298 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BuLu. 185 
by dark soil mixed with limestone rocks, burned human bone, and charcoal. 
The shell is trapezoidal and does not appear to have been as finely worked as 
the other pendant. A hole, 4.5 mm. in diameter, has been drilled through the 
shell 4 mm. below the top and slightly off toward one side. The pendant is 129 
mm. long, 123 mm. wide at the bottom, and 41 mm. wide at the top (pl 57, d). 
There is no indication of purposeful incising on the surfaces of either specimen. 
HUMAN REMAINS 
The human remains from the Russell Mound consisted of 11 identifiable speci- 
mens (identifications by William M. Bass III, River Basin Surveys, Smith- 
sonian Institution). Number 71, a human metatarsal, is the only specimen 
that shows an anomaly. Pathological conditions were not detected in any of 
the bones. The catalog numbers and identifications of the specimens are given 
below : 
Catalog No. Identification and comments 
1 Meee es 2 eae Human, tooth, upper right first or second molar. Wear indi- 
cates age of at least 15 years plus. 
Ae Se Human, left clavical. Female?, young adult. 
ES) Ae fe ES as oe Human, metacarpal, second right. Adult. 
Fy pare ote ee Human, fibula, right, distal end. Male? 
Gaeta Sees Human, metatarsal, second right. Adult. 
Gi ee Human, tooth, lower right first or second molar. Wear indi- 
eates age of at least 12 years plus. 
(oS ube rag v he ah ate Human, vertebra, 11th thoracic. Arthritic lipping indicates an 
age of at least 40 years plus. 
(al a eee nce Human, metatarsal, third right. Adult with an abnormal prom- 
inence on the proximal end. 
(ie oh ES ee Human, rib, right, possibly 4 through 7. Young? 
80) ae ae eee Human, tooth, lower left first or second molar. Wear indicates 
an old adult. 
Sil eee ro re Human, section of mandible, left side. That portion of the jaw 
including and behind the third molar. Fragment of root of 
third molar in place. The condyle and about half of the as- 
cending ramus are missing. 
The only other bone specimen in the site has been described as ‘the cannon 
bone of a fawn.” 
SUMMARY 
The Russell Mound is a low, circular, natural rise into which an 
irregular shaped pit was dug. Human remains from at least three 
individuals were deposited in the pit. Cultural material such as flint 
chips, pottery sherds, and shell pendants accompanied the burials, 
although positive association cannot be demonstrated in all instances. 
A fire of some intensity was built near the top of the pit, subsequently 
burning and charring some of the human bone. Since the bone was 
scattered over a rather wide area, and the placement of the fire was 
very restricted, evidence of cremation is not conclusive. An alterna- 
tive possibility may be that all the human bone was thrown into the 
fire and then purposely scattered, completely or partially destroying 
some of the bones and barely affecting the others. Ultimately, lime- 
stone slabs, gathered from the nearby outcrops, were deposited over 
the entire structure. 
