THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND ARTS. [SECOND SERIES.] ART. I.-Description of an Ancient Sepulchral Mound near Newark, Ohio; by O. C. MARSH, F.G.S.' IN the first volume of the Smithsonian Contributions Messrs. Squier and Davis have ably described the most important of those ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley, which render that region so interesting to the student of American. archæology. By discarding vague speculation, which had been the prominent fault of most previous investigators, and adopting that rigid method of research, inaugurated so successfully by Scandinavian antiquaries, these authors were enabled to embody in their work all that was valuable in previous accounts, and to add much new and important information concerning that ancient population of this country, who have left behind them so many imposing structures. The subsequent researches of Squier, Latham, and others, have thrown additional light upon this interesting subject, so that at the present time the "Mound-builders" can no longer be regarded as an unknown people, although both tradition and history are silent in regard to them. Few of these ancient monuments of the West have attracted more attention than the group of 'Enclosures,' or 'Forts,' near Newark, Ohio, which have long been celebrated on account of their great extent, and remarkable regularity. They consist mainly of elaborate earthworks, in the form of a circle, octagon, and square, and enclose an area of about four square miles, on 1 Read before the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Feb. 21, 1866. AM. JOUR. SCI.-SECOND SERIES, VOL. XLII, No. 124.-JULY, 1866. the upper terrace between two branches of the Licking River. They were well described by Atwater, in 1820, who regarded them as works of defense; and subsequently by Squier and Davis, who, however, considered them sacred enclosures." Scattered over the same plain, and crowning the neighboring hills, are numerous tumuli, or mounds, evidently erected by the same people that built the larger works. While on a geological excursion through the West, during the last autumn, the writer spent several days at Newark, examining these various monuments in company with George P. Russell, Esq., of Salem, Mass., who is well versed in everything relat ing to American antiquities. In the course of our investigations a sepulchral mound was opened, which proved to be in many respects the most interesting one of the.kind yet examined. Mounds of this class received from Squier and Davis much less attention than the smaller "Alter Mounds," as the latter usually contain more relics of ancient art. These authors, moreover, examined none of those belonging to the Newark group of works, although the mounds in that vicinity appear to present some points of difference from those of other localities. For these reasons a more detailed account of our explorations will be given than would otherwise be necessary. The mound selected for examination was about two and a half miles south of Newark, on the farm of Mr. Thomas Taylor, and was known in the neighborhood as the "Taylor Mound." It was conical in form, about ten feet in height, and eighty in diameter at the base, these being about the average dimensions of the burial mounds in that vicinity. It was situated on the summit of a ridge, in the midst of a stately forest. On the mound itself several oak trees, two and a half to three feet in diameter, were growing, and near them were stumps of others, evidently of greater age. The mound stood quite alone, nearly half a mile from its nearest neighbor, and about three miles from the large earthworks already mentioned. In our explorations we were greatly assisted by Dr. J. N. Wilson, and Messrs. Dennis and Shrock, of Newark, and Charles W. Chandler, Esq., of Zanesville, who are all much interested in the local antiquities of that region. An excavation about eight feet in diameter was first made from the apex of the mound, and after the surface soil was removed the earth was found to be remarkably compact, probably owing to its having been firmly trodden down when deposited. This earth was a light loam, quite different from the soil of the ridge itself, and its peculiar mottled appearance indicated that it had been brought to the spot in small quantities. In excavating Transactions American Antiquarian Soc., vol. i, p. 126. Smithsonian Contributions, vol. i, p. 67. the first five feet, which was a slow and very laborious undertaking, nothing worthy of notice was observed except some traces of ashes, and pieces of charcoal and flint, scattered about at various depths. At five and a half feet below the surface, where the earth became less difficult to remove, a broken stone pipe was found, which had evidently been long in use. It was made of a very soft limestone containing fragments of small fossil shells, apparently Cretaceous species. No rock of precisely this kind is known to exist in Ohio. Pieces of a tube of the same material, and about an inch in diameter, were found near the pipe. The cavity was about two-thirds of an inch in diameter, and had been bored out with great regularity. Similar tubes have