List of burial mounds in the United States
Adena and Hopewell culture burial mounds
Table:
Mound

Location

Date

Culture

Notes

Bynum Mound and Village Site

Chickasaw County, Mississippi

100 BCE to 100 CE

Miller culture (part of the Hopewell tradition)

A Middle Woodland period archaeological site located near Houston, Mississippi. The complex of six conical shaped mounds was in use during the Miller 1 and Miller 2 phases of the Miller culture.[1][2] and was built between 100 BCE and 100 CE. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 as part of the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 232.4.

Carl Potter Mound

Champaign County, Ohio

?

?

Also known as the "Hodge Mound II", it is located in southern Champaign County, Ohio near Mechanicsburg,[3] it lies on a small ridge in a pasture field in southeastern Union Township.

Conus

Marietta Earthworks, Marietta, Ohio

100 BCE to 500 CE

Adena culture

The conical Great Mound at Mound Cemetery is part of a mound complex known as the Marietta Earthworks, which includes the nearby Quadranaou and Capitolium platform mounds, the Sacra Via walled mounds (largely destroyed in 1882), and three enclosures.[4]

Criel Mound

South Charleston, West Virginia

250 to 150 BCE

Adena culture

Located in South Charleston, West Virginia, the mound lies equidistant between two "sacred circles", earthwork enclosures each 556 feet (169 m) in diameter. It was originally 33 feet (10 m) high and 173 feet (53 m) in diameter at the base, making it the second-largest such burial mound in the state.

Crooks Mound

La Salle Parish, Louisiana

100 BCE to 400 CE

Early Marksville culture

A large Marksville culture mound site in La Salle Parish in south central Louisiana. It is a large conical mound that was part of at least six episodes of burials. It measured about 16 ft high (4.9 m) and 85 ft wide (26 m). It contained roughly 1,150 remains that were placed however they were able to be fit into the structure of the mound. Sometimes body parts were removed in order to achieve that goal. Archaeologists think it was a holding house for the area that was emptied periodically in order to achieve this type of setup.[5]

Dunns Pond Mound

Logan County, Ohio

ca. 300 to 500 CE

Ohio Hopewell culture

Located in northeastern Ohio near Huntsville,[3] it lies along the southeastern corner of Indian Lake in Washington Township. In 1974, the mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a potential archeological site, with much of its significance deriving from its use as a burial site for as much as nine centuries.

Grave Creek Mound

Moundsville, West Virginia

250 to 150 BCE

Adena culture

At 69 feet (21 m) high and 295 feet (90 m) in diameter, the Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type burial mound in the United States. In 1838, much of the archaeological evidence in this mound was destroyed when several non-archaeologists tunneled into the mound. To gain entrance to the mound, two shafts, one vertical and one horizontal were created. This led to the most significant discovery of two burial vaults.

Grand Gulf Mound

Claiborne County, Mississippi

50 to 150 CE

Marksville culture

An Early Marksville culture site located near Port Gibson in Claiborne County, Mississippi, on a bluff 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the Mississippi River, 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the mouth of the Big Black River.[6] The site has an extant burial mound, and may have possibly had two others in the past. The site is believed to have been occupied from 50 to 200 CE.

Indian Mounds Regional Park

Saint Paul, Minnesota

1 to 500 CE

Hopewell and Dakota cultures

Originally up to 37 mounds constructed, 6 still in existence

Miamisburg Mound

Miamisburg, Ohio

800 BCE to 100 CE

Adena culture

The largest conical mound in the state of Ohio, constructed by the Adena culture on a 100-foot-high bluff, the mound measures 877 feet (267 m) in circumference and its height is 65 feet (20 m).

Mound City

Chillicothe, Ohio

200 BCE to 500 CE

Ohio Hopewell culture

Located on Ohio Highway 104 approximately four miles north of Chillicothe along the Scioto River, it is a group of 23 earthen mounds. Each mound within the Mound City Group covered the remains of a charnel house. After the Hopewell people cremated the dead, they burned the charnel house. They constructed a mound over the remains. They also placed artifacts, such as copper figures, mica, arrowheads, shells, and pipes in the mounds.

Pinson Mounds
Mounds 6, 12, and 31

Madison County, Tennessee

100 to 300 CE

Miller culture

A mound complex which includes mounds, a geometric enclosure, and numerous habitation areas, it is the largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the United States. The complex covers approximately 400 acres (1.6 km2) and contains at least 30 mounds, 17 of which have been identified as being completely or partially constructed by prehistoric peoples. It includes at least 3 burial mounds, and a number of ceremonial platform mounds.

Reservoir Stone Mound

Licking County, Ohio

AD 85 to 135

Probably Adena culture

Also known as the Jacksontown Stone Mound, the central, stone-covered structure was largely destroyed by the removal of stones to construct the Licking Reservoir and by a 19th-century treasure-hunter. Around the edge of the large stone mound were a number of earthen mounds, some of which contained burials. [7]

Based on the accompanying table as well as the supporting text provided at the end.

Solve the question: How did the founders of Marietta prevent its historic mound from being destroyed ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Avoid adding external knowledge.

