182 ANCIENT MONUMENTS. 



these mounds is placed. After the fall of the leaves in autumn, it is a conspicuous 

 object I'rom every work laid do«n on the Map of a section of twelve miles of the 

 Scioto valley, to which such frequent reference has been made, as well as from other 

 works not exhibited in the map. It is indicated by the figure 5 in this map. A 

 fire built upon it would be distinctly visible for fifteen or twenty miles up, and an 

 equal distance down the valley, (including in its range the Circleville works, 

 twenty miles distant,) as also for a long way up the broad valleys of the two 

 Paint creeks, — both of which abound in remains, and seem to have been especial 

 favorites with the mound-builders. In the Map of six miles of the Miami valley, 

 (Plate III,) a similar feature will be observed. Upon a hill three hundred feet in 

 height, overlooking the Colerain work, and conunanding an extensive view of the 

 valley, are placed two mounds, which exhibit — in connection with other circum- 

 stances not entirely consistent with the conclusion that they were simple signal- 

 stations — strong marks of fire on and around them. Similar mounds occur, at 

 intervals, along the Wabash and Illinois rivers, as also on the Upper Mississippi, the 

 Ohio, the Mianiis, and the Scioto. On the high hills overlooking the Portsmouth 

 and' Marietta works, (Plates XXVI and XXVII,) mounds of stone are situated; 

 those at the former place exhibit evident marks of fire. On the heights around the 

 works at Grave creek in Virginia, similar features have been observed.* A trip of 

 exploration, made with special reference to this and kindred points, disclosed the 

 fact that, between the mouths of the Scioto and Guyandotte rivers, the hills upon 

 both sides of the Ohio, for the entire distance, were studded with mounds. Many 

 of them, however, occurred in groups, their bases joining, and were placed so far 

 back from the brow of the hills as to be entirely invisible from the valley, — facts 

 wholly opposed to the hypothesis which ascribes a common purpose to all of the 

 hill-mounds. Indeed, for the distance above specified, these mounds, though less 

 in size, seemed (piite as numerous as those in the valley ; in which, besides mounds 

 and a few small circles, no works of magnitude were discovered, — another fact 

 which may not be without its importance in this connection. 



Some of the hill-mounds bordering on the Ohio have been opened by explorers, 

 and found to contain human remains, but whether of an ancient or modern date, 

 it is difficult, from the imperfect nature of the accounts, to determine. The 

 remarkable mound already mentioned, situated on the high hill near Chillicothe, 

 was opened some twelve or fifteen years ago ; and, it is said, human remains and a 

 variety of relics were discovered in it. Although the investigation of this class of 

 mounds has, from a varictj' of causes, been comparatively limited, yet enough has 

 been ascertained concerning them, to justify the belief that a large proportion 

 contain human remains, undoubtedly those of the mound-builders. And, although 

 traces of fire are to be observed around very many, the marks are not suffi- 

 ciently strong to sustain the inference that all were look-outs, and that fires were 

 kindled upon them as signals. It is not impossible that a portion were devoted to 

 sepulture, another portion to observation, and that some answered a double purpose. 



* Transactions of ihe American Ethnological Socioty, vol. i. p. 4t)9. 



