The Tipton phase is an

archaeological phase In archaeology, a phase refers to the logical reduction of contexts recorded during excavation to nearly contemporary archaeological horizons that represent a distinct "phase" of previous land use. These often but not always will be a representat ...

in southwestern

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

of the Late

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...

. Other contemporaneous groups in the area include the Parkin phase, Walls phase, Menard phase, and the

Nodena phase The Nodena phase is an archaeological phase in eastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri of the Late Mississippian culture which dates from about 1400–1650 CE. The Nodena phase is known from a collection of villages along the Mississippi Ri ...

. The Tipton phase is the last prehistoric people to inhabit the area before the arrival of Europeans. It is located directly across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

from the people of the Nodena phase and directly north of the Walls phase. During the early 1540s the

Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...

Expedition passed through the area, stopping at many villages in the area. The phase itself is named for

Tipton County, Tennessee Tipton County is a County (United States), county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covingt ...

Notes

Middle Mississippian culture Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Native American history of Tennessee {{NorthAm-native-stub