1879.] Artificial Mounds of the Island of Marajó, Brazil. 227 
upper part of the river ten or twelve mounds of smaller size than 
the above. Still others exist on the margins of the Anajus, 
Mogoes and Igarapé-grande, and also in various parts of the plains, 
distant from any river. 
From what has been said it is evident that the mounds of Ma- 
rajO were the work of man, and that too of an exceedingly indus- 
trious race. For what purpose were they built—for defense, as 
dwelling places, or as cemeteries for the dead? They were prob- 
ably intended for all these. They were primarily localities for living 
upon, elevated as much to escape inundation as to afford a better 
means of defense against enemies. That they were also used for 
interment is proved by the number of burial urns with skeletons 
which they contain. The remains of fire and of an abundance of 
pottery for domestic use indicate as well that they were places of 
habitation. It is likely that they were the sites of fortified vil- 
lages, occupied by a tribe holding to the custom, so common 
among Brazilian Indians, of burying the dead inside the house. 
I will now pass to a consideration of the objects found in the 
mounds; these consist of stone implements and pottery. The 
former are not common and do not differ notably in shape from 
those of other localities; they are well polished and made of 
diorite, a kind of stone heli is not found on a>, nor at 
any near locality on the main-land. 
Pottery exists in the greatest abundance, and is as Kotani 
for its superior make as for the beauty and perfection of form and 
ornamentation which it displays. Of the majority of objects 
made by prehistoric man, it may be said that they are curious and 
interesting, but devoid of taste; that is, they do not gratify our 
tastes, perfected and purified by centuries of culture and art. 
Among the vases of Marajó, however, are some that compare 
very favorably with those of the ancient Greeks and Etruscans 
in symmetry and elegance of form, as well as in the relief and 
high grade of their decorations. The ancient inhabitants of 
Marajó were truly masters in ceramic art. 
Considering that the aboriginal mode of making an earthen- 
ware pot was to coil up a long strip of clay—and of this fact we 
have ample proof in the mounds we are describing—it is won- 
derful to behold a pot thus constructed, measuring almost a 
metre in diameter, made perfectly symmetrical. This, together 
with the regularity and perfection of the lines of ornament, 
