The Barrow Pit and Mound 12

A barrow pit is a designated source of material for constructing earthen mounds or enclosures. The only known barrow pit at Pinson Mounds lies near the largest mound, Sauls, and the soil taken from this depression was likely used to build Sauls Mound. Nearby Mound 12 was built on a natural rise that had been occupied during the early Woodland Tradition, ca. 800-200 B.C. The mound stands 4.5 feet high with a base of 75 by 55 feet, and it was constructed over the earlier occupation late in the Pinson Site's timeframe, A.D. 400-500. Near the base of Mound 12, a multi-layered clay platform contained a crematory pit and associated cremations; the pit was datable to A.D. 460, indicating construction near the end of the Middle Woodland Tradition. American Indians carefully layered some of the mounds with different colors of soil, sand, and clay, reflecting a long-standing and deep ceremonial meaning, and they probably used antler picks to loosen soil and deer scapulae to scrape dirt into woven baskets that they carried to the mound load by load.

Tennessee · United States