TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 193 



Tlie author next proceeded to show that his observations on this point also 

 explained the only anibig'iiity in the case of the great American serpent mound at 

 Ohio, which he also argued is surmounted by the solar orb, thereby agreeing with 

 the Egyptian, Phoenician, and, as he claims, British representations also. 



He then illustrated his subject by a great many examples of customs in the 

 mode of constructing this class of monuments common to several countries, espe- 

 cially modes of excavation, carving into form, and erection, •which he found agreed 

 in each case in Egypt, America, and Britain ; and from these he argued a common 

 origin, custom, and migration. He quoted Mr. Fergusson to show that the theory 

 he advanced was the mo.st probable course by which America could have been 

 visited by the mound-builders of the east of Europe^ and who might also with 

 equal reason have spread to Britain. 



He then quoted a number of authorities to show that the words OB, meaning ser- 

 pent, and ON, meaning sun, represented the sun and serpent deity commonly wor- 

 shipped in Egypt and Phoenicia; that the same word, with the addition of the letter 

 I, is found in Africa : OBION and OBONI both represented serpent and solar deities 

 which were worshipped by some tribes in a visible and sensual manner and by 

 some in a spiritual sense. He showed how rare places with these component 

 names are — one only in Europe (Britain excepted), four or five in Asia, where the 

 worship of the sun and serpent still continues, those already quoted in Africa, and 

 one only in America directly*; but he proceeded to show that some of the Ame- 

 rican names in the districts of the ancient mounds assimilated very nearly to these, 

 making- allowances for no gi-eater variation than had taken place in the form of 

 names in their- transmission from Greece to Rome, and concluded his argument by 

 claiming for Oban (the town near where the Argyllshire mound is) the name of the 

 place of the servient and solar deity, AB-ON or OB- AN, which he quoted autho- 

 rities to show were used indifferently, as EBOE and OBOE are in Africa having 

 that meaning — pointing out also that the Israelites called their first encampment, 

 after the making- of the brazen serpent, OBOTH. 



Eeference was made to some Egyptian representations of taking human life by 

 official power as shown in the illustrations, in which the solar serpent deity or Urseus 

 figures as an authority for the act ; and the author stated that since his discovery of 

 the mound a Gaelic tradition had been put before him, which the natives state be- 

 longs to this mound in p.irticular, andwhich identifies it as a place of public execution 

 in the early British or Druidical times. The Hindu mythology records a similar 

 serpent mound produced bj' Krishna ; but in this case the serpent was said to be 

 living, although shaped almost exactly like the Argyllshire mound ; but it was 

 remarkable that into the head of this serpent people and animals went with 

 Krishna for refuge : this the author took to mean self-immolation and the satis- 

 faction arising- from dedication to the deity ; and finally quoted Mr. Fergusson to 

 show that the principal essential wanting, in his opinion, to constitute the British 

 monuments places of sacrifice was present in the case of the Argyllshire mound. 



On the tShtlls ohfatned in Canon GreenwelVs Kvcavations. 

 Btj Professor Eolleston, M.D., F.B.S. 



Professor Piolleston gave an account of a large number of detailed measure- 

 ments of the skulls obtained by Canon Greenwell in his excavations, and now pre- 

 sented by him to the Oxford University Museum. He observed that his examina- 

 tion of the skidls had been carried on without any reference, in most cases, and 

 without any knowledge in many, of their archa3ological surroundings. Two types 

 of skull, the same two as had been described by Dr. Thm-nam in his well-known 

 papers, were to be found in the series submitted to him. iSkulls of the dolicho- 

 cephalic type were frequently, however, found to bear the same label as skidls of 

 the brachycephalic, and might be presumed therefore to have come from the same 

 barrows. If it should turn out to be the fact that these two kinds of skull had 

 been found with the same archjeological sm-roundings, this would be a different 



* Since reading this paper, the author finds the name OBION was applied to a river in 

 America on the route taken by the ancient mound-builders. 



