Tennessee Council for Professional Archaeology

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Tennessee’s Unique Archaeological Heritage Spans More than 14,000 Years

The First Americans arrived in what would become Tennessee by approximately 12,500 BC, during the end of the last ice age. Over the next 14,000 years, Tennesseans left behind a legacy of some 25,000 recorded archaeological sites including everything from prehistoric quarry locations, Native American mound sites, and Civil War battlefields to historic cemeteries and early 20th century schools.

The Tennessee Council for Professional Archaeology (TCPA) is a non-profit mutual benefit corporation organized in 1992 to facilitate, assist, and advocate for professionalism in the field of archaeology in the state of Tennessee, and to promote archaeological awareness and stewardship of our past. We are the only statewide archaeological interest organization in Tennessee, and our membership is open to anyone –  whether professional archaeologists or interested members of the public – who supports the purposes of the Council and has an abiding interest in Tennessee’s archaeological heritage.

We welcome you to our web page, and invite you to learn more about our organization and Tennessee’s unique archaeological legacy. We also encourage you to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages as well. Thanks for stopping by!