USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Madisonville > Indian Village Site and Cemetery Near Madisonville, Ohio > Part 28
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Of the twenty-three tunnels of the type shown in figure 18, b, there are careful detail drawings of only a few, but there seems to 1 Reports of the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Vol. III, p. 340.
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have been little variation in form or dimensions among them. Numbers 2 and 3 presented " exactly the same conditions " as number 1. In number 4, the tunnel had a greater slope, and the flues were three inches in diameter instead of two. Possibly the larger size of the flues in this example was made necessary by the greater slope of the tunnel.
By referring to the ground plan it will be seen that the burnt clay hearth in the southern half of the area covered sixteen of the thirty tunnels. So far as recorded, the upper opening of the flues terminated at the top of a layer of black ashes just below the bot- tom of this layer of burnt clay. This seems to indicate that the clay layer was deposited and burned, after the use of the tunnels had been discontinued.
The flue leading from the large pit of number 6 (figure 18, c, k') also terminated beneath the burnt clay layer, and the cone-shaped clay caps of numbers 5 and 6 rested upon the ashes beneath the hearth, which also seems to indicate that the latter was of sub- sequent construction, and may have had no direct connection with the function of the tunnels below. At any rate, it seems improb- able, with the outlet of the flues of the tunnels closed with a com- pact and continuous layer of hard burnt clay, that they would be in working condition.
The earth below the base of the mound is composed of a layer of dark clay of considerable thickness, resting upon a gravel bed. In this clay the tunnels and connecting pits were constructed, some of the larger pits extending through the clay layer into the gravel.
At the time of the use of these pits a building of some kind un- doubtedly occupied the site, as is indicated by the many post- holes found throughout the area. Unfortunately the method of locating these holes was not very accurate, and it is possible that some of the less conspicuous ones were not noticed.
A casual glance at the ground plan, figure 17, gives the impres- sion that the tunnels are earth moulds left by fallen and decayed timbers which originally formed the main rafters of a building, and that the pits at the outer end of each originally held a substan- tial supporting post. A careful examination of the numerous notes, sketches, plans, and photographs, made during the explora- tion, however, does not substantiate this impression. The curious upright flues at the inner end of each of the tunnels not connected
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with an inner pit, the careful junction with the inner pit of each tunnel so connected, and the uniform position of the outer openings of the tunnels above the outer pits, seem to indicate beyond doubt that they were planned and built in the position they now occupy. If the large inner pits of numbers 5, 6, 11, and 16 were for cache purposes, of what use were the tunnels and flues connected with them?
Pits with somewhat similar arrangement of flues as shown in figure 18, c, k', but without tunnels, were found by Mr. Guernsey in a Basket-maker cave during the exploration in Arizona by the Museum, and are figured in the report.1 These are thought to be for storage, as no signs of fire having been in them were noticed. Dr. Hough figures a large pit, 6 feet deep, also supplied with a flue .? This was built by the Hopi Indians for roasting corn.
In a letter to the writer, Dr. Hough gives the following explana- tion of the use of this flue:
The flue running diagonally from the corn pit among the Hopi Indians is for the purpose of allowing a draft when the pit is first heated. A hole is dug in rather good solid ground, the flue is driven into it, and the pit is filled with firewood, ignited, and kept burning for a considerable while until it is believed to be hot enough. There is very little charcoal in the wood used so that at the bottom of the pit when the fire is out, there is merely a mass of ashes. Cornstalks and shucks are thrown in on this and then a layer of ears of corn, filling the pit, which is closed over with cornstalks and earth, and in many cases a fire is made on top of this. The flue is closed at the same time. The corn re- mains in this pit generally overnight, when the contents are taken out with great rejoicing. When the pits are opened a tremendous amount of steam rises in the air to the height of about 100 feet.
While it is possible that pits of the type of 5 and 6 may have been used for a purpose similar to the above, it seems doubtful if the tunnels terminating in small upright flues, and not connected with large pits, were used in food preparation.
Further exploration of similar remains will be necessary before definite conclusions can be drawn.
The Altars. The central altar, from which the remarkable col- lection of artifacts was taken, was situated in the middle of this
Guernsey and Kidder, Basket-maker Caves in Northeastern Arizona, Papers of Peabody Museum of Am. Arch. and Eth., Vol. VIII, No. 2, p. 19, plates 9, d, 14, a.
