Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-04-14
PREHIsTORIC STRUCTURE.
t. H. Lewis in Magazine Of Art.

T. H. Lewis in Magazine Of Art.
The mounds of the Mississippi valley vary
much In form and size. The greater number
are small. being from one to four feet in height
and from eighteen to one hundred and fifty feet
in diameter, There are thousands OF mounds
in Mississippi and Arkansas, and there are prob
ably as many in Minnesota. My own personal
surveys In the latter state now exceed one
thousand. and the localities of at least as many
more are known. Those in the bottom lands
in the former states are generally composed of
black, sandy loan. and an examination proves
them To be burial mounds. In addition to hui
man remains they usually contain earthen vessels
and pipes of all sizes and shapes. Occasionally
flint and stone implements, stone pipes articles
oil copper and other relics are found. In Ar
kansas, on the praries and upiands. there is
also great number of these mounds They
are generally built of clay, and it is very seldom
that they contain any implements or pottery
The same may be said in regard to the clay
mounds on the bluffs along the Mississippi.
High mounds are not very numerous. In TACT
mounds Of twenty feet and upward in height are
to be found only occasionally.
TEMPLE MOUNDS
are always associated with mounds of other
forms, and are never Isolated. They have ap-
proaches or graded roadways built to their sum
NIT, and generally have aprons or terraces on
their sides. Their size, and the great amount
OF labor and expense attached to their excava-
ton have probably prevented the true character
Oh the mounds from being known. But it is a
well known fact that the smaller ones having the
same forms were used for burial purposes A
few years ago some parties made an excavation
III the top of temple mound on Captain Hunts
plantation, near Greenville. Miss. They found
portions OF two human skeletons several broken
-nIC np6
mound is sixty feet high, and has ope approach
aud one apron. Numerous as may be the
mounds in Ohio, there are but three known and
described as temples.
PLATFORM MOUNDS
are but another class of temple mounds, and
nave from one to four approaches. Some of
these are also known to contain human remains.
One having four approaches is situated on the
Sterling plantation, near StOneville, Miss.
saw it when the ground was first cleared up.
1t was square, with the sides of equal length.
aud so steep that it was difficult to plOw. After
several years OF cultivation human remains and
large quantities OF broken pottery were thrown
out. All the other mounds in the group that
were put under cultivation were also burial
mounds. There is another class known as
HEARTH MOUNDS.
What they were bnlt for is difficult to say. They
hardly ever reach four feet in height and the
hearth is covered with earth from three inches
to two feet in depth. In one class the hearth is
regular and unbroken, while in others it is COM
posed Of broken pieces of burnt clay, resembling
broken brick, intermixed with earth The
h"arths vary in thickness from One-half to thir-
teen inches. In some mounds there are two
hearths separated by eight or ten inches OF
earth. in which case the upper hearth is much
the thicker. In only two instances have l found
them to contain remains. In one with con-
vex top some human remains were found d.
rectiy beneath the center of the hearth In
another the remains were upOn the hearth. on
the south side. They had evidently been placed
there after the fleshy portions of the body had
uecayed- These mounds could hardly
be called altar mounds. for there are more hay
1ns conlca tops than there are having fiat or
concaye tops In some cases the hearths are
burnt hard. but in every instance the ashes have
ali been removed, and at most only few pieces
OF Charcoal are found. If they had been used as
dwelling places there would be quantities of
rubbish found, such as naturally accumulate
Inc mounds continue at intervals along the
mississippi river as far north as Little Falls
Mimi. and up the Minnesota river to Big Stone
lake: thence along that lake and Lake Traverse.
and down the Red River valley beyond Winui-
peg. in Manitoba
The mounds that have examined both in the
upper anu lower valley seem to have been con-
structed for
BURIAL. PURPOSES,
and the modes of burial were relatively the
same. The vertebra and other small bones are
wanting. The skeletons are not in natural no.
sitions. The relics are generally found near the
skulls. and are of the same form
HOW MOUNDS ARE FORMED
1t Is true that after few years the debris
wOuld form a solid mass. but il would still re-
tain the concaye top and would remain practi-
cally unchanged in after years as no action of
the elements would ever make it's top level or
convex. while the opening in its side would still
be apparent. Clay and black lOam of which the
mounds of Minnesota are formed, does not have
an upward tendency On the contrary. the
movement is in an opposite direction. AS most
of the
MOUNDS ARE BUILT
upon ridges. it would be impossible for them to
take form in this way. Another point to be
taken in consideration is that all the mounds in
an undisturbed state are very symmetrical. slop-
ing gradually from the highest point at the CEN
ter to the outer edge Of the base. After being
thrown up they must have been sodded over,
for unless this were done they would not have
retained their perfect shape and even surface.
An Illustration of this may be seen along any
railroad The sides of the roadbed are contin-
ually washing down. SO that earth has to be
added from time to time until vegetation has
gained fOOthOld. Another fact not to be lost
sight OF is that the mounds show no signs Of
ever having had a fire built in any portion of
them. In nearly all the mounds. however, more
or less charcoal is found and occasionally a
heap Of ashes; but a careful examination of the
earth shows no sign of its ever having been sub
iected TO heat. This is evidence enough that the
ashes were placed there at tine time of the build
ing Of the mound.
The approaches are also regular and show no
signs OF Use A question naturally arises: Why
are there so many human skeletons found within
these mounds? Would the builders have con-
structed them for burial purposes. and after
ward used them as dwelling places? So far as
my examinations have extended. all the evil
dence goes to show that they contain many
human skeletons, and are simply places of
sepucher
Roman Names
From the Gcnteman's Magazine.
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