380 ANNUAL KEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1934 



Parrish, who kindly consented to the work of excavation. As in 

 the case of mound no. 1, the situation is on a high sand flat covered 

 with a growth of short-leaf pines, ground oaks, and rosemary bushes. 

 The circular mound measured 63 feet along the north-south axis 

 and 65 feet along the east-west axis, with a height of approximately 6 

 feet. The highest section of the mound was toward the north, so 

 that the north side sloped more steeply than the other sides. 



This mound proved exceptionally interesting, as it contained the 

 lower portions of the walls of what had evidently once been a mor- 

 tuary temple (pi. 3, fig. 1). The posts comprising the supports were 

 from 5 to 10 inches in diameter and owed their partial preservation 

 to the fact that they had been intentionally charred before being 

 planted in the sand (pi. 3, fig 1). The charcoal shell of each post 

 remained. The posts were planted 4 to 4i/^ feet deep and set about 

 5 inches apart. Since the posts followed the contour of the mound, 

 they indicated that the mound had been completed before the 

 structure was erected. The bottoms of some of the posts were 

 pointed, and others had been squared off. The plan was in the shape 

 of a trapezium, the sides averaging slightly more than 25 feet in 

 length. The southeast corner of the structure had been reinforced 

 with an extra row of posts placed between and just inside of the 

 primary posts. This reinforced angle extended 7 feet on one side 

 and 6 feet on the other. Within was a thick deposit of charcoal, 

 ashes, and burned human bone. Inside the enclosure were found 32 

 secondary cremated burials and 2 uncremated burials of small chil- 

 dren. These bodies had apparently been cremated in the reinforced 

 angle of the structure and the remains buried while still hot in the 

 sand floor of the building. In the center of the floor was a large, 

 deep charcoal pit containing numerous burials and most of the burnt 

 offerings that were recovered. Outside the walls of the structure 

 were 6 secondary and 2 direct cremations. In the case of the latter, 

 pits had been dug and small wood placed on the bottom of the 

 graves. The body in each case had then been placed on the back with 

 the head to the south, the knees slightly flexed. The body was then 

 covered with logs and sticks placed lengthwise in the grave and fired. 

 When the pyre had been reduced to glowing embers, the graves had 

 been filled in, as the logs, completely reduced to charcoal, were all 

 in place. 



Pottery was not abundant. A very interesting owl-effigy water 

 bottle of a familiar lower Mississippi type was taken from the cen- 

 tral part of the mound during a previous excavation. One fragmen- 

 tary muck ware cooking bowl, fiber-tempered, with an incised inter- 

 locking spiral design, was found, and also a few scattered fragments 

 of undecorated ware. One small shell hoe and three conch-shell bowls 