* Walter Hough, Hopi Indian Collection in U. S. Nat. Mus., Proceedings of U. S. Nat. Museum, Vol. 54, fig. 3.
PEABODY MUSEUM PAPERS
VOL. VIII, No. 3, PLATE 10
O
From the Central |Altar of Mound 3: Objects wrought from native copper. (1/3.)
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area; see number 33, figures 16 and 17; in plate 8, the hatchet in the middle distance lies in the basin of the altar. The basin was nearly rectangular in form, with the corners rounded and pro- jecting somewhat beyond the line of the sides, and measured a little over 5 feet diagonally from corner to corner. It was made by digging a cavity of the proper dimensions in the floor, and lining it with clay. From about the level of the floor, its sides sloped inward 10 inches to its bottom, which was about 7 inches below the level of the field. Its sides and upper edge were burned a brick red to a depth of 1} inches, and its bottom to a depth of 4 inches. About 10 inches below the floor of the altar was another layer of burnt clay, probably the remains of an earlier altar. The space around the altar also showed the action of fire. A few feet to the northwest, a second and much smaller altar was found (34 of plan and section), its basin being filled with ashes in which were charcoal, fragments of burnt bone, and a few potsherds.
North of the central altar was a refuse pile of ashes mixed with broken animal bones, potsherds, and other waste material. Just above the stones which covered the altar was a layer of concrete, 2 to 4 inches thick, extending over the altar, and covering the greater portion of the floor of the mound. It seems that this con- crete layer was spread over the covered contents of the altar and the floor of the original structure, when the use of the structure was discontinued. This layer evidently formed the first stage of the mound proper, as nothing of special interest was found above it excepting the intrusive burials, to be described later.
Dr. Metz gives an account of the discovery of the central altar in the following words:
Nothing of importance occurred until the layer of hard gravel or concrete near the bottom of the mound was reached and gone through, when a layer of loose stone was encountered, beneath which was a stratum of fine clean sand. Projecting from under the sand was the margin of a large sheet of mica. Upon removing a little of the sand, a perforated sheet of copper was seen resting upon the mica. . . . The next morning, Mr. Low and I commenced the in- vestigation of the find, which proved to be an altar containing beads in great quantity, copper ornaments, mica ornaments, etc. Placed over the whole were three large sheets of mica.
The altar was quadrangular in form, the corners conforming to the cardinal points of the compass. Many of the pearl and bone beads and other objects were more or less calcined and mixed with ashes. The larger ornaments were arranged in three distinct heaps, each heap being covered by a large sheet of
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mica, while the smaller beads were arranged around and between the heaps, the whole being covered with a layer of clear, clean sand, 4 inches thick, and having upon its upper surface a peculiar pinkish red stain evidently derived from the layer of flat river stones which covered it, and which also showed the stain.
Mr. E. F. Low, who was with Dr. Metz at the time the objects were removed from the altar, in a letter to Professor Putnam, gives a few additional details:
Having removed the earth we discovered a large sheet of mica, and great pains were taken to get it out whole. While excavating above it, the copper object [plate 10, e] was taken out, and the sand was filled with glittering pearl beads which rolled out in great quantities. It was a sight to see Dr. Meta scooping them up in great double handfuls, filling box after box. ... I noticed that in the center where the coals and ashes were thickest and black- est that many of the teeth and shell beads were calcined, as though they had been deposited before the fire was wholly extinguished, and while the embers were still hot.
Contents of the Central Altar. The following objects were taken from this altar: 35 small nuggets of native copper, some of them hammered; 28 symbols or ornaments wrought from copper; 50 copper spool-shaped ear-ornaments, some covered with thin sheets of meteoric iron or silver; 3 copper bracelets, one of which is covered with thin silver; a copper adze blade; 700 copper beads of various forms; several copper or meteoric iron-covered clay buttons, pierced near the bottom for attachment; copper-covered beads of wood; several small nuggets of meteoric iron, and numer- ous beads and other ornaments wrought from this metal; small sheets of gold, each hammered from a small nugget; 3 large crystals of mica cut to irregular ovals; about 50 ornaments or ceremonial objects cut from thin mica, some of which are painted; the re- mains of several large vessels made from busycon shells; about 600 phalanges of small animals; artificial canine teeth of the bear made from shell; 4500 shell beads of various forms, some of them large; 500 marginella shells perforated for suspension; 17,000 embroidery shells (Leptoris) with one side ground away for the passage of cord for fastening them to the fabric or dressed skin; 36,000 pearl beads of all sizes, from less than } of an inch to 1} inches in diameter; 12,000 pearls, unperforated; 36 or more canine teeth of the bear, perforated for attachment; 12 alligator
PEABODY MUSEUM PAPERS
VOL. VIII, No. 3, PLATE 11
From the Central Altar of Mound 3: Objects wrought from native copper. (1/3.)
