EAirniWOKKS AT FOliT ANCIENT, OHIO. o'6l 



as at I). The throe parallel loads ^1, near tlui southwest end of the 

 fortilication appear to have been designed for persons to stand on and 

 anuoy those who were passing uj) and down the liver. The Indians, 

 as 1 have been inlbrnied, made this use of these roads in their war with 

 each other and with ihe whites. 



Whether these works all belong to the same era and the same people 

 I can not say, though the general oi)inion is that they do. The two 

 parallel roads outside the fortificatious running liom two mouiuls north- 

 west are very similar to modern turn])ikes, and are made to suit the 

 nature of the soil and make of the ground. 



If the roads were for foot-races, the goals from which the pedestrians 

 started or around which they ran and the area which these X)arallel w\alls 

 inclose, smoothed by art, might have been the place where games were 

 celebrated. 



As another proof of the great antiquity of these formations, we would 

 call attention to the fact that the depth of the soil is the same on the 

 mounds as it is 20 rods distant. This is one of the strongest evidences 

 of the age of the remains. These works are located in a populous dis- 

 trict and are very accessible, being almost within a stone's-throw of the 

 station on the Little Miami IJailroad. They have been less obscured 

 b3' cultivation and occupancy than most works of this class. 



A thorough and systematic exploratiou of these works is, however, a 

 desideratum, llecent examinations go to show that such explorations 

 would be rewarded by discoveries which would give to theories of origin 

 and use a much better foundation than they have hitherto had. 



Note. — On earth-works at Fort Ancient. The enduring parapet still 

 tracing the brink of the precipice presents only a broken outline of 

 ruined strength. The location of this work in its details proves it to 

 have been one of the most perfect in the world. An immense tree which 

 grew- upon the parapet fell where it grew ; the rings which indicated its 

 growth were counted some years ago, and showed it to be five hundred 

 years old. It is about 230 feet above the level of the river (Little 

 Miami). 



H. Mis. 170 22 



