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. Visible from the area of Scott Cemetery and the tops of the surrounding bluffs, it encompasses 101 acres and contains the remains of a prehistoric Native American settlement known as a civic/ceremonial center. Archaeologists estimate the occupation of the site between 900 AD and 1300 AD based on radiocarbon dating, which provides a range of dates so there may be a 50 to 100 year variation on either end. More than just a "bunch of old Indian Mounds," Mound Bottom represents the remains of a sophisticated prehistoric agricultural society that belonged to the Mississippian culture. This culture flourished not only in our Harpeth Valley but throughout the entire Southeast from around 800 AD to 1450 AD. Centered around intensive corn agriculture, these people developed a complex social system, and built large mound centers for both civic and ceremonial use with villages, hamlets, and farmsteads stretching for miles up and down the river valley. They also engaged in long distance trade in copper, marine shell, and other materials.
Mound Bottom contains 14 mounds outlining an open level plaza which was presumably used for social and ceremonial gatherings. The largest and most visible mound, called a platform mound, faces the plaza to the east. The remains of the staircase or rampis still visible today on the east face as a rounded hump in the side of the mound extending from the plaza level to the summit. This large platform mound was constructed in four, possibly five stages during the occupation of the site. This mound was certainly the main focal point of the center as it held the residence of the leader, a temple, a townhouse, or other communal building of importance. The other smaller mounds are thought to have supported the residences of lesser ranking officials and their families as well as other communal or ceremonial structures.
The residential area of the center was located on the other side of the mounds that outline the plaza and housed the majority of the population.
The entire Mound complex and residential area was surrounded on at least three sides by an earthen embankment topped by a wooden stockade of upright logs, similar to a frontier fort. It appears this stockade was situated on the secondary terrace on the north, east, and south sides of the site.
Also associated with the site are two long low earthen embankments on a bluff to the southwest and the remains of several smaller mounds on the tops of the surrounding hills. Another associated feature is a rare and unusual petroglyph, or rock carving, of a mace.
The Mace was a symbol of authority or leadership within the Mississippian culture and appears in shell art and chipped flint from several sites throughout the southeast.
You can take a free guided tour of the Mound Bottom Archeological Area through Montgomery Bell State Park. Tours are from 8:00am-4:30pm.
For More Information: Contact Montgomery Bell State Park, P.O. Box 39, Burns, TN 37029 by phone, (615) 797-9052 or fax, (615) 797-4428.
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