DYNAMIC FLOOD REGIMES AND SITE DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS AT THE FOOT OF THE SMOKIES: AN INTEGRATED GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE LITTLE RIVER FLOODPLAIN, EAST TENNESSEE

Archaeological investigations within a complex alluvial system along the western margin of the Great Smoky Mountains have identified numerous archaeological sites ranging in age from Early Archaic to Mississippian. The sites are distributed across a broad floodplain at the confluence of Ellejoy Creek and the Little River, Blount County, Tennessee. This paper presents the results of recent geoarchaeological research that combines a broad-scale landscape analysis with stratigraphic data from profiles and deep sediment cores to better understand the relationship between Holocene floodplain development and archaeological site distribution. This study highlights the benefits of an integrated geomorphological and archaeological approach and offers new insight into human-environmental interactions, site preservation, and landscape evolution in the intermountain Southeastern United States.