The six burial mounds and associated
habitation area at the Bynum Site were built between 100 B.C.
and 100 A.D.
Courtesy of Natchez Trace Parkway, National Park Service
Sketch of American Indians
at Bynum Mound and Village Site
Courtesy of Natchez Trace Parkway, National Park
The six burial mounds and associated habitation area at the Bynum
site were built during the Middle Woodland period, between 100
B.C. and 100 A.D. The mounds range in height from five to 14 feet.
Five of them were excavated by the National Park Service in the
late 1940s. The two largest mounds have been restored for public
viewing. Mound A, the southernmost of the two restored mounds,
contained the remains of a woman placed between two parallel burned
oak logs at the mound's base. This individual was buried with
an ornamental copper spool at each wrist. Three additional sets
of human remains were also found, consisting of the cremated traces
of two adults and a child. Mound B, the largest at the site, covered
a log-lined crematory pit. An L-shaped row of 29 polished greenstone
celts (axe heads) and the cremated and unburned remains of several
individuals were located on the ash-covered floor. Other artifacts
found in ceremonial context include copper spools, 19 chert projectile
points imported from Illinois, and a piece of galena (shiny lead
ore). Greenstone, copper, and galena, like the distinctive projectile
points, do not originate in Mississippi. These high-prestige goods,
like those found at the Pharr Mounds, were
imported through long-distance trade networks.
Bynum Mound and Village Site is located on the Natchez Trace
Parkway (milepost 232.4), about 28 miles southwest of Tupelo,
Mississippi. Open to the public daily, free of charge.