Dietary Patterning at an Upland South Plantation: The Ramsey House Site (40KN120), Knox County, Tennessee

The faunal remains recovered from excavations at the historic Ramsey House (40KN120), located in Knox County, Tennessee, provide an opportunity to examine dietary preferences on an Upland South Plantation. The analysis has shown that domestic mammals, primarily pigs and cattle, were the main sources of the meat diet. All portions of the hog carcass were utilized and a home production and consumption model was followed. Cattle were most likely raised on the farm, however, the presence of sawn bone in early contexts may indicate the services of a professional butcher were utilized. The material was compared to other historic faunal assemblages in Tennessee and a pattern of heavy reliance on terrestrial mammals, mainly pigs and cattle, was revealed. An analysis of the preferred butchery technology on each site shows chopping was the primary method utilized until 1850, which then gave way to sawing. However, in the eastern Tennessee sites, sawing was used in early contexts, indicating some influence of the market system of early Knoxville.