82 Canadian Record of Science. 



Temple Mounds. — These mounds are not so numerous in 

 Ohio as in some other States, yet they occur in sufficient 

 numbers to deserve a small share of our attention. The city 

 of Marietta has slowly encroached upon some interesting 

 remains of a sacrificial character, which consist of two 

 irregular squares containing 50 and 27 acres respectively. 

 They are situated on a level plain 100 feet above the level 

 of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers. The smaller square 

 has ten gateways, which are covered by mounds, while the 

 larger square, being strictly a sacred enclosure, has no 

 mounds to cover the 16 openings, but contains nevertheless 

 four temple mounds of considerable interest. On the top 

 of these mounds, doubtless there were erected capacious 

 temples, as there are significant avenues of ascent. There 

 may still be seen the remains of the ancient altar, where, 

 without doubt, these people assembled for worship, and 

 where, from the presence of human bones, we may conclude 

 human beings were offered in sacrifice. In all the sacred 

 enclosures, evidences of altars have been found, on which, 

 doubtless, the sacrificial fires blazed for ages. Often are to 

 be found successions of alternate layers of ashes and blue 

 clay, indicating a desire for pure sacrifice. 



In the neighborhood of Newark, Ohio, at the forks of 

 Licking River, may be seen most elaborate enclosures, 

 square, circular, and polygonal in their form, covering in all 

 an extent of four square miles. Like the ancient temples 

 of the Druids, most of the enclosures have their openings to 

 the east, or rising sun, so that the first rays shall strike the 

 altar where doubtless a priest, from the early hour of dawn, 

 performed mysterious rites. 



On the west, there is erected a mound, 170 feet long and 

 14 feet in height, which overlooks the whole works, and 

 has been styled "the Observatory ". To the east is a true 

 circle 2,880 feet in circumference, the wall being 6 feet in 

 height. To the north of this is an avenue leading from the 

 circle to an octogon of fifty acres, in the wall of which are 

 eight gateways, which, however, are covered by mounds five 

 feet in height. From this strange eight-sided figure run 

 three parallel walls. Those to the south are about two 