The Bynum Mound and Village Site ( 22CS501 ) is a Middle Woodland period archaeological site located near Houston in Chickasaw County , Mississippi . The complex of six burial mounds was in use during the Miller 1 and Miller 2 phases of the Miller culture and was built between 100 BC and 100 AD . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 as part of the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 232.4 .
Chickasaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi . As of the 2010 census , the population was 17,392 . Its county seats are Houston and Okolona . The county is named for the Chickasaw people , who lived in this area for hundreds of years . Most were removed to Indian Territory in the 1830s , but some remained and became citizens of the state and United States . Early in the 20th century , the first agricultural high school in Mississippi opened in the unincorporated community of Buena Vista . Cully Cobb , a pioneer of southern agriculture , long-term farm publisher , and an official of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration in Washington , D.C. , was the superintendent of the school from 1908-1910 .
In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America , the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America , with some archaeologists distinguishing the Mississippian period , from 1000 CE to European contact as a separate period . The term Woodland Period was introduced in the 1930s as a generic term for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the agriculturalist Mississippian cultures . The Eastern Woodlands cultural region covers what is now eastern Canada south of the Subarctic region , the Eastern United States , along to the Gulf of Mexico . This period is variously considered a developmental stage , a time period , a suite of technological adaptations or traits , and a family tree of cultures related to earlier Archaic cultures . It can be characterized as a chronological and cultural manifestation without any massive changes in a short time but instead having a continuous development in stone and bone tools , leather crafting , textile manufacture , cultivation , and shelter construction . Many Woodland peoples used spears and atlatls until the end of the period , when they were replaced by bows and arrows ; however , Southeastern Woodland peoples also used blowguns . The most cited technological distinction of this period was the widespread use of pottery ( although pottery manufacture had arisen during the Archaic period in some places ) , and the diversification of pottery forms , decorations , and manufacturing practices . The increasing use of horticulture and the development of the Eastern Agricultural Complex , consisting of weedy seed plants as well as gourd cultivation , also meant that groups became less mobile over time and , in some times and places , people lived in permanently occupied villages and cities . Intensive agriculture characterizes the Mississippian period from c. 1000-1400 CE and may have continued up to European contact , around 500 years ago .
An archaeological site is a place ( or group of physical sites ) in which evidence of past activity is preserved ( either prehistoric or historic or contemporary ) , and which has been , or may be , investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record . Sites may range from those with few or no remains visible above ground , to buildings and other structures still in use . Beyond this , the definition and geographical extent of a site can vary widely , depending on the period studied and the theoretical approach of the archaeologist .
Houston is a city in and one of two county seats of Chickasaw County , in northern Mississippi . The population was 3,623 at the 2010 census .
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national parkway in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail . Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles ( 715 km ) from Natchez , Mississippi , to Nashville , Tennessee . Access to the parkway is limited , with more than fifty access points in the states of Mississippi , Alabama , and Tennessee . The southern end of the route is in Natchez at its intersection with Liberty Road , and the northern end is northeast of Fairview , Tennessee , in the suburban community of Pasquo , at an intersection with Tennessee State Route 100 . In addition to Natchez and Nashville , larger cities along the route include Jackson and Tupelo , Mississippi , and Florence , Alabama .
The Carl Potter Mound ( also known as Hodge Mound II ; designated 33CH11-II:1 ) is a historic Native American mound in southern Champaign County , Ohio , United States . Located near Mechanicsburg , it lies on a small ridge in a pasture field in southeastern Union Township . :2 In 1974 , the mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a potential archaeological site , primarily because of its use as a burial mound . :2
Champaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio . As of the 2010 census , the population was 40,097 . Its county seat is Urbana . The county takes its name from the French word for open level country . Champaign County comprises the Urbana , OH Micropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney , OH Combined Statistical Area .
Ohio /oʊˈhaɪoʊ/ ( listen ) is a state in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States . Of the fifty states , it is the 34th largest by area , the seventh most populous , and the tenth most densely populated . The state 's capital and largest city is Columbus . Ohio is bordered by Lake Erie to the north , Pennsylvania to the east , West Virginia to the southeast , Kentucky to the southwest , Indiana to the west , and Michigan to the northwest . The state takes its name from the Ohio River , whose name in turn originated from the Seneca word ohiːyo ' , meaning good river , great river or large creek . Partitioned from the Northwest Territory , Ohio was the 17th state admitted to the Union on March 1 , 1803 , and the first under the Northwest Ordinance . Ohio is historically known as the Buckeye State after its Ohio buckeye trees , and Ohioans are also known as Buckeyes . Ohio rose from the wilderness of Ohio Country west of Appalachia in colonial times through the Northwest Indian Wars as part of the Northwest Territory in the early frontier , to become the first non-colonial free state admitted to the union , to an industrial powerhouse in the 20th century before transitioning to a more information and service based economy in the 21st . The government of Ohio is composed of the executive branch , led by the governor ; the legislative branch , which comprises the bicameral Ohio General Assembly ; and the judicial branch , led by the state Supreme Court . Ohio occupies 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives . Ohio is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections . Seven presidents of the United States have been elected who had Ohio as their home state .
