This is one of our most significant decipherments because it is so clear and involves one of the largest mound complexes in America.
Pinson Mounds in Madison County, Tennessee, at Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park near the Madison County seat Jackson, between Memphis and Nashville, is the largest Middle Woodland mound complex in the United States, with the second largest mound in the country (Sauls Mound).
We have deciphered the Pinson Mound Complex to mark the stars of Cassiopeia, an expected result given our previous identification of stars in Alabama below Tennessee as marking the stars of Perseus. Since Cassiopeia is above Perseus this identification was still work, but not exceedingly difficult, since the mounds look like Cassiopeia anyway, even though star identification can be touchy.
We append our decipherment image below, taking note that:
The mounds and earthworks mark stars ca. 1 A.D. between the Celestial Meridian on the left, the Galactic Equator and edge of the Milky Way at the top, the Ecliptic Meridian to the right and the edge of the Milky Way at the bottom. Note that different software programs, sky maps and planispheres mark the edges of the Milky Way differently, some broader, some thinner, but the general pattern is quite obvious. Richard Hinckley Allen in Star Names has noted that Cassiopeia "almost wholly lies in the Milky Way".
Our map diagram of the Pinson Mounds above is based on three map sources:
Greetings to family in Rocky Top! You know who you are!
Happy Birthday Bob!
THIS POSTING IS Posting Number 68 of
The Great Mound, Petroglyph and Painted Rock Art Journey of Native America
Pinson Mounds in Tennessee -- Largest Middle Woodland Mound Complex in the USA -- Sauls Mound, Ozier Mound, Earthworks -- Mark the Stars of Cassiopeia as a Bird
We have deciphered the Pinson Mound Complex to mark the stars of Cassiopeia, an expected result given our previous identification of stars in Alabama below Tennessee as marking the stars of Perseus. Since Cassiopeia is above Perseus this identification was still work, but not exceedingly difficult, since the mounds look like Cassiopeia anyway, even though star identification can be touchy.
We append our decipherment image below, taking note that:
- The Ozier Mound and quadrant of stars mark Epsilon Cassiopeia (Segin). The ramp to the northeast may mark the Galactic Equator (or) the position of the Celestial Meridian somewhat later than the date we give here.
- Sauls Mound marks Gamma Cassiopeia, which in the modern era is a brighter star than the variable star Alpha Cassiopeia, Schedar, "the breast". Richard Hinckley Allen in Star Names writes that Gamma "was the first star discovered to contain bright lines in its spectrum -- and so is of much interest to astronomers. The spectrum is peculiarly variable, as also is its light."
- the nearby star Delta Cassiopeia (Ruchbah) marks the tailfeathers, and as noted by Richard Hinckley Allen in Star Names "was utilized by Picard in France, in 1669, in determining latitudes during his measure of an arc of the meridian, -- the first use of the telescope for geodetic purposes".
- The circular so-called "Geometric Earthwork" marks Beta Cassiopeia and neighboring stars, whose circular form marks the head of a bird, with Rho Cassiopeia and Sigma Cassiopeia marking the eye and beak of the bird's head respectively. Indeed, at Pinson Mounds the stars of Cassiopeia were represented by earthworks, mounds and wetland edges formed in the shape of a bird with the right wing and tailfeathers marked.
The mounds and earthworks mark stars ca. 1 A.D. between the Celestial Meridian on the left, the Galactic Equator and edge of the Milky Way at the top, the Ecliptic Meridian to the right and the edge of the Milky Way at the bottom. Note that different software programs, sky maps and planispheres mark the edges of the Milky Way differently, some broader, some thinner, but the general pattern is quite obvious. Richard Hinckley Allen in Star Names has noted that Cassiopeia "almost wholly lies in the Milky Way".
The Pinson Mounds as the Stars of Cassiopeia
(in the corresponding lower star map below from Starry Night Pro,
to which we have added the thick colored lines, circles and figures,
the Milky Way is colored in a blue-purple color)
(in the corresponding lower star map below from Starry Night Pro,
to which we have added the thick colored lines, circles and figures,
the Milky Way is colored in a blue-purple color)
Our map diagram of the Pinson Mounds above is based on three map sources:
- William N. Morgan, Precolumbian Architecture in Eastern North America, Ripley P. Bullen Series, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida Press, Gainesville, FL, 1999, http://www.upf.com/, and
- Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park
- Tennessee History for Kids, which has a virtual tour
"Pinson Mounds is a national historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Looks like a great place to visit!
In the 1950s and 1960s, local citizens, believing in the value of the site, convinced the state to purchase the land and preserve it as a park. Pinson Mounds officially became a Tennessee State Park in 1974. To this day, the park contains the largest Native American Middle Woodland Period mound group in the United States.
The Pinson Mounds museum is designed to replicate a Native American mound. The building includes 4,500 square feet of exhibit space, an archaeological library, an 80-seat theater and 'Discovery Room' for historical exploration, park offices and the West Tennessee Regional Archaeology Office."
Greetings to family in Rocky Top! You know who you are!
Happy Birthday Bob!
THIS POSTING IS Posting Number 68 of
The Great Mound, Petroglyph and Painted Rock Art Journey of Native America
Pinson Mounds in Tennessee -- Largest Middle Woodland Mound Complex in the USA -- Sauls Mound, Ozier Mound, Earthworks -- Mark the Stars of Cassiopeia as a Bird
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