David G. AndersonIF YOU GO* What: Friends of Moccasin Bend Lecture Series* Who: David G. Anderson, archaeologist and professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville* When: 7 p.m. today* Where: Tennessee Aquarium auditorium* Cost: Free
David G. Anderson, an archaeologist and professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, is the speaker for today's final lecture in this year's Moccasin Bend Lecture Series.
Anderson, 63, has a particular interest in exploring the development of cultural complexity in eastern North America and the impact of climate change on human societies. He is founding director of the online Paleoindian Database of the Americas.
Anderson said he will tell Chattanoogans about the many new developments in archaeology that may have meaning for Moccasin Bend and other sites in the Southeast.
"Indian mounds were not covered with green grass as has been previously thought," he said. "They were covered with soil deposits."
He said archaeologists also now believe mound building came to the region 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, rather than the 3,000 years previously thought.
Shelley Andrews, spokeswoman for the Friends of the Moccasin Bend National Park, said Anderson is one of the country's most highly respected archaeologists specializing in the Southeastern region. He is a consulting expert for the Bend's park design and for educational plans being developed by the National Park Service.
"His expertise and advice will be essential parts of the visitor experience in the future Moccasin Bend interpretive center," Andrews said.
Anderson's work is documented in some 400 publications and meeting papers, including some 60 books and technical monographs.
He has served as president of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference and received its C.B. Moore Award for Excellence in Southeastern Archaeology.
The lecture series was established in 2006 and is sponsored by Greg A. Vital, president of Independent Healthcare Properties.