394 ANNUAL EEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 4 



more polish. An occasional shell-tempered sherd was found. From 

 another 10-foot square below mound level a decided difference was 

 noticeable. Twenty -five percent are painted red; many are undec- 

 orated; decorated sherds are either stamped or incised; 40 percent 

 were shell-tempered. In many cases the shells disintegrated or 

 leached out from the exposed surfaces, leaving a porous or cell-like 

 surface. Strap and loop handles occurred more frequently below 

 the mound, whereas lug and flange handles were found in the mound. 

 The decorative stamp patterns are comparable to types from the 

 Etowah and Nacoochee mounds in northern Georgia. 



Positive conclusions or definite affiliations cannot be stated here. 

 Nevertheless, the following recapitulation may be made : The mound 

 was built primarily for ceremonial rather than for burial purposes 

 as indicated by its several superimposed floors, large stone and 

 wooden structures, and the lack of burials. The potsherds and 

 smoking pipes belong to the general northern Georgia area, exem- 

 plified by Etowah and Nacoochee mounds. At least 2 and perhaps 

 3 culture levels were obvious ; the village site beneath the mound, the 

 mound itself, and the surface of the mound, which revealed contact 

 with Europeans. The first Europeans to visit this site, in the opin- 

 ion of Dr. J. R. Swanton, were De Soto and his army in the year 

 1540. The town at this place is said to have contained 600 wooden 

 houses — probably an exaggeration — and was the capital of a prov- 

 ince where the hungry explorers were given a hearty welcome. One 

 of De Soto's men informed the chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega that 

 " The lord who bore the name of the province left the capital half 

 a league to meet the Spaniards, accompanied by 500 of the 

 principal persons of the country, very gayly dressed after their 

 fashion. His lodge was upon a mound with a terrace round it, 

 where six men could promenade abreast." Even though no artifacts 

 were recovered that could be identified as belonging to these first 

 European explorers, nevertheless Dr. Swanton, who has devoted con- 

 siderable time to the study of De Soto's route, feels satisfied that this 

 is the site of Guasili. 



TENNESSEE 



THE SHILOH MOUND GROUP, HARDIN COUNTY 



The Shiloh site near Pittsburg Landing, is situated on a high bluff 

 above the west bank of the Tennessee River and lies between two 

 deep ravines, through which flow tributary branches of the main 

 stream. Outstanding features consist of 7 large mounds, 6 domicil- 

 iary and 1 burial, and numerous low elevations which mark the 

 places where dwellings once stood. To the west of the area of occu- 

 pation is an embankment, extending across the neck of the bluff from 