Mechanicsburg is a village in Champaign County , Ohio , United States . The population was 1,644 at the 2010 census .
Pasture ( from the Latin pastus , past participle of pascere , to feed ) land is used for grazing . Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland , grazed by domesticated livestock , such as horses , cattle , sheep , or swine . The vegetation of tended pasture , forage , consists mainly of grasses , with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs ( non-grass herbaceous plants ) . Pasture is typically grazed throughout the summer , in contrast to meadow which is ungrazed or used for grazing only after being mown to make hay for animal fodder . Pasture in a wider sense additionally includes rangelands , other unenclosed pastoral systems , and land types used by wild animals for grazing or browsing .
Union Township is one of the twelve townships of Champaign County , Ohio , United States . The 2010 census reported 2,210 people living in the township , 2,106 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township .
Mound Cemetery in Marietta , Ohio is a historic cemetery developed around the base of a prehistoric Adena burial mound known as the Great Mound or Conus . The city founders preserved the Great Mound from destruction by establishing the city cemetery around it in 1801 . The city of Marietta was developed in 1788 by pioneers from Massachusetts , soon after the American Revolutionary War and organization of the Northwest Territory . Many of the founders were officers of the Revolutionary War who had received federal land grants for military services . Among high-ranking officers buried at the cemetery are generals Rufus Putnam and Benjamin Tupper , who were founders of the Ohio Company of Associates ; as well as Commodore Abraham Whipple and Colonel William Stacy . The cemetery has the highest number of burials of American Revolutionary War officers in the country .
The Marietta Earthworks is an archaeological site located at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers in Washington County , Ohio , United States . Most of this Hopewellian complex of earthworks is now covered by the modern city of Marietta . Archaeologists have dated the ceremonial site 's construction to approximately 100 BCE to 500 CE .
Marietta is a city in , and the county seat of , Washington County , Ohio , United States . During 1788 , pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent settlement of the new United States in the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio . Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth of the Muskingum River at its confluence with the Ohio River 11 miles northeast of Parkersburg , West Virginia . The population was 14,085 at the 2010 census . It is the second-largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna , WV-OH Combined Statistical Area . The private , nonsectarian liberal arts Marietta College is located here . It was a station on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War . Marietta is also the site of the prehistoric Marietta Earthworks , a Hopewell complex more than 1500 years old , whose Great Mound and other major monuments were preserved by the earliest settlers in parks such as the Mound Cemetery .
The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC , in a time known as the Early Woodland period . The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system . The Adena lived in an area including parts of present-day Ohio , Indiana , Wisconsin , West Virginia , Kentucky , New York , Pennsylvania , and Maryland .
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity .
In archaeology , an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site . It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks , walls or fencing . Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods . They may be few metres across or be large enough to encompass whole cities . Enclosures served numerous practical purposes including acting to delineate settlement areas , to create defensive positions or to be used as animal pens . They were also widely adopted in ritual and burial practices however and seem to demonstrate a fundamental human desire to make physical boundaries around spaces . Enclosures created from ditches and banks or walling can often be identified in the field through aerial photography or ground survey . Other types leave less permanent records and may only be identified during excavation .
The Criel Mound , also known as the South Charleston Mound , is a Native American burial mound located in South Charleston , West Virginia . It is one of the few surviving mounds of the Kanawha Valley Mounds that were probably built in the Woodland period after 500 B.C . The mound was built by the Adena culture , probably around 250-150 BC , and lay equidistant between two sacred circles , earthwork enclosures each 556 feet ( 169 m ) in diameter . It was originally 33 feet ( 10 m ) high and 173 feet ( 53 m ) in diameter at the base , making it the second-largest such burial mound in the state of West Virginia . ( The Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville is the largest . ) This archaeological site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .
South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County , West Virginia , United States . It is located to the northwest of Charleston . The population was 13,450 at the 2010 census . South Charleston was established in 1906 , but not incorporated until 1917 . The Criel Mound ( pictured right ) built circa 0 B.C . by the Adena Culture is adjacent to the downtown business district . It is home to the Charleston Ordnance Center , a former naval munitions factory established for use in World World I . The city is serviced by Interstate 64 , U.S. Route 60 , U.S. Route 119 , West Virginia Route 601 and West Virginia Route 214 , and is bisected by the Kanawha River . The city is serviced by the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority bus system . A general aviation airfield , Mallory Airport , is located off Chestnut Street , approximately two miles south of U.S. Route 60 , with the nearest commercial aviation service being at Yeager Airport in Charleston . South Charleston serves as the headquarters to the West Virginia State Police .
