THOMAS. } STONE GRAVES IN EAST TENNESSEE 79 
those scattered over the “river bottom”—more nicely constructed, however, and fitted 
with more care, being arched over the top, at an acute angle, with pieces of slate 3 
inches thick. Owing to its situation, raised above the level of the river and covered 
with sand to the depth of 6 feet, its contents were better preserved than those of the 
graves just mentioned. At the head of it I took out a vessel of fine red clay and pul- 
verized mussel shells a foot in diameter, gourd-shaped, and having a handle and spout 
6 inches long, and holding about a quart. It was preserved nearly whole. Artificial 
fire had been kindled in the tomb, but it had been smothered by the throwing in of sand 
before all the contents were consumed. Besides some entire bones of the human skel- 
eton, flint arrow-heads and a large number of flint and stone beads were removed. 
The beads could be traced along the lines of the legs and arms, as if they had been at- 
tached to the garment in which the dead was buried. Further excavations disclosed 
two more of these stone sepulchers, the first 3 feet below the one described, the other 
2 feet from it, in the same plane. They contained only fragments of bones, charcoal, 
and ashes. 
The mound, which was conical in shape, must have been 15 feet high and 50 feet 
in diameter. Successive floods had impaired its original dimensions. The last car- 
ried away a section on the west side, exposing a tomb and some valuable relics, which 
have not been preserved. Among them were large shells, pyrulas, probably, judging 
from the description, from the Gulf of Mexico. In connection with marine shells, im- 
ages in stone were found in this tomb, The mound was composed of sand-loam taken 
from the bank of the river, and raised upon a foundation of water-washed rocks 4 feet 
high, from the bed of the stream hard by. There had been extensive burnings through- 
out this mound, at various depths, indicated by layers of charcoal, ashes, aud burned 
clay, simply in honor of the dead, or to consume their effects or mortal parts, or for 
human sacrifices to their manes. 
Speaking of stone graves in the immediate vicinity as explanatory of 
those in the mound, he says: 
They are built of slabs of slate, nicely fitted together, about 3 inches thick, 4 feet 
long, and 2 broad, enclosing receptacles not of uniform space, generally 5 feet long, 
4 feet high, and 2 broad, covered with flat pieces, resting upon the upright slabs and 
conforming to the rounded corners of the tomb. 
As one of the principal obiects in view in exploring and studying the 
mounds of our country is to ascertain, if possible, by what people or 
tribes they were built, a brief discussion of the question so far as it re- 
lates to the district now under consideration will be in place. My rea- 
sons for touching upon the topic in this connection, and limiting the dis- 
cussion to the antiquities of the one district, are as follows: 
First. The characteristics of the works of this section are so well 
marked as to leave little, if any, doubt on the mind of any one who will 
study them carefully that they are work of one people, probably of a 
single tribe. 
Second. Because in this instance I think the evidence points with at 
least reasonable certainty te the particular tribe by which they were 
erected. 
Third. Whether our second reason prove to be correct or not, we find 
data here which appear to form connecting links between the prehistoric 
and the historic times, and hence call for some discussion in regard to 
the authors. 
