Link Farm State Archaeological Area
The Link Farm State Archaeological Area (40 HS 6), also known as the Duck River Temple Mounds or Duck River site, is a Mississippian culture archaeological site located at the confluence of the Duck and Buffalo Rivers south of Waverly in Humphreys County, Tennessee. The site is most widely known for the stone artifacts found during excavations in the late 19th century.[1][2][3]
Location in Tennessee today | |
Alternative name | Duck River site, Duck River Temple Mounds |
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Location | South of Waverly, Humphreys County, Tennessee, USA |
Region | Middle Tennessee |
Coordinates | 35.99169°N 87.83659°W |
History | |
Cultures | Mississippian culture |
Architecture | |
Architectural styles | Platform mound, Burial mound |
Architectural details | Number of monuments: 6 |
Site features
The site features include two substructure platform mounds, three conical burial mounds, a loaf shaped mound, and a central plaza area measuring 150 metres (490 ft) east to west and 250 metres (820 ft) north to south. The 90 acres (0.36 km2) site was acquired by the State of Tennessee in 1974 and is now preserved as part of the Johnsonville State Historic Park.[2][3][1]
Artifacts
The site is mostly known for being the location where the "Duck River cache" of chert artifacts was discovered in December 1894 in a low hillock at the site. In March 1895 the same but slightly deeper location was also the site of the discovery of a paired male and female set of Mississippian sandstone statues nicknamed "Adam" and "Eve". The male statue is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the female statue has been lost. The Duck River cache was acquired by the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture in Knoxville, Tennessee and is now on permanent display.[1][2][3]
- Front view of "Adam", statue
- Oblique view of "Adam"
- Side view of "Adam"
- Rear view of the "Adam" statue
References
- Kevin E. Smith; James V. Miller (2009). Speaking with the Ancestors-Mississippian Stone Statuary of the Tennessee-Cumberland region. University of Alabama Press. pp. 144–146. ISBN 978-0-8173-5465-7.
- Smith, Kevin. "Duck River Temple Mounds". Tennessee Encyclopedia.
- "Link Farm State Archaeological Area". Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
External links
- Johnsonville State Historic Park Official site
- David H. Dye (2007), The Duck River cache and the Evolution of Mississippian Symbolic Weaponry, University of Memphis