West Virginia ( /vərˈdʒɪniə/ ( listen ) ) is a state located in the Appalachian region of the Southern United States , and is also considered to be a part of the Mid-Atlantic Southeast Region . It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north , Maryland to the east and northeast , Virginia to the southeast , Kentucky to the southwest , and Ohio to the northwest . West Virginia is the 41st largest state by area , and is ranked 38th in population . The capital and largest city is Charleston . West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions of 1861 , at the start of the American Civil War . Delegates from the Unionist counties of northwestern Virginia decided to break away from Virginia , which also included secessionist counties in the new state . West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20 , 1863 , and was a key border state during the war . It was the only state to form by separating from a Confederate state , the first to separate from any state since Maine separated from Massachusetts , and was one of two states admitted to the Union during the American Civil War ( the other being Nevada ) . While a portion of its residents held slaves , most of the residents were yeoman farmers , and the delegates provided for gradual abolition of slavery in the new state Constitution . The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States . However , the Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies the state as a part of the Mid-Atlantic region . The northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio , with the West Virginia cities of Wheeling and Weirton just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area , while Bluefield is less than 70 miles ( 110 km ) from North Carolina .
In archaeology , earthworks are artificial changes in land level , typically made from piles of artificially placed or sculpted rocks and soil . Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features , or they can show features beneath the surface .
Crooks Mound ( French : Monticule d'Escrocs ) ( 16 LA 3 ) is a large Marksville culture archaeological site located in La Salle Parish in south central Louisiana . It is a large , conical burial mound that was part of at least six episodes of burials . It measured about 16 ft high ( 4.9 m ) and 85 ft wide ( 26 m ) . It contained roughly 1,150 sets of remains that were placed . However , they were able to be fit into the structure of the mound . Sometimes body parts were removed in order to achieve that goal . Archaeologists think it was a holding house for the area that was emptied periodically in order to achieve this type of setup . Most of the time , the people were just placed into the mound , but a few of the burials were in log-lined tombs or , rarely , stone-lined tombs . Only a few out of each burial were interred with copper tools as grave goods . This suggests that the area was mainly for common people to be buried in . The site is on private land , usually with no public access , but it can be viewed from the roadway .
LaSalle Parish ( French : Paroisse de La Salle ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana . As of the 2010 census , the population was 14,890 . The parish seat is Jena . The parish was created in 1910 from the western section of Catahoula Parish and named for René-Robert Cavelier , Sieur de La Salle .
The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley , Yazoo valley , and Tensas valley areas of present-day Louisiana , Mississippi , Missouri , Arkansas , and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area , from 100 BCE to 400 CE . This culture takes its name from the Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site in Avoyelles Parish , Louisiana . Marksville Culture was contemporaneous with the Hopewell cultures within present-day Ohio and Illinois . It evolved from the earlier Tchefuncte culture and into the Baytown and Troyville cultures , and later the Coles Creek and Plum Bayou cultures . It is considered ancestral to the historic Natchez and Taensa peoples .
Louisiana ( /luˌiːziˈænə/ ( listen ) , /ˌluːzi-/ ( listen ) ) [ a ] is a state in the Deep South region of the South Central United States . It is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States . Louisiana is bordered by the state of Texas to the west , Arkansas to the north , Mississippi to the east , and the Gulf of Mexico to the south . A large part of its eastern boundary is demarcated by the Mississippi River . Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes , which are equivalent to counties . The state 's capital is Baton Rouge , and its largest city is New Orleans . Much of the state 's lands were formed from sediment washed down the Mississippi River , leaving enormous deltas and vast areas of coastal marsh and swamp . [ self-published source ] These contain a rich southern biota ; typical examples include birds such as ibis and egrets . There are also many species of tree frogs , and fish such as sturgeon and paddlefish . In more elevated areas , fire is a natural process in the landscape and has produced extensive areas of longleaf pine forest and wet savannas . These support an exceptionally large number of plant species , including many species of terrestrial orchids and carnivorous plants . Louisiana has more Native American tribes than any other southern state , including four that are federally recognized , ten that are state recognized , and four that have not received recognition .
The Dunns Pond Mound is a historic Native American mound in northeastern Logan County , Ohio , United States . Located near Huntsville , it lies along the southeastern corner of Indian Lake in Washington Township . In 1974 , the mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a potential archeological site , with much of its significance deriving from its use as a burial site for as much as nine centuries . Other Native American earthworks are located in the vicinity . A 1914 study found fifteen mounds on the southeastern side of Indian Lake and characterized this remarkable group of mounds as the premier location of archeology in Logan County . Another four mounds in Washington Township , which were not included in the 1914 survey , are located on Lake Ridge Island , a short distance to the north of Dunns Pond . These mounds , the Lake Ridge Island Mounds , were listed on the Register on the same day as was the Dunns Pond Mound .
Logan County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio . As of the 2010 census , the population was 45,858 . The county seat is Bellefontaine . The county is named for Benjamin Logan , who fought Native Americans in the area . Logan County comprises the Bellefontaine , OH Micropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville , OH Combined Statistical Area .
Huntsville is a village in Logan County , Ohio , United States . The population was 431 at the 2010 census .
