j^O 10 NEBRASKA ARCHEOLOGY— STRONG 121 



were two partially broken triangles of thin shell with holes bored in 

 the upper two corners. Several of these small shell gorgets were 

 found here earlier by both Mr. Hill and Mr. Brooking. Only one 

 other artifact was found in our entire excavation. This was a broken 

 and calcined object of worked bone, probably the head of an awl 

 (pi 6 fio- I /). The well-rounded knob or head of this artifact is dif- 

 ferent from any other bone implement so far noted in Nebraska. 

 The abundant shell beads, the one broken shell gorget, and this bone 

 artifact are to the best of my knowledge the only artifact types so 

 far recovered from this ossuary. 



Since the disk beads from this site were identical with the much 

 less numerous disk beads from the Graham ossuary we had rather 

 expected to find similar pottery, although A. T. Hill warned us there 

 was none The latter even offered the boys $5 for the first potsherd 

 but no one was able to claim the reward. Not only was pottery ab- 

 sent but there was no trace of stone work, nor, aside from the one 

 broken artifact, no bone work. It was truly a " shell bead burial " and 

 therefore different from the Graham ossuary both in content and 

 structure. 



CONCLUSIONS REGARDING MARSHALL OSSUARY 



Although the extent of the earlier digging for specimens at the 

 Marshall site precludes positive determinations as to original extent 

 and exact nature, certain conclusions may be drawn with reasonable 

 accuracy. There appear to have been a considerable number of small 

 pits sunk in an area at the end of the point approximately 30 feet 

 in diameter. In this regard it may be noted that excavation 2 (fig. 1 1 ) 

 was in undisturbed soil and beyond the limits of the burial ground. 

 The ossuary pits, to judge from those revealed by our excavations, 

 were from 3 to 4 feet in diameter and 5 to 6 feet deep. In these the 

 previously exposed human remains were deposited with liberal of- 

 ferings of shell beads. That different pits were dug at different times 

 is suggested by the absence of a uniform bottom level and by the mixed 

 soil between the upper portions of certain pits. The latter might easily 

 have resulted from digging a new pit alongside a former one, thus 

 accounting for the mixture in the upper levels. That individual pits 

 were intended is clearly indicated by their definite round outline and 

 concave bottom, as well as by the concentration of bones and artifacts 

 in the lower levels (pi. 10, figs. 3, 5; %«. 11, 12). Although it is 

 apparent that parts of numerous individuals were included m each pit. 

 it is uncertain how many individuals were represented either m the 



