The North Americans of Antiquity: Their origin, migrations, and type of civilization considered — John Shaqi
The North Americans of Antiquity: Their origin, migrations, and type of civilization consideredShort, John T. (John Thomas)
History
The North Americans of Antiquity: Their origin, migrations, and type of civilization considered
Short, John T. (John Thomas)
Indians -- Origin; Indians of Mexico -- Antiquities; Indians of North America -- Antiquities
The most recent and satisfactory exploration of mounds in Ohio, was
that conducted by Prof. E. B. Andrews for the Peabody Museum of
American Archæology and Ethnology, and published in the Tenth Annual
Report of the Trustees (Cambridge, 1877). The mounds examined are in
Fairfield, Perry, Athens, and Hocking Counties. In Fairfield County
they were all located upon hills and commanded extensive views. Their
contents indicated great age, being much decayed. At New Lexington in
Perry County, ancient flint diggings, unquestionably worked by the
Mound-builders, were examined, many of the pits being six to eight feet
deep. In Athens County, on Wolf Plain, situated in Athens and Dover
Townships, several circles and nineteen conical mounds are found. One
of the latter measures forty feet high, with a diameter of 170 feet,
and contains 437.742 cubic feet. Another, known as the Beard Mound, was
excavated, and the interesting fact discovered that in its construction
the dirt had been “thrown down in small quantities—averaging about a
peck—as if from a basket.” Prof. Andrews is of the opinion that the
mound was a long time in building, “for we find,” he remarks, “at
many different levels, the proof that grasses and other vegetation
grew rankly upon the earth heap and were buried by the dirt.” In a
neighboring mound known as the George Connett Mound, under a bed of
charcoal five feet below the summit, a skeleton was found in a box or
coffin, enclosed by timbers. The upper part of the coffin and middle of
the body had been destroyed by fire. A circle of five hundred copper
beads was found around the body. A copper instrument resembling a
calker’s chisel, measuring 141 mm. in length, width at flattened end,
52 mm., diameter of cylindrical part, 20 mm. The instrument was formed
from sheet copper, beaten with such care that no traces of the hammer
are visible. “The edges are brought together and united very closely
by a slight overlap.” Professor Andrews describes and figures a piece
of leather ornamented with oval copper beads taken from a point eight
feet below the surface of a mound designated as the “school-house
mound.” The original piece measured eight or ten inches square, but
unfortunately fell into the hands of bystanders, who tore it in pieces
for relics. The Professor regards the curiosity as of Mound-builder
origin, and thinks it belonged to an ornamented dress. We cannot
detail these interesting explorations here, and must dismiss them with
the deduction that in certain cases the cremation of the bodies found
in mounds was accidental, caused by the heat penetrating through a
layer of earth on which a fire had been kindled. In other instances,
the body seems to have been burned intentionally, and the ashes and
charred bones heaped together in the centre of the mound. Some clay and
stone tubes of fine workmanship were obtained. The same document above
cited contains a valuable paper by Mr. Lucian Carr on his interesting
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account