606 MOUND EXPLORATIONS. 



less have sufiSced with them to pUice a luouud in this category. Even 

 the character of the sacrifices is supposed to be clearly indicated, as 

 they remark that — 



The inference that human sacrifices were made here aud the remains afterwards 

 thus collected and deposited, or that a system of burial of this extraordinary char- 

 acter was practiced in certain cases, seems to follow legitimately from the facts and 

 circumstances here presented.' 



According to Short, " Prof. E. B. Andrews has shown that the sup- 

 posed uniformity of stratification in altar mounds is a fallacy. In many 

 instances the earth has been dumped together indiscriminately."^ 

 The Bureau explorations also tend to throw doubt upon the theory of 

 the authors of "Ancient Monuments" in tliis respect, aud also on the 

 supposition that " altar mounds" are never used for burial purposes. 



Although there will be occasion hereafter to allude to this subject, 

 it will not be amiss to notice here some reasons for protesting against 

 the use of terms implying sacrifice. 



It is evident that the use of the terms " sacred Jinclosures " and "sac- 

 rificial mounds " by Messrs Squier and Davis hinges upon the object aud 

 use of the so-called " altars." If they are in error in this respect their 

 whole theory falls to the ground and the use of these terms is unwar- 

 ranted and misleading. 



If these altars were used for sacrificial purposes in a religious sense, 

 or in any true sense of the term, as tliese authors evidently imply, and, 

 moreover, for human sacrifice, it is remarkable that so many of them 

 (some ten or twelve) should be found in the single inclosure denomi- 

 nated " Mound city;" that a single village should have nearly a dozen 

 different places of oiferiug sacrifices. It is very strange that true sacri- 

 ficial altars used by the same peojile, by the inhabitants of a single 

 village, shoidd have varied so greatly that while some were circular 

 and some elliptical, others were squares or parallelogTams ; some but 

 li feet across, while others were 50 feet or more in length, by 12 to 1.5 

 in breadth. A basin-shaped mass of clay 45 or 50 feet long, 12 feet 

 wide, and not more than 18 inches high, with broad, sloping margins, 

 would be an unusual altar. 



Passing by these serious objections, let us examine the evidence upon 

 which Messrs. Squier aud Davis base their conclusions respecting these 

 structures. It appears that they examined some forty or fifty of tliese 

 altar-containing tumuli: their statement is, " of one hundred mounds 

 examined, sixty were altar or temple mounds." ^ Allowing ten of this 

 number for temple mounds, the number belonging to the other class 

 would be fifty. Of these, they describe and figure as types ten or 

 eleven, seven of which were on the restricted and inclosed area of 13 

 acres, designated " Mound city." 



The altar basin of one was filled to the brim with fine dry ashes, 

 intermixed with which were some fragments of ornamented pottcy 



' Anc. Mod., p. 15ft. *Xortb Americans of AntirniUy. i>. Ki. note. ^ Anc. Mon., p. 142. 



