Pinson Mounds is a stunning complex of Middle Woodland mounds and earthworks that tower above the western Tennessee landscape, 10 miles south of Jackson. Around A.D. 100, Pinson Mounds was a pilgrimage center that drew visitors from many miles away. Non-local ceramics are found in virtually every excavation, and their sources represent a large part of the Southeast. Today there are at least 30 mounds, geometric earthworks, and short-term occupation areas, all within a 400-acre site.
Robert Mainfort of the University of Arkansas has been studying Pinson Mounds since 1976 when he went to work for the Tennessee Division of Archaeology. This is the first comprehensive study of one of the largest and most complex sites in the South and a must for everyone with an interest in the archaeology of the region. Pinson Mounds is a Tennessee State Park with an informative site museum.