PEABODY MUSEUM PAPERS
VOL. VIII, No. 3, PLATE 12
1
C
From the Central Altar of Mound 3: a, Pendants of native copper; b, Native copperbeads; c, Ear pendants of native copper, a few being overlaid with native silver; d, Shell beads; e, Canine teeth of small mammals, perforated; f, Canine teeth of the bear, perforated. (1/4.)
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teeth; 2000 canine teeth of small mammals, perforated for sus- pension; 600 unworked phalanges of small mammals; 34 cones or tinklers made from the tips of deer antler; 27 chipped blades, 11 of which are of obsidian; 11 ceremonial spear points or blades made of micaceous schist; 3 terra-cotta ear-ornaments; 2 elabo- rately incised discs of bone; and a tortoise shell spatula-like ob- ject. Most of the above were in a fair state of preservation, although many were discolored by smoke, or partially destroyed by fire. In addition to these there were thousands of fragments of various objects which had been destroyed by fire. The numbers given for pearl beads, embroidery shells, and similar objects, are estimates only, made, for example, by counting the number of specimens in a fraction of a pint, and measuring the total amount of each group. The different groups of the above objects will be described in detail.
Copper Objects. The specimen illustrated in plate 10, e, which is probably a conventionalized eye, was apparently the last to be deposited on the altar, as it was found just above the three large crystals of mica placed over the contents of the altar. Like the other specimens upon plates 10 and 11, it is made from a thin sheet, which was prepared by hammering, annealing, and grind- ing a piece of nearly pure native copper to the proper thickness. It was cut into the desired form, probably with sharp flints, the edges being finished afterward by grinding. The writer's experi- ments in copper working with primitive tools show that the more elaborate artifacts of copper were probably produced in this manner.1 Several of the more advanced prehistoric tribes within the limits of the United States had become very skilful workers in this metal.
Most of the pieces illustrated are of nearly pure copper, but some of the larger and coarser objects from the Ohio mounds were probably made of copper containing a certain percentage of arsenic. This is not easily wrought, and has to be repeatedly annealed; but for certain tools, such as drills, adze and axe blades, it is probably superior, for after being hammered it is harder and re- tains its cutting edge longer than the purer metal. Some varieties, such as algodonite, are wrought with great difficulty. Numerous
1 C. C. Willoughby, Primitive Metal Working, American Anthropologist, N. s., Vol. V, 1903, p. 55.
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nuggets of this form of copper were obtained from the deposits in the Hopewell Group of mounds, and a few pieces apparently of this variety were taken from the altar of mound 4 of the group under consideration.
What seems to be a frontal ornament for a head-dress is shown on plate 10, g. Two of these, one of which was doubled together twice before being placed on the altar, were found. The small plate or gorget illustrated in plate 10, a, is a type not uncommon in the graves of the Great Earthwork Builders. They are usually considerably larger, however, than this example. A better speci- men accompanied a skeleton at the base of Marriott mound 1, just west of the elevated circle. The objects shown in a, plate 11,
FIGURE 20
Cross-section through copper ear-ornaments. In the common type (at the left), two double discs are held together by a piece of thin copper rolled into a hollow rivet, and are held apart by winding the rivet with twine, e. In the other example, the rivet, c, is held securely by a clay filling, f. Both forms are sometimes covered with an additional exterior plate of fine copper, silver, or meteoric iron. (1/1.)
evidently represent the four horns of the serpent or serpent- monster, as will be apparent upon comparison with those figured in b, plate 19. They were probably attached to the object of which they formed a part by a projection at the base of each, only one of which now remains. Upon the breaking away of the pro- jection in two of the specimens, the horns were evidently attached by means of the perforations.
