﻿FOURTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I907 
  97 
  

  

  should 
  have 
  been 
  selected, 
  when, 
  from 
  the 
  hillock 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  

   arrows 
  and 
  stones 
  or 
  other 
  missiles 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  easily 
  thrown 
  

   into 
  the 
  wall-protected 
  inclosure. 
  This 
  very 
  thing 
  would 
  have 
  

   rendered 
  the 
  fort 
  of 
  little 
  use 
  in 
  times 
  of 
  war 
  or 
  invasion. 
  Two 
  

   considerations 
  then 
  appear: 
  first, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  true 
  fortifi- 
  

   cation 
  designed 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  from 
  men 
  only, 
  but 
  made 
  

   for 
  a 
  protection 
  from 
  the 
  wolves 
  and 
  other 
  wild 
  beasts 
  which 
  in- 
  

   fested 
  the 
  region 
  even 
  in 
  historic 
  times 
  ; 
  or 
  second, 
  that 
  the 
  enemies 
  

   of 
  the 
  age 
  held 
  the 
  acres 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  as 
  sacred 
  spots 
  and 
  would 
  

   not 
  under 
  any 
  provocation 
  desecrate 
  the 
  burial 
  ground 
  on 
  the 
  hill 
  

   to 
  use 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  vantage 
  point 
  from 
  which 
  to 
  assail 
  the 
  living 
  within 
  

   the 
  inclosure 
  which 
  the 
  burial 
  knoll 
  overlooked. 
  

  

  Camp 
  site 
  outside 
  of 
  inclosure. 
  To 
  the 
  southwest 
  of 
  the 
  burial 
  

   knoll 
  rises 
  another 
  glacial 
  kame 
  which 
  in 
  length 
  runs 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  

   This 
  kame 
  contained 
  10 
  large 
  ash 
  pits, 
  the 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  summit 
  being 
  

   5' 
  deep 
  and 
  filled 
  with 
  carbonaceous 
  earth, 
  burnt 
  sandstone 
  and 
  

   charred 
  corn. 
  Between 
  this 
  kame 
  and 
  the 
  inclosure, 
  the 
  earth 
  had 
  

   almost 
  everywhere 
  been 
  disturbed 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  heavy 
  mixture 
  

   of 
  white 
  ash 
  and 
  charcoal 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  vegetation 
  and 
  trees 
  had 
  been 
  

   burned 
  over 
  many 
  times. 
  No 
  implements 
  were 
  found 
  here 
  except 
  

   a 
  celt 
  at 
  the 
  west 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  kame. 
  

  

  The 
  soft 
  mellow 
  loam 
  here 
  also 
  suggests 
  its 
  employment 
  as 
  a 
  

   garden 
  spot, 
  possibly 
  a 
  cornfield. 
  Charred 
  corn 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  pits. 
  

  

  Age 
  of 
  the 
  remains. 
  Several 
  considerations 
  determine 
  the 
  age 
  

   of 
  the 
  remains. 
  The 
  absence 
  of 
  European 
  articles 
  at 
  this 
  place 
  

   is 
  a 
  good 
  indication 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  prehistoric. 
  The 
  difference 
  between 
  

   the 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  occupation 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  historic 
  

   Eries 
  points 
  out 
  a 
  pre-Erian 
  or 
  early 
  Erian 
  people. 
  That 
  they- 
  

   were 
  early 
  Iroquoian 
  is 
  evident 
  from 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  artifacts 
  

   but 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  early 
  Erian 
  is 
  manifest 
  by 
  certain 
  differences 
  

   in 
  form 
  of 
  culture 
  and 
  occupation. 
  The 
  remains 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  

   be 
  at 
  least 
  500 
  years 
  old 
  and 
  even 
  a 
  greater 
  age 
  may 
  be 
  ascribed. 
  

  

  No 
  detailed 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  osteological 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  aborig- 
  

   inal 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  has 
  even 
  been 
  attempted. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  

   plan 
  of 
  the 
  archeological 
  section, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  begin 
  a 
  systematic 
  

   study 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  human 
  remains 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  within 
  the 
  

   limits 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  and 
  finally 
  issue 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  complete 
  report 
  

   upon 
  the 
  subject. 
  There 
  is 
  indeed 
  a 
  great 
  need 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  guide, 
  

   for 
  the 
  scientific 
  value 
  of 
  such 
  data 
  has 
  been 
  almost 
  entirely 
  

   overlooked. 
  A 
  detailed 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  osteological 
  remains 
  found 
  

  

  