Some individuals were cremated, others were placed in structures called charnel houses where the decomposition process was begun, and then later buried. The tombs and the mounds themselves were constructed in a number of different ways. Mound construction typically began with the laying of a sand or clay floor, or a platform in the center, upon which the body and artifacts were placed. Over this, layers of earth, clay, sand, and gravel were piled up to make a mound. Alternatively, the mound was built up around a tomb made of logs or large stone slabs.
Many mounds contain several burials dispersed through the different layers.
Lifeways The Hopewell diet was based on hunting and gathering, and supplemented by rudimentary agriculture. They lived in villages located along the flood plains of rivers. They built mounds near their villages, typically on high bluffs. The large clusters of mounds, such as those at Toolesboro, probably served as ceremonial centers for regions. Those groups participating in the Hopewell traditions had a high degree of social stratification, that is, they had a social hierarchy.