MILLS— THE TREMPER MOUND 



INTRUSIVE BURIALS 



As is not infrequent in mounds of any culture, the Tremper mound 

 was found to contain intrusive burials. These were placed near the 

 top of the mound uncremated, and were of a culture entirely different 

 from that of its builders. 



Previous to the exploration of the mound, the sons of Dr Tremper 

 had, in occasionally digging into its top, unearthed perhaps ten of 

 these intrusive burials. Our examination disclosed five additional 

 skeletons. Two of the burials were so near the surface that culti- 

 vation had disturbed them. The graves of these burials were all 

 prepared by placing slabs of sandstone on edge around the sides and 

 ends, and by using similar slabs as covering. 



CACHE OF ARTIFACTS 



The communal disposal of the ashes of the dead, as carried out 

 in the Tremper mound, naturally would be accompanied by a similar 

 disposal of the artifacts usually associated with burials. The logical 

 expectation, perhaps, would be to find them deposited along with the 

 ashes in the common receptacle: that is, simply substituting for graves 

 containing individual burials and artifacts, a common grave wherein 

 the ashes and artifacts of an unlimited number of individuals would be 

 placed. Instead of this, however, it was found that separate deposi- 

 tories were provided. 



The great cache of tobacco-pipes and associated objects found by 

 Squier and Davis in 1847, in Mound No. 8, Mound City group, Ross 

 county, has been the wonder of archeological research in Ohio until 

 the present time. Few archeologists expected that this great find ever 

 would be equaled, the cache being considered as unique and alone 

 in its class. 



Owing to the superficial character of the Squier and Davis explor- 

 ations at that place, the Mound City tumulus and its remarkable 

 contents have been only indifferently understood; now, however, the 

 examination of the Tremper mound not only throws the desired 

 light on the character of the Ross county mound, by duplicating its 

 known features, but even goes so far as to surpass it greatly in point 

 of artifacts found, as to both number and artistic execution. 



The results of the exploration of the Tremper mound, aside from 

 their bearing on any phase of Ohio archeology, are exceedingly grati- 

 fying; but when they serve further to elucidate the exact nature and 

 purpose of the only mound altogether similar, so far explored, the 

 results are in effect two-fold. 



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