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An Underground Home
The Russell cave site is located in the extreme northeast area of the state of Alabama, near the Tennessee and Georgia state lines. The cave has a mapped length of 7.2 miles but has an exceptionally large main entrance which was used as a shelter for prehistoric native people as the earliest known human settlement in the southeastern area of this continent.
Named after Thomas Russell, veteran of the American Revolution, who owned the property when maps of the area were created. The land was purchased by the National Geographic Society (NGS) and donated back to the people.
Archeological Surveys
Surveys have uncovered extensive records of the cave′s occupant, in fact, about two tons of artifacts have been recovered from the site. The first excavation, in 1953, reach a depth of six feet and caused the four members of the Tennessee Archeological group to realize the extent and importance of the site.
The four member group then contacted the Smithsonian Institution, which then conducted three seasons of digs in cooperation with the NGS, excavations which reached a depth of more than 32 feet.
The Wayfarer Period
Chipped flint points and charcoal from campfires provide evidence that Russell Cave occupation began very early in the Wayfarer period with this site holding remains of the wayfarer people dating from shortly after 2000 BCE.
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As they maintained their existence as hunter-gatherers, evidence indicating cave inhabitance include deer bones and passenger pigeon remains. Also, it is likely that the cave was only occupied during the autumn and winter seasons.
The presence of shellfish artifacts clouds the determination somewhat since shellfish would have been easier to procure during periods of dry weather in mid-spring and late summer but such shellfish may have been brought from nearby bodies of water for use as needed including in autumn or winter. Still, it is believed that Russell Cave was used primary as a place of winter occupancy.
The chief weapon of these occupants was a short spear (tipped with stone point) propelled by an
atlatl. The points were chipped from chert which occurs as nodules and veins in limestone near the cave.
In addition to serving as a shelter, possibly for several related families, but not more than twenty or thirty individuals, the cave would have provided a constant source of water due to the lack of freezing temperatures inside the cavern.
After the Wayfarer Period
After 1000 BCE, the use of this home changed dramatically, as pottery is found to be in use and smaller weapon points indicate the bow and arrow had replaced the atlatl. Tools fashioned from bone were better refined and other tools give evidence of gardening at the site. Also, bone and shell begin to appear in ornamental artifacts.
During later periods, particularly the Woodland period, the site appears to be a hunting camp.
Modern visits to Russell Cave
At the close of the Woodland period, fewer and fewer visits were made by the mound builders who by now had successfully begun large scale agriculture in the bottom lands of the continent. Much later, Cherokee native people may have used the cave as a hunting camp or overnighting stops, however few objects have been found close to the surface to indicate any major encampments.
Hernando de Soto passed within 100 miles of Russell Cave in 1540.
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