The two perforated discs with scalloped outer edges (c) are probably eyes of the same serpent effigy, the body of which was doubtless destroyed by fire. Somewhat similar eyes with undulat- ing rays instead of scallops appear upon an exquisitely carved stone head of a fawn (?) illustrated by Squier and Davis (figure 163).
The crescent-shaped object (b) is probably a gorget. A number of these have been taken from mounds and graves of this culture group. Seventeen copper pendants, thirteen of which are illus- trated in this plate, were found together.
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Three copper bracelets are shown in the upper part of plate 10. One of these (d) was twisted out of shape before being deposited. Each bracelet is hollow, with an opening on the inner side, a cross- section through its wall being C-shaped. The surface of b, has been injured by corrosion, and fragments of carbonized shell, bone, etc., adhere to it. The bracelet illustrated in c, is covered with very thin beaten silver.
The only copper implement from this deposit is the adze blade, f, plate 10. The better preserved of the copper spool-shaped ear- ornaments from this altar are illustrated on plate 12, c. A very small one, probably made for a child, is shown at the extreme right. Many fragments were also recovered. The general method of construction may be seen by referring to figure 20. This form of ornament was very popular among the Indians of this culture group. They were found in many of the graves and mounds, and more than five hundred were taken from one of the altars of the Hopewell Group of mounds in Ross County by Mr. Moorehead. In three or four of those shown in c, of the above plate, the outer discs are covered with thin sheets of silver. A few are covered with sheets of meteoric iron.
Dr. Hildreth found a similar silver-covered ear-ornament with a skeleton in one of the mounds at Marietta in 1819, and mistook it for a part of an European sword belt or buckler. He also found with it a corrugated ornament of silver, of the type shown in figure 21, which he thought to be part of a sword scabbard. These specimens are responsible for the alleged recent origin of some of the mounds of the Marietta Group, as asserted by several well- known archaeologists. The specimens found by Hildreth 1 are now in the Peabody Museum, and are unquestionably of pre- historic Indian origin.
The hollow cone-shaped objects shown in plate 12, a, made by rolling together thin sheets of copper, were probably pendants. Objects of similar shape and size produced by cutting away the interior of the tips of deer antler were also taken from the altar. Smaller pendants of tin of the same nature were used by historic tribes over a wide area, as ornaments for clothing, bags, etc. The
1 Calib Atwater, Description of the Antiquities Discovered in the State of Ohio, Transactions and Collections of the American Antiquarian Society, Vol. I, p. 168. Professor Putnam was the fi.st to call attention to the true nature of these objects; see note, Reports of Peabody Museum of Am. Arch. and Eth., Vol. III, p. 172.
-
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smaller end is attached to a thong, and a bunch of hair, often dyed a brilliant color, usually projects from the larger end.
The majority of the copper beads were of the type and size shown in b, of the above plate. About one hundred and fifty small tubular beads made by rolling up thin sheets, and a dozen large hollow beads of the form illustrated in plate 10, h, were also found. A few copper-covered wooden beads (i) were recovered, together with a number of hemispherical clay buttons, also covered with thin copper (figure 25, a-c). It is generally conceded that most of the copper used by the Great Earthwork Builders of southern Ohio came from the mines on the southern shore of Lake Superior. Several nuggets of copper, a few of them showing signs of having been hammered, were taken from this altar, but they were all small, the largest weighing only two ounces.
Meteoric Iron Objects.1 Very few artifacts of this metal were recovered from the altar of mound 3. There were several small nuggets unworked or slightly hammered, and fragments of what may have been a head-plate of the type occasionally found in the Ohio mounds. These head-plates are usually 2 to 3 inches wide, and 10 to 12 inches long, curved and rounded to fit the crown. There also are pieces of hollow beads similar to those of copper already described, and several copper ear-ornaments of the usual form covered with thin sheets of meteoric iron.
