A Synthesis and Interpretation of the Hamilton Mortuary Pattern in East Tennessee

The goals of this investigation are to investigate status and rank and to suggest a possible model of the social organization of the builders of Late Woodland burial mounds on the basis of intrasite burial patterning, to determine the pattern of relationships among a sample of East Tennessee burial mounds, and to provide a general characterization of the Hamilton burial complex. Despite previous investigations of this burial complex, earlier works have failed to provide satisfactory treatment of these problems.

Data on individual burials from site 40RE124 were analyzed using tests of significance, a crosstabulatinn. of variable correlations, and a factor analysis to isolate conscious choice in the use of burial techniques. The results of these analyses suggest that:

1. Consistent decisions were made as to the age, individuality, form of disposal, and orientation of burials placed in the mound.

2. Due to the high percentage of adult burials, status was achieved through life in a basically egalitarian society.

3. There was differential involvement of individuals in the manufacture and distribution of certain artifacts, such as conch columellae beads.

4. Burials were oriented towards the sun's path and towards the river at different times in mound construction.

Data gathered for 56 characteristics on a sample of 14 mounds were examined using frequency, correlation, hierarchical profile-grouping (HGROUP), and principal coordinates of distance (PRINCO) analyses to determine the relationships among mounds and to isolate the most important characteristics of the Hamilton mortuary complex. These tests show that:

1. Mounds cluster in north, central, and southern geographic groupings based mainly on mound construction techniques and associated artifacts.

2. Seventeen variables dealing with burial customs, mound construction techniques, and associated artifacts are characteristic of the majority of the Hamilton focus mounds in the present sample.

3. In spite of low correlations of grave goods and diagnostic artifacts with sex and age of mound burials, adult males seem to be favored for initial mound burial as well as for inclusion in the mounds.