Indian Lake ( formerly Lewistown Reservoir ) is a reservoir in Logan County , western Ohio , in the United States . It is approximately 20 mi ( 32 km ) southeast of Lima . It is fed by the north and south forks of the Upper Great Miami River , Cherokee Mans Run , Blackhawk Creek , and Van Horn Creek , and , starting at the bulkhead or spillway ( located at what is now State Route 366 ) built in the 1850s by Irish laborers , is the beginning of the Great Miami River . At 5,104 acres , Indian Lake is the second largest inland lake in Ohio . Indian Lake , so named by European-American settlers because several tribes lived in the region and found the Lake area to be ideal for fishing and hunting , was originally a group of small lakes and wetlands occupying about 640 acres ( 2.6 km2 ) acres . In the 1850s it was adapted as the 6,334 acres ( 25.63 km2 ) acre Lewistown Reservoir , in order to collect water for the Sidney Feeder to the Miami and Erie Canal , which extended from Toledo to Cincinnati . Within a few years after its construction , the canal system became an obsolete form of transportation compared to the new and growing railways . However , Indian Lake remained . It was well served by the railways , and has become a destination for leisure activities and recreation such as fishing and boating . In its early years , the lake had bass as aprize catch for fishermen , with bluegill and crappies being caught in great numbers . Since the mid-20th century , the Lake has been stocked with fish including Saugeye , for which it has been nationally recognized . Several major fishing tournaments are held each year , with local bass clubs holding weekly contests .
Washington Township is one of the seventeen townships of Logan County , Ohio , United States . The 2000 census found 3,945 people in the township .
The National Register of Historic Places ( NRHP ) is the United States federal government 's official list of districts , sites , buildings , structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance . A property listed in the National Register , or located within a National Register Historic District , may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property . The passage of the National Historic Preservation Act ( NHPA ) in 1966 established the National Register and the process for adding properties to it . Of the more than one million properties on the National Register , 80,000 are listed individually . The remainder are contributing resources within historic districts . For most of its history , the National Register has been administered by the National Park Service ( NPS ) , an agency within the United States Department of the Interior . Its goals are to help property owners and interest groups , such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation , as well as coordinate , identify and protect historic sites in the United States . While National Register listings are mostly symbolic , their recognition of significance provides some financial incentive to owners of listed properties . Protection of the property is not guaranteed . During the nomination process , the property is evaluated in terms of the four criteria for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places . The application of those criteria has been the subject of criticism by academics of history and preservation , as well as the public and politicians . Occasionally , historic sites outside the country proper , but associated with the United States ( such as the American Embassy in Tangiers ) are also listed .
Archaeology , or archeology , is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture . The archaeological record consists of artifacts , architecture , biofacts or ecofacts and cultural landscapes . Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities . In Europe it is often viewed as either a discipline in its own right or a sub-field of other disciplines , while in North America archaeology is a sub-field of anthropology . Archaeologists study human prehistory and history , from the development of the first stone tools at Lomekwi in East Africa 3.3 million years ago up until recent decades . Archaeology is distinct from palaeontology , which is the study of fossil remains . It is particularly important for learning about prehistoric societies , for whom there may be no written records to study . Prehistory includes over 99% of the human past , from the Paleolithic until the advent of literacy in societies across the world . Archaeology has various goals , which range from understanding culture history to reconstructing past lifeways to documenting and explaining changes in human societies through time . The discipline involves surveying , excavation and eventually analysis of data collected to learn more about the past . In broad scope , archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research . It draws upon anthropology , history , art history , classics , ethnology , geography , geology , literary history , linguistics , semiology , sociology , textual criticism , physics , information sciences , chemistry , statistics , paleoecology , paleography , paleontology , paleozoology , and paleobotany .
The Grave Creek Mound in the Ohio River Valley in West Virginia is one of the largest conical-type burial mounds in the United States , now standing 62 feet ( 19 m ) high and 240 feet ( 73 m ) in diameter . The builders of the site , members of the Adena culture , moved more than 60,000 tons of dirt to create it about 250-150 BC . Present-day Moundsville has developed around it near the banks of the Ohio River . The first recorded excavation of the mound took place in 1838 , and was conducted by local amateurs Abelard Tomlinson and Thomas Biggs . The largest surviving mound among those built by the Adena , this was designated a National Historic Landmark in the mid-20th century . In 1978 the state opened the Delf Norona Museum at the site . It displays numerous artifacts and interprets the ancient Adena Culture . In 2010 , under an agreement with the state , the US Army Corps of Engineers gave nearly 450,000 artifacts to the museum for archival storage . These were recovered in archeological excavations at the site of the Marmet Lock , and represent 10,000 years of indigenous habitation in the area .
Moundsville is a city in Marshall County , West Virginia , along the Ohio River . It is part of the Wheeling , West Virginia metropolitan area . The population was 9,318 at the 2010 census . It is the county seat of Marshall County . The city was named for the nearby ancient Grave Creek Mound , constructed 250 to 100 BC by indigenous people of the Adena culture .
