Prehistoric Life in the Appalachian Mountains: Subsistence and Settlement at the Griffin Site,

Tennessee By: Connie M. Randall

Advisor: Dr. Renee Walker - Anthropology

Species List: Taxon Count

Unidentified Mammal 461

Gastropoda 262

Pelecypoda 126

White-Tailed Deer 41

Medium-Large Mammal 27

Unidentified Bird 22

Large Mammal 16

Small Mammal 14

Medium Mammal 13

Black Bear 7

Medium Bird 3

Coprolite 3

Large Bird 2

Small Bird 2

Unidentified Duck 2

Woodchuck 2

Pond Turtle 2

Small-Medium Mammal 1

Beaver 1

Raccoon 1

Rabbit 1

Coyote 1

Unidentified Canid 1

Unidentified Fish 1

Unidentified 1

Total 1,013

The Griffin Site 40FR151: A rockshelter in Franklin County Tennessee near Crow Creek that

was occupied around 4,000-1,000 years ago. The site was

excavated in 1974-1975, with a total of 13 units. In addition to

animal bones, other materials recovered were stone tools, ceramics

and hearth features.

Modification Burnt

None

Calcined

Burnt, Polish,

Striations

Burnt, Drilled

Burnt, Cut

Conclusions: The Griffin site was most likely a seasonal hunting camp occupied between 4,000 and 1,000 years ago. Both larger and smaller species were butchered

on site and then the refuse bone was probably burned in the hearths. Most of the species represented in the rockshelter are ecotone and aquatic, the bear

is considered a closed species, and there are no open species represented in the archaeofauna. Some of the bones were modified as tools and may have

been used to make clothing or baskets. The Griffin site is a “typical” rockshelter site from eastern Tennessee and probably represents an important part

of the seasonal round of hunter-gatherers in the lower Appalachian mountains.

Evidence of Butchery The identified White-Tailed Deer elements are multiple mandible

fragments, a maxilla fragment, phalanges, teeth, and long bone

fragments. Of the 41 White-Tailed Deer elements most of the

elements that could be sided were lefts.

The identified Black Bear elements include: incisors,

unidentified tooth fragments, a phalanx, a triquetral, and a

multangular. The last three bones are part of the paws. One of

the paw bones is a right, and the teeth are mostly lefts.

One of the Pond Turtle carapace fragments has evidence of cut

marks. Due to the presence of teeth and lower leg bones, it is

most likely that large animals like bear and deer were brought

back to the rockshelter for butchering, rather than being

butchered elsewhere and meaty portions brought back to the site.

Bone Tools There are five pieces of bone that have evidence of being

used as tools. These pieces are burnt like the bulk of the

bone, yet they also show evidence of polishing and

striations, one of the tools also shows additional cut marks

on its surface. The bone tool on the lower left was probably

an awl and used for putting holes in leather or for weaving

baskets.

Modification The types of recorded modifications include: burning, calcined

(turning white from burning), cut marks, polishing, striations, and

drilling. As shown in the pie chart the most prevalent form of

modification was burning followed by the remains being burnt to the

point of becoming calcined. The cut marks appear only on a piece of

turtle shell and on one of the tools under the use-wear polish and

striations. The most unusual form of recorded modification is a hole

drilled near the distal end of a Coyote radius.

Habitat The animals were recovered from a variety of

habitats, but ecotone (open forest/meadow) and

aquatic habitat species are most common. The

aquatic turtle, fish, and shells were most likely

collected from ponds and smaller streams. The

bear represents the only closed forest species.

Key Terms: oArchaic – period of time from which

the rockshelter dates

oArchaeofauna – animal remains in the

archaeological record

oAwl- a tool used to puncture holes and

for weaving

oCalcined – bone burnt to the point that

it becomes white and chalky

oCarapace – top shell of a turtle

oDistal – the bottom end of a long bone

oPolish – an indication of use-wear, a

sheen that develops on the bone tool

oMandible – lower jaw

oMaxilla – upper jaw

oMultangular - a carpal bone

oPhalanx – a toe or finger bone

oTriquetral – a carpal bone