THE ART OF THE GREAT EARTHWORK BUILDERS OF 



OHIO.^ 



By Chaeles C. Willoughby. 



[With 13 plates.] 



One of our most interesting as well as least understood archeo- 

 logical culture groups is that which attained its greatest develop- 

 ment in southern Ohio, and whose outposts extended into some of 

 the neighboring States. This group of people had attained a high 

 degree of native culture and had become wealthy and powerful ac- 

 cording to native standards. They had mastered certain simple geo- 

 metrical problems, which were apparently unlaiown to their neigh- 

 bors; they had learned the principle of the lathe, and made the 

 first cutting tools of iron so far ioiown in America. It seems that 

 nearly all of the greater earthworks of southern Ohio were built by 

 them, but some of the smaller mounds, inclosures, and burial places 

 should doubtless be attributed to other tribes. 



The great earthworks under consideration are unquestionably pre- 

 historic and apparently antedate the occupancy of this region by 

 any Imown tribe. They consist mainly of round, square, and octag- 

 onal inclosures, protected ways, burial mounds, and a few domi- 

 ciliary and eflSgy mounds. No object of European origin has been 

 found with any of the original burials in these mounds. Intrusive 

 burials of the later Indians are, of course, occasionally encountered, 

 but these must not be confused with original interments. Most of 

 the artifacts, illustrated in this paper, were taken from mounds 

 containing skeletons and clay altars or places of sacrifice. The ex- 

 plorations were conducted under the general direction of the late 

 Prof. F. W. Putnam, by Dr. Metz, Mr. Moorehead, and others. The 

 specimens from the Turner and Liberty groups are in the Peabody 

 Museum of Harvard University, and those from the Hopewell group 

 are in the Field Museum at Chicago. 



The skeletons and altars for the greater part were found near the 

 base line of the mounds. The altars are usually heaps of clay, 

 raised 1 foot or more in the center and have sides sloping out- 



1 Reprinted by permission from Holmes's Anniversary Volume, pp. 469-480, Wasliing- 

 ton, 1916. 



489 



