The Chauga Mound ( 38OC1) is an

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 a ...

once located on the northern bank of the

Tugaloo River The Tugaloo River (originally Tugalo River) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 26, 2011 river that forms the border between the U.S. states of Georgia and South C ...

, about north of the mouth of the Chauga River in present-day

Oconee County, South Carolina Oconee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,607. Its county seat is Walhalla and its largest city is Seneca. Oconee County is included in the Seneca, SC Micropol ...

. The earthen

platform mound Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

and former village site were inundated by creation of

Lake Hartwell Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the Southeastern United States' largest recreation lakes. The lake was created ...

after construction of the

Hartwell Dam Hartwell Dam is a concrete and embankment dam located on the Savannah River at the border of South Carolina and Georgia, creating Lake Hartwell. The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1955 and 1962 for the purposes of flood ...

on the Savannah River, which was completed in 1962. While the site was found to have been occupied in the

Middle Archaic Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

era, the

and village portion of the site were built in the twelfth century by peoples of the

South Appalachian Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a Native American civilization that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building large, earth ...

(a regional expression of the Mississippian culture). The village was abandoned for a period in prehistory, and then reoccupied in the sixteenth century. It may have been occupied by the historic

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

in the last and fourth phase, as they were known to have a historic village named Chauga. Evidence dates their occupancy into the early eighteenth century. The Cherokee had their homeland in a large area of what are now known as western Virginia, western North and South Carolina, northeastern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee.

Site description

The site consists of an earthen

and village that was developed on a natural levee about from the Tugaloo River, north of its confluence with the Chauga River.

Site chronology

Four distinct periods of archeological occupation have been identified. The first period occurred during the

, as indicated by quartz and some scattered campsites. Phase two encompasses the first six levels of the mound and dates to the Jarett Phase (1100 to 1200), a local variation of the Etowah Culture. A study of archeological evidence has shown that the site was abandoned for a period in pre-history and reoccupied in the sixteenth century. The third phase encompasses the final four stages of the mound construction and dates to the Tugalo Phase (1500 to 1600), a local manifestation of the Lamar phase. The platform mound indicates that it was an administrative and ceremonial center for

chiefdom A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...

s of these two periods. The final and fourth period of occupation of the site dates from the Estatoe Phase to the early 18th century. It is associated with the historic

because of pottery deposits. They are an

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, all surviving Iroquoian ...

-speaking people who are believed to have migrated into this area from the north around the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

. According to Hally, the evidence is not conclusive for this site being identified as the historic Cherokee village of Chauga, as there are no contemporary maps showing that village's location.

Mound

Originally standing about in height and across in diameter at the base, the

was constructed in 10 stages. Extensive damage has taken place from erosion and amateur digging. As a result, only the first four stages are left with distinguishable form and purpose, and the height of the mound was reduced to . Stage 1 of the mound began as a low, truncated, rectangular pyramid about in height, which was probably used as a dance platform or dais. The fill for this mound came from the midden area of a previous Woodland period settlement; it was followed by a thinner, semi-impermeable, blue-grey clay cap. Stages 2–6 follow the same pattern. The clay cap had a low rim and trough around the base of the mound and in some cases extended to as much as from the base of the mound. The nature of the impervious clay and the trough to carry away rainwater helped to protect the interior fill from erosion. The fill was carried to the mound by basket loads. At Stage 2 the mound was across at the base and with a summit roughly square and several feet higher than Stage 1. On top of this mound a structure was added. During these stages, smooth boulders from the river were incorporated into the mound, possibly to help stabilize the shape. Stages 7–10 did not have the clay cap feature. Mound construction appears to have occurred only on the southern and eastern sides of the mound. These stages may have been to add an apron-like extension or ramp to reach the main body of the mound.

Village

Burials

There are more than sixty burials at the Chauga village site, and more than thirty burials within the mound. The mound contains artifacts ranging from stone tools,

potsherds This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. A B C D E F ...

and ornaments made of shells, copper plates, and rocks and minerals. Many of these items were deposited as

grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...

with the burials. Among the artifacts found at the site is a

steatite Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the ...

plate with an anthropo-zoomorphic human-headed, winged figure, of a style often associated with the

Southeastern Ceremonial Complex The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (formerly the Southern Cult), aka S.E.C.C., is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture. It coincided with their ado ...

. This was prevalent throughout the Southeast.

Excavations

American archeologist Joseph R. Caldwell first excavated there in 1953. He was followed by Carl Miller in 1958. The most complete excavation took place under the leadership of Arthur R. Kelly and Robert S. Neitzel from August 1958 to January 1, 1959. Kelly and Nietzel performed

salvage archaeology Rescue archaeology, sometimes called commercial archaeology, preventive archaeology, salvage archaeology, contract archaeology, developer-funded archaeology or compliance archaeology, is state-sanctioned, archaeological survey and excavation carr ...

on the site in conjunction with the U.S. National Park Service while working at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. They hoped to salvage as many artifacts and as much information as possible before the Hartwell Basin flooded the site after construction of the

on the Savannah River. The dam was completed in 1962.

References

External links

''The Transformation of the Southeastern Indians, 1540-1760'', by Robbie Ethridge and Charles Hudson
University Press of Mississippi, 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chauga Mound South Appalachian Mississippian culture Cherokee towns Native American history of South Carolina Archaeological sites in South Carolina Mounds in the United States