570 ' ■ MOUND EXPLORATIONS. * 



largely on uiemory and second-hand statements and hence" do not have 

 that stamp of accuracy and authenticity desirable. For example, a large 

 stone mound, wliicli foinierly stood a short distance from Newark, is 

 described' as circular in form, 182 feet iu diameter and some 40 or 50. 

 feet high, composed of stones. These, when removed, were found to 

 cover soiiTe flfteeu or sixteen small earth mounds. In one of these were 

 human bones and river shells; in another was a layer of hard, white, 

 fire clay, andji or 3 feet below this was a wooden trough covered with a 

 layer of small logs, in which was a skeleton tliat appeared to h<ave been 

 wrapped in some kind of coarse cloth: ' With it were fifteen copper rings 

 and a breastidate (gorget) of the same, metal. The clay above jt being 

 injpervious to water, the wood and bones were well preserved. The 

 wood bore whqt appeared to be the marks of some hard, metallic 

 tool. Another of these earth tumuli contained a large number of human 

 bones. . ■ 



^A mound near Madisonville opened oii behalf of the Peabody Museum 

 was found to cover a stone heap 5 feet high and 90 feet in diameter. 

 In this the remains of 71 skeletons were found. " Iu addition to the 

 outer stones of the mound, each body had been surrounded with stones* 

 at the time of burial," some set on edges^ others simply piled around 

 the bodies. 'A small mound in the- Kanawha valley, covei'ed with a 

 layer of stones, was found to be composed of stoues and clay mixed. 

 ■ In the center was a single skeleton in a cist formed of stone slabs. 

 Simple stone cairns, some of which cover human remains, and others 

 that show no inrlications of having been used for burial purposes, 

 although not common, are found at various ]I()ints in this district. 



A singular variety of stone mounds, though not generally used for 

 burial purposes, has been observed in Kanawha valley. These are 

 usually sharply conical, built uji generally by placing layer after layer 

 of stones shingle fashion around a central space, so that when complete 

 a well-like hole is left in ttie center. In a few instances two of these 

 holes are found in one mound. . " 



Of the tumuli suiiposed to have been erected for other than burial ' 

 pui-poses tlle*most noted are those whicli Messrs. Squier and Davis 

 have designated "sacrificial mounds," but are' more commonly known 

 at the' present time as "alfar. mounds." They are usually compara- 

 tively large in size and conical in form, ofteii having a top layer of gravel 

 and pebbles. At the "bottom, on the original surface of the ground, is 

 usually a regularly shaped hiass of burned clay, with a basin- like depres- 

 sion in the middle, to which the authors above named have applied the 

 term "altar,^ supposing it to have been used as a place to oft'er up pro- 

 pitiatory sacrifices, 'j^his mass of clay is circular, square, or oblong in 

 form, varying iu diameter or length from 4 or 5 to 50 feet and in height 

 from 1 to 2 feet. Tlie basin-shaped depression in the toj) is'always circu- 



' Sraithson. Repv, 1866, p. 350. 



