332 NORTH AMERICAN ARCHEOLOGY. 



an intelligent Indian cliief, wlio " interpreted it as tlie record of an Indian triumph 

 over some rival native tribe," but without, we believe, offering any opinion as to 

 its antiquity. 



In the "Grave Creek Mound" was found a small oval disk of white sandstone, 

 on which were engraved twenty-two letters. Mr. Schoolcraft, who has especially 

 studied this relic, finally concludes, after corresponding with many American 

 and European archaeologists, according to Dr. Wilson, that of these twenty 

 letters, four corresponded with ancient Greek,* four with the Etruscan, five with 

 the old Northern Runes, six with the ancient Gaelic, seven with the old Erse, 

 ten with the Phoenician, fourteen with the Anglo-Saxon, and sixteen with the 

 Celtiberic; besides which possibly equivalents may be found in the old Hebrew. 

 "It thus appears that this ingenious little stone is even more accommodating 

 than the Dighton Rock in adapting itself to all conceivable theories of ante- 

 columbian colonization." A stone of such doubtful character could prove little 

 under any circumstances ; but it must also be mentioned that " Dr. James W. 

 Clemens communicated to Dr. Morton all the details of the exploration of the 

 Grave Creek Mound ; * * * without any reference to the discovery of the 

 inscribed stone. Nor was it till the excavated vault had been fitted up by its 

 proprietor for exhibition, to all who cared to pay for the privilege of admission, 

 that the marvellous inscription opportunely came to light to add to the attrac- 

 tions of the show." 



One or two other equally doubtful cases are upon record ; but upon the whole 

 we may safely assert that there is no reason to suppose that the nations of 

 America had developed for themselves anything corresponding to an alphabet. 

 The picture-writing of the Aztecs and the Quipa of the Peruvians was replaced 

 among the North American Indians by the " wampum." This curious substi- 

 tute for writing consisted of variously-colored beads generally worked upon 

 leather. One very interesting example is the belt of wampum " delivered by 

 the Lenni Lenape Sachems to the founder of Pennsylvania, at the great treaty, 

 under the elm-tree at Shachamox in 1682." It is still preserved in the collec- 

 tion of the Historical Society at Philadelphia, and consists of "eighteen strings 

 of wampum, formed of white and violet beads worked upon leather thongs," 

 the whole forming a belt twenty-eight inches long and two and a half broad. 

 " On this five patterns are Avorked in violet beads on a white ground, and in the 

 centre Penn is represented taking the hand of the Indian Sachem." The large 

 number of beads found in the tumuli were, perhaps, in a similar manner intended 

 to commemorate the actions and virtues of the dead. 



THE MOUND-BUILDERS. 



Just as the wigwam of the recent Mandan consisted of an outer layer of 

 earth supported on a wooden framework, so also, in the ancient sepulchral tumuli, 

 the body was protected only by beams and planks, so that when these latter 

 decayed, the earth sank in and crushed the skeleton within. Partly from this 

 cause, and partly from the habit of burying in ancient tumuli, which makes it 

 sometimes difiicult to distinguish the primary from secondary interments, it hap- 

 pens that from so many thousand tumuli we have only three skulls which indis- 

 putably belong to the ancient race. These are decidedly brachycephalic ; but 

 it is evident that we must not attempt to build much upon so slight a basis. 



No proof of a knowledge of letters, no trace of a burnt brick have yet been 

 discovered, and, so far as we may judge from their arms, ornaments, and pottery, 

 the mound-builders closely resembled some at least of the recent Indian tribes ; 

 and the earthworks resemble in form, if they diifer in magnitude from those still, 

 or until lately, in use. Yet this very magnitude is sufficient to show that, at 

 some early period, the great river valleys of the United States must have been 



* Vol. ii, p. 180. 



