Sheet Of Copper With Figures.
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1884
label: Collection Date
content: 1883
name: label: Collector
content: James D. Middleton
label: Donor Name
content: Bureau Of American Ethnology
label: Site Name
content: Saddle Site
notes: label: Notes
content: Copper repousse plate depicting two dancing Birdman figures (?); Upper Bluff Lake, Union Co., Illinois; Mississippian, Classic Braden style; Date: A.D. 1100-1200. The so-called "Upper Bluff Lake dancing-figures plate." May be a headdress plate. From card: "Stone grave. Copper with dancing figures. Embossed decoration. N.M. Rep. 1896 Fig. 152, p. 502. BAE Rept. 5 p. 106 fig. 49 [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27907889 ]. BAE Rept. 12 p. 161 fig. 85 [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27749314 ]. Nov. 1977 - Copper plate presently mounted between glass sheets framed in wood. They should be properly mounted in plexiglass when possible. Glue has been used to adhere the plate to the glass. - J. Gardner." Loaned to Harvard-Peabody 9-6-83, returned 11-1-83. Lent to Detroit Institute of Arts 1-29-85, returned 3-25-1986."
label: Notes
content: The BAE report on Mound Explorations by Thomas p. 161, includes this: "Grave No. 1 contained the skeleton of an adult, extended, face up, head west. The cover to the coffin, which had not been disturbed, was 2 feet below the surface." It contained a discoidal, a shell, and several pieces of copper plates. One is described as "the other, bearing dancing figures, is fortunately but slightly corroded; it measures 6 by 6 1/2 inches, and is shown in Fig. 85. The later plate was laying flat on the bottom rock of the grave at the left of the skull immediately above the shoulder."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 26 Apr 2024
label: Site Number
content: 11U284
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Bluff Lake Near, Union County, Illinois, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Archaeology
culture: label: Culture
content: Mississippian
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 014255
label: USNM Number
content: A88142-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Plate