s have been found. Artifacts from the site have been radiocarbon dated to between 1298 and 1465 CE. These include several types of Mississippian pottery, with Beckwith Incised found in the highest number.

Excavations

The Brentwood Library Site is located on a low ridge next to the

Harpeth River The Harpeth River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 8, 2011 is one of the major streams of north-central Middle Tennessee, United States, and one of the major ...

and a small spring-fed creek. The site was first mentioned by

Frederic Ward Putnam Frederic Ward Putnam (April 16, 1839 – August 14, 1915) was an American anthropologist and biologist. Biography Putnam was born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer (1797–1876) and Elizabeth (Appleton) Putnam. After leavin ...

as part of a Harvard Peabody Museum Expedition in 1882, but the exact location was not mentioned. Putnam excavated forty-eight

s at the site. At least one example of a ''Nashville style''

shell gorget Shell gorgets are a Native American art form of polished, carved shell pendants worn around the neck. The gorgets are frequently engraved, and are sometimes highlighted with pigments, or fenestrated (pierced with openings). Shell gorgets were mos ...

was found by Putnam during his excavations of an infant's grave, along with a notched-rim bowl, a human effigy-hooded bottle, and eight marine shell beads. The site was essentially forgotten until 1997, when construction for the new Brentwood library uncovered remains of a substantial Mississippian town and associated burial area. Professional archeological excavations were undertaken at the site to document these finds.

Ceramics

Mississippian culture pottery vessels and sherds found at the site were made with techniques and forms found across the Mississippian world. Common shapes include bowls with notched rim straps and jars with a direct rim. Strap handles were the only closed handle style found, although bifurcate and tabular lugs were sometimes attached. Some sherds were found to be fabric impressed. Other artifacts were made with a technique known as ''negative painting''. The background was painted, enabling the natural buff or grey of the clay to create the positive image. Notable pottery classifications found were examples of Mound Place Incised, Matthews Incised ''var. Matthews'', Manly Incised, and Beckwith Incised; examples of Beckwith Incised was found in the largest numbers. A few pieces of effigy pottery were also found, mostly of zoomorphic figures such as fish, frogs, and ducks, although some examples with anthropomorphic shapes were found. These humans effigies often depicted a standing woman with top-knots in her hair, a pronounced hunchback and ear spools. Similar ceramic and

stone statues A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

are found throughout the Middle Tennessee area.

References

External links

{{Authority control Middle Mississippian culture Mounds in Tennessee Geography of Williamson County, Tennessee Archaeological sites in Tennessee Native American history of Tennessee

Excavations

Ceramics

See also

References

External links