StARR — SUMMARY OP THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF IOWA. 57 



Allamakee County — Continued. 



The circular embankment is composed chiefly of yellow-brown 

 clay; this is covered with drifting sand and an accumulation of 

 bones, river-shells, stone chips, potsherds, dirt, etc. A trench 

 across it showed in section about i foot of sand, then from i to 

 2 feet of refuse matter, then the embankment proper 2 feet in 

 height. Nearly all the implements found were of stone and very 

 rude, little more than flakes with one sharp edge; a few arrow- 

 and spear-points were found. Many charred bones of fish, birds, 



rabbit, fox, bear, wolf, elk, and deer occur in the refuse. 



Alexander ^ describes the same enclosure, and mentions from the 

 locality a pottery vessel with ornamental markings. This meas- 

 ured at mouth, 14 inches in diameter; at widest, 26 inches. It 

 had handles at each side. He also mentions two specimens of 

 copper, one a thin strip 2 inches long and ^ inch wide, and the 

 other a triangle i inch wide at base and i)4 inch along the side, 



with centre and base perforated. Thomas '^9 thinks the 



enclosure represents two stages of occupation: {a) as a palisaded 



fort, (Jy) as a village site. Both Thomas and Alexander 



describe other structures in the group — squarish enclosures to the 

 south and south-west of the great circle, and many mounds. Of 

 the latter Alexander speaks of eighty-three, Thomas says over 

 one hundred, and appears to recognize an arrangement in six 

 nearly parallel lines running north-east and south-west. The 

 former author states that they continue to be found along the 

 river to about twenty miles above New Albin. Thomas ^73 de- 

 scribes the mounds as being mostly circular, from 15 to 40 feet in 

 diameter and from 2 to 6 feet high; a few are oblong, from 50 to 



100 feet in greatest diameter. Certain barren spots on the 



plateau proved to be burial places, among which were scattered 

 stone chips, shells, charcoal, and ashes. They were seldom more 

 than 18 inches deep, and on excavation show a compact layer of 

 hard, light-colored earth, perhaps mixed ashes and clay, subjected 

 to action of fire. These were covered with sand from the butte. 



In section, the mounds themselves show, first a layer of 



soil, then the hard, light-colored layer, then the skeletons. Bones 

 were numerous, both in the barren places and in the mounds, 

 sometimes mingled with charcoal and ashes, but usually as hori- 

 zontal skeletons at a depth of from i to 3 feet. The long mound, 