The Grand Gulf Mound ( 22CB522 ) is an Early Marksville culture archaeological site located near Port Gibson in Claiborne County , Mississippi , on a bluff 1 mile ( 1.6 km ) east of the Mississippi River , 2 miles ( 3.2 km ) north of the mouth of the Big Black River . The site has an extant burial mound , and may have possibly had two others in the past . The site is believed to have been occupied from 50 to 200 CE . Copper objects , Marksville culture ceramics and a stone platform pipe were found in excavations at the site . The site is believed to be the only site in the Natchez Bluffs region to have been actively involved in the Hopewell Interaction Sphere . It is one of four mounds in the area believed to date to the Early Marksville period , the other three being the Marskville Mound 4 and Crooks Mounds A and B , all located in nearby Louisiana . The mound itself was built in several stages over many years , very similar to the Crooks Mound A in La Salle Parish , Louisiana . Unlike some other Hopewell sites , such as the Tremper Mound in Scioto County , Ohio , the site showed no evidence of a mortuary or communal structure previous to the construction of the mound . The beginning stage is believed to have been a rectangular earthen platform .5 feet ( 0.15 m ) in height , 20 feet ( 6.1 m ) wide on its east-west axis and 3.5 feet ( 1.1 m ) long on its north-south axis . After a period of use , this platform was covered with a mantle of earth 5.5 feet ( 1.7 m ) in height and 26.5 feet ( 8.1 m ) wide along its east-west axis , with an extremely hard cap of earth 0.2 feet ( 0.061 m ) covering the mound . During a third stage another mantle of earth was added to the mound , bringing it to a height of 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) and to approximately 32 feet ( 9.8 m ) in width on its east-west axis .
Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi . As of the 2010 census , the population was 9,604 . Its county seat is Port Gibson . The county is named after William Claiborne , the second governor of the Mississippi Territory . Claiborne County is included in the Vicksburg , MS Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Jackson-Vicksburg-Brookhaven , MS Combined Statistical Area . It is bordered by the Mississippi River on the west and the Big Black River on the north . According to the United States Census Bureau , this small county has the third-highest percentage of African-American residents of any U.S. county , an 84% majority of the population . Located south of the area known as the Mississippi Delta , this area was long a center of cotton plantations and related agriculture . Many African Americans have stayed here because of family ties and making the land their own . Claiborne County was the center of a little-known but profound demonstration and struggle during the civil rights movement .
Port Gibson is a city in Claiborne County , Mississippi , United States . The population was 1,567 at the 2010 census . Port Gibson is the county seat of Claiborne County , which is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River . It is the site of the Claiborne County Courthouse . The first European settlers in Port Gibson were French colonists in 1729 ; it was part of La Louisiane . It was chartered as a town in 1803 after the United States acquired the territory in the Louisiana Purchase from France . To develop cotton plantations in the area after Indian Removal of the 1830s , planters in the state imported thousands of African-American slaves from the Upper South . The county had a black majority established well before the Civil War ; they were overwhelmingly enslaved . Several notable people are natives of Port Gibson . The town saw action during the American Civil War . Port Gibson has several historical sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places ( National Register of Historic Places listings in Claiborne County , Mississippi ) . In the 20th century , Port Gibson was home to The Rabbit 's Foot Company .
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system on the North American continent , second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system . From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota , it flows generally south for 2,320 miles ( 3,730 km ) to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico . With its many tributaries , the Mississippi 's watershed drains all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains . The main stem is entirely within the United States ; the total drainage basin is 1,151,000 sq mi ( 2,980,000 km2 ) , of which only about one percent is in Canada . The Mississippi ranks as the fourth-longest river and fifteenth-largest river by discharge in the world . The river either borders or passes through the states of Minnesota , Wisconsin , Iowa , Illinois , Missouri , Kentucky , Tennessee , Arkansas , Mississippi , and Louisiana . Native Americans have lived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries for thousands of years . Most were hunter-gatherers , but some , such as the Mound Builders , formed prolific agricultural societies . The arrival of Europeans in the 16th century changed the native way of life as first explorers , then settlers , ventured into the basin in increasing numbers . The river served first as a barrier , forming borders for New Spain , New France , and the early United States , and then as a vital transportation artery and communications link . In the 19th century , during the height of the ideology of manifest destiny , the Mississippi and several western tributaries , most notably the Missouri , formed pathways for the western expansion of the United States . Formed from thick layers of the river 's silt deposits , the Mississippi embayment is one of the most fertile regions of the United States ; steamboats were widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to ship agricultural and industrial goods .
Big Black River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi and a tributary of the Mississippi River . Its origin ( region : US-MS & title=Big+Black+River+source 33°41′40″N 89°07′59″W / 33.6944°N 89.1331°W / 33.6944 ; -89.1331 ( Big Black River source ) ) is in Webster County near the town of Eupora in the north central part of the state . From there it flows 330 miles ( 530 km ) in a generally southwest direction until it merges with the Mississippi River 25 miles ( 40 km ) south of the city of Vicksburg . It is the major contributor to the Big Black River Basin . It forms part of the northern border of Choctaw County , passes through Montgomery County , and forms the eastern border of Holmes County and the northern border of Claiborne County . The Big Black River and most of its tributaries are silt-filled . The rivers carry large amounts of suspended sediment , resulting mostly from agricultural runoff . These tributaries are slow-flowing muddy streams . However , some are swift-flowing with sandy bottoms . The Battle of Big Black River Bridge , fought during the Battle of Vicksburg , was part of the Vicksburg Campaign in the American Civil War .
A tumulus ( plural tumuli ) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves . Tumuli are also known as barrows , burial mounds or kurgans , and may be found throughout much of the world . A cairn , which is a mound of stones built for various purposes , may also originally have been a tumulus . Tumuli are often categorised according to their external apparent shape . In this respect , a long barrow is a long tumulus , usually constructed on top of several burials , such as passage graves . A round barrow is a round tumulus , also commonly constructed on top of burials . The internal structure and architecture of both long and round barrows has a broad range ; the categorization only refers to the external apparent shape . The method of inhumation may involve a dolmen , a cist , a mortuary enclosure , a mortuary house , or a chamber tomb . Examples of barrows include Duggleby Howe and Maeshowe . The word tumulus is Latin for 'mound ' or 'small hill ' , which is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *teuh2- with extended zero grade *tum- , 'to bulge , swell ' also found in tomb , tumor , tumescent , thumb , thigh , and thousand .