The best preserved object of this metal is made of a thin sheet about 3} inches square, bent into the shape shown in figure 21. One side is corrugated, and the other flat. A number of similar specimens have been taken from the mounds of this culture group, made of silver, copper, and meteoric iron. The one of silver, found by Dr: Hildreth in a mound at Marietta and mistaken for a part of an European sword scabbard, is the most noted of these. There is a well-preserved example in the Museum from central Tennessee, from a mound belonging to this culture. It was ac- companied by a copper adze blade, spool-shaped ear-ornaments, and mica plates. This Tennessee specimen had originally sur- rounded what appears to have been three tubes of cane or reed, fragments of which have been preserved by copper salts. It is
1 For an analysis of the meteoric iron objects from the altars of this mound group see Leon- ard P. Kinnicutt, Report on the Meteoric Iron from the Altar Mounds in the Little Miami Valley, Ohio, Reports of the Peabody Museum of Am. Arch. and Eth., Vol. III, pp. 381-384.
PEABODY MUSEUM PAPERS
VOL. VIII, No. 3, PLATE 13
a
b
From the Central Altar of Mound 3: a, Pearls, perforated for stringing; b, Native gold, hammered into sheets from small nuggets. (1/1.)
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probable that each of the specimens above mentioned served to bind together three similar tubes. These tubes must have been usually about } inch in diameter; but in one example in the Museum, a silver band from a mound at Grand Rapids, a north- ern outpost of this culture, the tubes were probably about the size of an ordinary lead pencil. Perhaps the tubes may have been whistles of different notes joined together into a single instrument.
Nearly all of the artifacts of meteoric iron from the mounds are badly oxidized, and more or less broken. This metal, when worked
FIGURE 21 From the Central Altar of Mound 3: Meteoric iron band corrugated upon one side. (Nearly full size.)
into ornaments, does not have the lasting quality of copper or silver. Objects made of it, however, were originally very attrac- tive, as the iron, which contains more or less nickel, resembles polished steel when finished. Further notes in connection with this metal will be found on page 65.
Silver Objects. No specimens made entirely of silver were re- covered from this altar. A few ear-ornaments, a bracelet, and a cone-shaped tinkler, all of copper, were overlaid with thin silver sheets. Two of the former have been referred to (plate 12, c), and the bracelet is shown in plate 10, c. Among the debris of broken and burnt objects were many fragments of this thinly hammered overlay, evidently from various articles which had been destroyed.
No silver nuggets or partially worked pieces were found in any of the Turner Group mounds, but the Museum has two large nuggets of unworked silver, weighing together 12} pounds, from
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one of the mounds at Grand Rapids. The source of most of the silver from the mounds of the Great Earthwork Builders is prob- ably the copper region of Lake Superior.
Gold Objects. Fifteen sheets of gold, each hammered from a small nugget, were taken from this altar. Fourteen of these are illus- trated on plate 13, b, and the remaining one is shown adhering to the copper pendant, d, plate 11. This adhesion is the result of corrosion. The gold did not form a part of the pendant. The piece shown in the center of the former illustration is concavo- convex, and is perforated. Its form would indicate that it possibly may have been fastened to one of the discs of an ear-ornament. The remaining pieces, although hammered to thin sheets, do not seem to have been cut or otherwise worked. They were probably prized for their rarity. In this connection it may be well to quote from a letter of Dr. Hildreth to the President of the American Antiquarian Society, dated November 3, 1819,1 which evidently refers to one of the ear-ornaments so often found in or near the hands of skeletons. This report was traced to its source by Squier and Davis (page 279), and the ornament found to be copper.
I also have been told on good authority that an ornament composed of very pure gold something similar to those found here, was discovered a few years since in Ross County, near Chillicothe, lying in the palm of a skeleton's hand in a small mound. This curiosity I am told is in the [Peal] Museum at Phila- delphia.
Atwater ? also says, " gold ornaments are said to have been found in several tumuli, but I have never seen any."
Such objects must have been extremely rare, for the remarkable collection from the Hopewell Group of mounds contained no arti- facts of this metal. If gold objects were in use, one would expect to find only small articles, such as clay buttons, wooden beads, or perhaps an occasional ear-ornament, covered with thin sheets hammered from small nuggets.
Pearls. On plate 14, d, and e, are shown twenty-three pounds of pearls taken from this altar. These two piles contain approxi- mately thirty-six thousand. In addition to these were several thousand which had been destroyed by the altar fire, and most of those recovered were blackened or discolored by the heat and
1 Atwater, op. cit., p. 176. * Ibid., p. 223.
PEABODY MUSEUM PAPERS
VOL. VIII, No. 3, PLATE 14
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