Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-06-02
THE MOUND BUILDERS
Professor Pulnam's Es=PsFtant
Archaeological Discoveries in
Ohio.
New York Times.

The annual meeting OF the Boston
Society Of Natural History was held
last evening at the society's building
A highly interesting statement was
made by Prot e. w. Putnam, curator
of the Peabody Museum OF Harvard
| University, concerning bis recent ex-
piorations OF mounds IL the Ohio val
lley.-The sui jet was illustrated BIZ
drawings hung upon the wall and b
photographs. These explorations, 10
which he was assisted By DR.. c. L.
Metz, Of Jacksonville, o., we're made
last year, and we're restricted to one
particular mound field or tract, upon
the borders Of the Little Mama river,
10 jacksonville, about twenty miles
from Cincinnati. 1t is to be regarded
as one OF the ielieities of the event.
tor the work and its results constitute
an event in the full significance of the
word-that being situated so near to
one of the great cities of the land, il
happened that no persons impelled by
mere idle curiosity have hitherto dug
into these mounds in q random way,
and thus practically destroyed them In
respect to their special value to the
arcb@ologist. The excavations now
made were conducted upon the
most approved methods of science.
Nothing worthy OF notice has escaped
observation andrecord, and every relic
has been carefully preserved for scien.
ti6c purposes. In the brief discussion
which followed the Professors state.
ment, one of the members of the soci-
ETY. declared the results thus reached
to be the most important discovery
yet msde in American archaeology.
Several Of these mounds were what
are called ALTAR mounds" and in
these the valuable and instructive
relics were found. These in numbers
and variety, were sufficient in then
selves, If none others had ever been
found, to give a very distinct and, 1t
might be said, comprehensive idea of
civilization or social state of the an
cient mound builders. Among other
things found were articles OF personal
adOrnment, such as earrings of pearl
and bracelets of metal. The precise
advance of the art Of working metals
is thus disclosed. The metals had
been wrought by hammering the
ore. Molten work was beyond the
skill, or rather the knowledge
Of the artifeer. The metals were iron,
copper, silver and gold. This is
the first time gold has been
found In the mounds. The gold.
and In some instance, the copper was
used for plating an inferior metal,
being hammered thin and clinched at
the eOds. Most significant Of all, per
haps, was little statuette, which not
only presented the human form 10 a
itmight almost be said artistic, |
contour, but showed also the car |
rings and the drspery of the waist, |
which was fashionable in the American |
times. Some of these relics
must originally have come from the
Florida coast, from Lake Superior.
and from the Rocky mountains,
thus either extensive
migration or INSTRUMENTATION. The
Indications are that cremation of the
dead was practiced by these natives.
and that az altar mound is significant
Of some great sacrificial ceremony, and
that these trinkets and relics, some oil
which pertained to the useful arts.
represented an offering on the part Of |
these people equivalent, in comparison |
with our scale OF values, to hundreds |
Of thousands of dollars.