ARCHEOLOGY. • & 



There is scarcely a point in either valley, below Circleville or Bain- 

 bridge, where one may not be within a few minutes ride of a mound, 

 village site, or other evidence of aboriginal habitation. The same is true 

 of both Miami valleys in the lower half of their course, and of the Cuya- 

 hoga and some other small streams tributary to Lake Erie; the only 

 1 eason for showing the one section in preference to the others is because 

 of the greater extent of its enclosures. The scale upon which the maps 

 are drawn prevents an accurate delineation of the separate works; but 

 their relations to each other and to the topography of the territory con- 

 taining them is sufficiently well shown. 



Plates III and IV give an enlarged representation of two groups 

 according to the surveys and measurements of the authors; the former 

 being named by them "High Banks" works, and the latter "Liberty 

 Township" works, situated respectively four and eight miles south of 

 Chillicothe. At High Banks the river sets against the terrace along the 

 north side, forming a steep bluff from the top to the water's edge, the 

 current carrying away the earth as fast as it caves in; and it would seem 

 that no great length of time has elapsed since the river had its channel 

 along the western bank of the terrace, as there is a depression or thor- 

 oughfare at its foot through which the water rushes in time of freshets, 

 while the higher parts of the bottom land are still several feet above 

 overflow. 



Plate IV shows similar enclosures, but without the long parallel em- 

 bankments of earth common to most works of this class. Especial 

 reference will be made in another place to features of these groups. 



In Plate V are shown the Newark works, which in extent, variety of 

 structure, and amount of labor involved, probably surpass any similar 

 remains in the world. Mile after mile of embankment — circles and other 

 geometric figures, parallels, lodge-sites, and mounds, covering an area of 

 more than four square miles, amaze the archaeologist and curiosity-seeker 

 alike as they spend hours and days traversing the ground in every direc- 

 tion, constantly finding something worthy of investigation and descrip- 

 tion. No one who visits this place can fail to be impressed with the 

 thought that he is viewing the results of a vast amount of labor intelli- 

 gently performed for a definite purpose; and few can avoid the tempta- 

 tion of endeavoring to interpret this purpose, to fathom the motives which 

 would impel men thus to labor, or to frame a theory that will clear away 

 the obscurity impending as a cloud over these mysterious tokens of an 

 unknown people. Many have tried; none has succeeded. 



The "Marietta Works" shown in Plate VI comprise a group whose 

 main interest is found in the flat-topped mounds within the lines of em- 

 bankment. Such mounds are common in the southern states, and several 

 of great size, including the famous Cahokia Mound, stand in the bottom 

 land opposite St. Louis; but with this exception they are of rare occur- 

 rence north of the Ohio River and there is no place other than at the 



