Late Archaic Site Use at Sachsen Cave Shelter, Upper Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

Abstract

Upland regions have typically received short shrift in archaeology. We present preliminary results of archaeological testing at Sachsen Cave Shelter, a “rock house” on the Upper Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee (UCP). Interpretations thus far indicate that the site was used repeatedly as a residential base camp for small family groups over a long period of time during the Late Archaic Period (ca. 6-3000 BP) by prehistoric hunter gatherers who lived year round in the uplands of Southern Appalachia. These activities include butchering and cooking of large mammals on site, nut processing and cooking, and hide processing and sewing. These activities appear to have been concentrated in the fall of the year. However, it is likely that site function depended upon seasonal exploitation of local resources, because faunal elements were recovered that indicate use during the spring and summer months. It may also be that the site was used year round. We support these hypotheses with technological, use-wear, faunal, and archaeobotanical studies.