Evening star., 1942-04-23
OF Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook OF Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas e. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
Over Is square miles nov mostly COW
cred by great artificial lake. srcheolo-
gists Of the Tennessee Valley Authority
have found remains OF an ancient river
folk whose shell mounds reveal a pro-
gressive evolution from agriculture
and pre-pottery stage to fairly high
level Of primitive culture.
When plans we're made TO build a dam
across the Tennessee River at Pickwick
Landing near the Shiloh battlefield, it
was realized that an area OF considerable
archaeological interest would be flooded
Scattered over the region we're large
mounds, composed very largely OF shells
of river moIlusks. These had formed the
chief food Of the primitive inhabitants
and the shells were the debris from their
kitchens" over many centuries
The archeologists worked to get as
complete record as possible of the ways
Of life of this ancient people before all
traces were destroyed. Excavations we're
conducted under the direction of William
S. Webb and David L. De Jag6c; OF the
Tennessee Valley Authority staff
1t soon was evident that the roots of
the shell mounds were buried deep in
pre-history. The builders had vanished
long before the first white men came
into this part of the continent. Un-
doubtedly Indians, they had settled along
the river because of the wealth OF she'll
fsh-clams, freshwater snails and the
Ike-Which it afforded them for food
They were not hunters. There is no
evidence that they used the bow-and-
arrow, although artifacts were found
which suggest they we're familiar with
the atlatl, or throwing stick, as a weapon
to Kill mammals fishes and. occasionally.
each other. They we're not even, to any
great extent, fishermen Some remains
of both fish and mammals are found in
their shell heaps, but on the whole they
seem to have been contented with the
easily gathered mollusks.
As the mounds grew in height clay
floors with fire hearths were built. and
there are to be found zones containing
great quantities of river pebbles broken
by fire, together with much ashes and
charcoal. These findings seem to indi-
cate that they had started cooking on
hot rocks. Clambakes became numerous
and in some cases quite elaborate.
Later, but before the advent of clay
pottery, large vessels were cut from
chunks of sandstone and soapstone and
undoubtedly were used in cooking. Some,
found broken and shattered, appear to
have suffered from fire action. Still
later-but perhaps long before the first
voyage of Columbus-pottery was de-
veloped and used for cooking.
1T seems possible to discern in these
shell middens," report the archeologists
in detailed account of their work Just
published by the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, "a gradual development of the
processes Of cooking"
Presumably few primitive peoples were
better in touch with the outside world.
The river was always a great highway
and they lived 'by the side of the road. I"
The evidence shows that most of the i'm
provements in their way of life came
from the outside. They probably in
vented nothing and were true primitives
even in relation to the culture of pre-
Columbian North America.
The evidence indicates that they were
a peaceful folk and that for a long time
their neighbors did not interfere with
them to any great extent. Only toward
the tops of the mounds are burials found
of skeletons of different type from the
river people. They may have supplanted
them, but carried on much the same ways
of life for time.
Primitive as they were, the shell mound
builders appear to have had one domestic
animal, the dog, which entered in some
way into their religious life. Skeletons
of dogs are found in the graves with evil
dences that they had been buried with
considerable ceremony.
The culture complex, Messrs Webb and
De Jarnette say, is dissimilar to any
others known to exist in the Southeast
ern United States. It contains no evi-
dence of agriculture. although there is
some indication of the use of storage
bins Nuts, roots and seeds may have
been gathered to supplement the she'll
fish diet. They had few, if any. tex
tiles, so far as the evidence goes. These
are so perishable, however, that failure
to find them means little. There is no
structures.