Copper Objects 



129 



that the oxidized iron objects mentioned by early writers upon Ohio 



archasology were of meteoric iron. All this would indicate that there 



was some considerable supply of this metal. Inquiry seems to indicate 



that few fragments of meteoric iron were discovered in southern Ohio 



in recent years. Indeed, one might venture the assertion that there 



was more meteoric iron in the Hopewell group alone than in all these 



recent finds. This seems to be more or less 



significant. Either the fall of meteorites 



was more frequent, or the Hopewell people 



had access to some good-sized meteoric iron 



deposit the location of which is at present 



unknown. Meteoric iron is malleable, but 



not so easily worked as copper. The natives 



must have reduced it to the desired form 



by hammering and grinding. There are in 



the Hopewell collection thirty or forty 



fragments of meteors and iron artifacts. 



These include fragments of plates, hatchets, 



cones, beads, and small chisel-like objects 



about 10 cm in length. While searching the 



ashes and debris from Altar 1, Willoughby 



found a shell bead in the perforation of 



which was a slender meteoric iron drill, 



broken, but identifiable. Nearly a hundred 



iron beads were found in the two altars, 



but most of them were damaged, and it 



was impossible to count accurately. 



Fig. 23 shows Willoughby 's drawings of four of the meteoric iron 

 objects. Three of these are evidently cutting tools inserted in stag- 

 horn handles; a indicates that the chisel-like blade was curved, but it 

 is badly corroded. In b the handle is better preserved, the inner end of 

 the shank being rounded. The back is nearly flat. In c the iron blade 

 is well preserved, and the edge is still sharp enough to cut soft wood. 

 The upper part of the handle has been almost entirely burned away. 

 Plate LXXIV shows five fragments of meteoric iron, which do not seem 

 to have been worked. 



Lumps of galena were found in a number of the mounds, and a few 

 pieces were picked up on the surface in the group. Little or no surface 

 galena is found in the State of Ohio, and geologists have stated that it 

 probably came from farther west, possibly Illinois or Missouri. The 

 Indians seem to have regarded it as valuable and, placed large lumps 



Fig. 2z. 

 Copper Cylinder. 