Indian Mounds Regional Park is a public park in Saint Paul , Minnesota , United States , featuring six prehistoric Native American burial mounds overlooking the Mississippi River . The oldest mounds were constructed 1,500-2,000 years ago by people of the Hopewell tradition . Later the Dakota people interred their dead there as well . At least 31 more mounds were destroyed by development in the late 19th century . They were the tallest Native American mounds in Minnesota or Wisconsin ( except for the unique 45-foot ( 14 m ) Grand Mound outside International Falls , Minnesota ) , and comprise one of the northwesternmost Hopewellian sites in North America . Indian Mounds Regional Park is a component of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area , a unit of the National Park System . The Mounds Group is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The 2014 nomination document provides a description of the archaeology and the context .
Saint Paul ( abbreviated St. Paul ) is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota . As of 2018 , the city 's estimated population was 307,695 . Saint Paul is the county seat of Ramsey County , the smallest and most densely populated county in Minnesota . The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River , and adjoins Minneapolis , the state 's largest city . Known as the Twin Cities , the two form the core of Minneapolis-Saint Paul , the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States , with about 3.6 million residents . Founded near historic Native American settlements as a trading and transportation center , the city rose to prominence when it was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849 . The Dakota name for Saint Paul is Imnizaska . Regionally , the city is known for the Xcel Energy Center , home of the Minnesota Wild , and for the Science Museum of Minnesota . As a business hub of the Upper Midwest , it is the headquarters of companies such as Ecolab . Saint Paul , along with its twin city , Minneapolis , is known for its high literacy rate . The settlement originally began at present-day Lambert 's Landing , but was known as Pig 's Eye after Pierre Pig 's Eye Parrant established a popular tavern there . When Lucien Galtier , the first Catholic pastor of the region , established the Log Chapel of Saint Paul ( shortly thereafter to become the first location of the Cathedral of Saint Paul ) , he made it known that the settlement was now to be called by that name , as Saint Paul as applied to a town or city was well appropriated , this monosyllable is short , sounds good , it is understood by all Christian denominations .
The Sioux ( /suː/ ; Dakota : Očhéthi Šakówiŋ /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/ ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America . The term is an exonym created from a French transcription of the Anishinaabe term Nadouessioux , and can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or to any of the nation 's many language dialects . The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions : the Dakota and Lakota . Before the 17th century , the Santee Dakota ( Isáŋyathi ; Knife also known as the Eastern Dakota ) lived around Lake Superior with territories in present-day northern Minnesota and Wisconsin . They gathered wild rice , hunted woodland animals and used canoes to fish . Wars with the Ojibwe throughout the 1700s pushed the Dakota into southern Minnesota , where the Western Dakota ( Yankton , Yanktonai ) and Teton ( Lakota ) were residing . In the 1800s , the Dakota signed treaties with the United States , ceding much of their land in Minnesota . Failure of the United States to make treaty payments on time , as well as low food supplies , led to the Dakota War of 1862 , which resulted in the Dakota being exiled from Minnesota to numerous reservations in Nebraska , North and South Dakota and Canada . After 1870 , the Dakota people began to return to Minnesota , creating the present-day reservations in the state . The Yankton and Yanktonai Dakota ( Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ and Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋna ; Village-at-the-end and Little village-at-the-end ) , collectively also referred to by the endonym Wičhíyena , resided in the Minnesota River area before ceding their land and moving to South Dakota in 1858 . Despite ceding their lands , their treaty with the U.S. government allowed them to maintain their traditional role in the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ as the caretakers of the Pipestone Quarry , which is the cultural center of the Sioux people . They are considered to be the Western Dakota ( also called middle Sioux ) , and have in the past been erroneously classified as Nakota .
Miamisburg ( /maɪˈæmiːzbɜːrɡ/ my-AM-eez-burg ) is a city in Montgomery County , Ohio , United States . The population was 20,181 at the 2010 census . It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area . Miamisburg is known for its large industry ( mainly for its nuclear operations during World War II ) and retail factors ( such as the Dayton Mall ) commercial business area , which is partially located in Miami Township , but is probably most famous for being the home to the Miamisburg Mound . Miamisburg borders Miami Township , Springboro , and West Carrollton . The sister city of Miamisburg is Owen Sound , Ontario , Canada .
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is a United States national historical park with earthworks and burial mounds from the Hopewell culture , indigenous peoples who flourished from about 200 BC to AD 500 . The park is composed of six separate sites in Ross County , Ohio , including the former Mound City Group National Monument . The park includes archaeological resources of the Hopewell culture . It is administered by the United States Department of the Interior 's National Park Service . In 2008 , the Department of the Interior included Hopewell Culture National Historical Park as part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks , one of 14 sites on its tentative list from which the United States makes nominations for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites .
Chillicothe ( /ˌtʃɪlɪˈkɒθi/ CHIL-i-KOTH-ee ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County , Ohio , United States . Located along the Scioto River 45 miles south of Columbus , Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio . It is the only city in Ross County and is the center of the Chillicothe Micropolitan Statistical Area ( as defined by the United States Census Bureau in 2003 ) . The population was 21,901 at the 2010 census . Chillicothe is a designated Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation .
The Hopewell tradition ( also called the Hopewell culture ) describes the common aspects of the Native American culture that flourished along rivers in the northeastern and midwestern Eastern Woodlands from 100 BCE to 500 CE , in the Middle Woodland period . The Hopewell tradition was not a single culture or society , but a widely dispersed set of related populations . They were connected by a common network of trade routes , known as the Hopewell exchange system . At its greatest extent , the Hopewell exchange system ran from the Crystal River Indian Mounds in modern-day Florida as far north as the northern shores of Lake Ontario . Within this area , societies participated in a high degree of exchange with the highest amount of activity along waterways . The Hopewell exchange system received materials from all over what is now occupied by the United States . Most of the items traded were exotic materials and were received by people living in the major trading and manufacturing areas . These people then converted the materials into products and exported them through local and regional exchange networks . The objects created by the Hopewell exchange system spread far and wide and have been seen in many burials outside the Midwest .
The Scioto River ( /saɪˈoʊtə/ sy-OH-tə or /saɪˈoʊtoʊ/ sy-OH-toh ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles ( 372 km ) in length . It rises in Auglaize County in west central Ohio , flows through Columbus , Ohio , where it collects its largest tributary , the Olentangy River , and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth . Early settlers and Native Americans used the river for shipping but it is now too small for modern commercial shipping . The primary economic importance for the river now is for recreation and drinking water . It is the longest river that is entirely within Ohio .
A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored . They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves . The term can also be used more generally as a description of a place filled with death and destruction . The term is borrowed from Middle French charnel , from Late Latin carnāle ( graveyard ) , from Latin carnālis ( of the flesh ) .
Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning ( combustion ) . Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to the burial or interment of an intact dead body . In some countries , including India and Nepal , cremation on an open-air pyre is an ancient tradition . Starting in the 19th century , cremation was introduced or reintroduced into other parts of the world . In modern times , cremation is commonly carried out with a closed furnace ( cremator ) , at a crematorium . Cremation leaves behind an average of 2.4 kg of remains , known as ashes or cremains . This is not actual ash but unburnt fragments of bone mineral , which are commonly ground down into powder . They do not constitute a health risk and may be buried , interred in a memorial site , retained by relatives or scattered in various ways .
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu ( from Latin : cuprum ) and atomic number 29 . It is a soft , malleable , and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity . A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color . Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity , as a building material , and as a constituent of various metal alloys , such as sterling silver used in jewelry , cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins , and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement . Copper is one of the few metals that can occur in nature in a directly usable metallic form ( native metals ) . This led to very early human use in several regions , from c. 8000 BC . Thousands of years later , it was the first metal to be smelted from sulfide ores , c. 5000 BC , the first metal to be cast into a shape in a mold , c. 4000 BC and the first metal to be purposefully alloyed with another metal , tin , to create bronze , c. 3500 BC . In the Roman era , copper was principally mined on Cyprus , the origin of the name of the metal , from aes сyprium ( metal of Cyprus ) , later corrupted to сuprum ( Latin ) , whence coper ( Old English ) and copper , first used around 1530 . Commonly encountered compounds are copper ( II ) salts , which often impart blue or green colors to such minerals as azurite , malachite , and turquoise , and have been used widely and historically as pigments . Copper used in buildings , usually for roofing , oxidizes to form a green verdigris ( or patina ) . Copper is sometimes used in decorative art , both in its elemental metal form and in compounds as pigments . Copper compounds are used as bacteriostatic agents , fungicides , and wood preservatives .
The mica group of sheet silicate ( phyllosilicate ) minerals includes several closely related materials having nearly perfect basal cleavage . All are monoclinic , with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals , and are similar in chemical composition . The nearly perfect cleavage , which is the most prominent characteristic of mica , is explained by the hexagonal sheet-like arrangement of its atoms . The word mica is derived from the Latin word mica , meaning a crumb , and probably influenced by micare , to glitter .
The Pinson Mounds comprise a prehistoric Native American complex located in Madison County , Tennessee in the region that is known as the Eastern Woodlands . The complex , which includes 17 mounds , an earthen geometric enclosure , and numerous habitation areas , was most likely built during the Middle Woodland period ( c. 1-500 AD ) . The complex is the largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the United States . Sauls ' Mound , at 72 feet , is the second-highest surviving mound in the United States . The Pinson Mounds are now part of Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park , one of two archaeological parks in Tennessee ( the other being Old Stone Fort near Manchester ) . Pinson Mounds is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .
Madison County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Tennessee . As of the 2010 census , the population was 98,294 . Its county seat is Jackson . Madison County is included in the Jackson , TN Metropolitan Statistical Area .
Licking County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio . As of the 2010 census , the population was 166,492 . Its county seat is Newark . The county was formed on January 30 , 1808 from portions of Fairfield County . It is named for the salt licks that were in the area . Licking County is part of the Columbus , OH Metropolitan Statistical Area .