Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-28
THINK MEN LIVED
IN TENNESSEE SOME
$4,000 YEARS AGO

NASHVILLE, Tenn, June o.
Did prehistoric man inhabit the Har-
peth river valley, near Kingston
Springs, Tenn, $4,000 to $4,000 years
ago?
This is one of the problems that
w. +. Myer, noted Tennessee arch
aeologist, is theorizing upon with the
discovery of important geological for
nations under the RUNS of an an
Gent and forgotten city, covering
about 500 acres in two bends of the
Harpeth river.
Mr.. Myer is at the head of party
Of explorers sent out by the Smith
sonian Institution to conduct scien-
tific research about the ruins Of
the ancient walled city.
The discovery of almost fossil
bones and ashes underneath a layer
of pleistocene blue clay in the ex-
cavations about one of the ancient
mounds has advanced the theory that
man may have existed in those parts
as far back as the pleistocene or
glacial period.
Mr.. Myer said:
Ancient Camp Fire
'tIn running a deep trench through
one of the mounds, we found at the
bottom of the mound a well-defined
layer of pleistocene blue clay, and
Il ~ III IL
layer of mingled ashes, broken ami
NAL bones and fragments of. pottery
and arrOWheads.
Evidently it was the ruins of an
ancient campfire, around which pre-
historic savage men had gathered to
cook the flesh of the animals whose
bones we found, and who had broken
the bones to obtain the marrow after
eating the flesh. Into the ashes
fragments of broken pots and arrow
heads and bones had fallen.
I'm pleistocene blue clay we have
found in previous years at various
places in Tennessee the remains of
extinct mastodon and other ancient
animals long since extinct on this
continent.
IF this camp fire had been built
by man before this pleistocene blue
clay had. formed in the pleistOcene
period, it would mean that the an
cient man who built the camp fire
and ate the flesh of the animals
whose almost fossil bones were found
in the layer of ashes, had lived in
the pleistocene period in the Har-
peth river valley
''In this case it would mean that
In 10 70 l..
ley for as much as from somewhere
between $4,000 to $4,000 years. or
even more.
Blue Clay
"While it is true that we have |
so far been unable to find the ancient |
blue clay beds from which it is |
probable that the prehistoric men |
brought the blue clay and placed it |
above the mingled bones and ashes, |
yet we are strongly of the opinion |
that this blue clay was 2Gt formed |
where i .-as hound by us in the I
mound, but that it was brought from !
somewhere else.
DIR. r: S. Bassler, geologist from |
the Smithsonian Institution, Wilbur |
A. Nelson, state geologist, and the as |
sistant state geologist Of Tennessee,
hold this same opinion.
1T is thrilling to see the ruins
of ancient times come to life, as it |
were. The buildings spring up. The |
stately procession and ceremonials of |
ancient civilization take on the forms
of living people. The warriors be-
hind the ancient line of breastworks |
and wooden palisades and in the pro-
jecting tower on the bastion are
= tai hU I'm
and the buildings burned, the place
becomes deSolate. its ancient inhabi
tants know it no more and great
forests grow about it and all is undis-
turbed until the archaeologist comes
to recover the last vestiges of the
burned city and to again bring it's
Life nd 1Acnlaln Il licrlnt Of >,