occasionally been found in mounds, but their use is not definitely known. About seven feet from the top of the mound a thin white layer was observed, which extended over a horizontal surface of several square yards. Near the center of this space, and directly under the apex of the mound, a string of more than one hundred beads of native copper was found, and with it a few small bones of a child, about three years of age. The beads were strung on a twisted cord of coarse vegetable fibre, apparently the inner bark of a tree, and this had been preserved by salts of the copper, the antiseptic properties of which are well known. The position of the beads showed clearly that they had been wound two or three times around the neck of the child; and the bones themselves, (the neural arches of the cervical vertebræ, a clavicle, and a first rib), were precisely those which the beads would naturally come in contact with, when decomposition of the body ensued. The remains. evidently owe their preservation to this fact, as they are all colored with carbonate of copper, and the other parts of the skeleton had entirely decayed. The position the body had occupied, however, was still clearly indicated by the darker color of the earth. The beads were about one-fourth of an inch long, and one-third in diameter, and no little skill had been displayed in their construction. They were evidently made, without the aid of fire, by hammering the metal in its original state; but the joints were so neatly fitted that in most cases it was very difficult to detect them. On the same cord, and arranged at regular intervals, were five shell beads, of the same diameter, but about twice as long as those of copper. All had apparently been well polished, and the necklace, when worn, must have formed a tasteful and striking ornament.* Native copper seems to have been the favorite material for ornaments among the mound builders. The metal was, without doubt, derived originally from the Lake Superior deposits, although it may have been found in the drift. It was more probably taken directly from the deposits themselves, as they exhibit abundant evidence of ancient mining operations, which no one familiar with such matters would attribute to the more recent Indians. About a foot below the remains just described, and a little east of the center of the mound, were two adult human skeletons, lying one above the other, and remarkably well preserved. The interment had evidently been performed with great care. The heads were toward the east, slightly higher than the feet, and the arms were carefully composed at the sides. A white stratum, similar in every respect to the one already mentioned, was here very distinct, and extended horizontally over a space of five or six yards, in the center of which the remains bad been laid. The earth separated readily through this stratum, and an examination of the exposed surfaces showed that they were formed from two decayed layers of bark, on one of which the bodies had been placed, and the other covered over them. The smooth sides of the bark had thus come together, and the decomposition of the inner layers had produced the peculiar white substance, as a subsequent microscopic examination clearly indicated. Directly above these skeletons was a layer of red. dish earth, apparently a mixture of ashes and burned clay, which covered a surface of about a square yard. Near the middle of this space was a small pile of charred human bones, the remains of a skeleton which had been burned immediately over those just described. The fire had evidently been continued for some time, and then allowed to go out; when the fragments of bone and cinders that remained were scraped together, and covered with earth. All the bones were in small pieces, and most of them distorted by heat; but among them were found the lower extremity of a humerys, and some fragments of a fibula, which showed them to be human, and indicated an adult rather below the medium size. The two skeletons found beneath these remains were well formed, and of opposite sex. The ossification of the bones indicated that the female was about thirty years of age, and the male somewhat older. It is not impossible that these were husband and wife-the latter put to death and buried above the remains of her consort; and the charred bones may have been those of a human sacrifice, slain at the funeral ceremonies. Near these skeletons was a small quantity of reddish brown powder, which proved on examination to be hematite. It was probably used as a paint.' This white layer, which was thought by Squier and Davis to be the remains of matting, is a characteristic feature in burial mounds. It has only been found where the interments were unquestionably those of mound builders. 6 Among the ancient Mexicans and Peruvians, when a ruler or other person of high rank died, his wives and domestics were often put to death at the tomb, and in some instances the remains were burned, 7 A larger quantity of the same substance was found in another mound near Newark. May not the "iron rust" discovered in the mound at Marietta, and regarded by some as proof that the mound-builders were acquainted with that metal, have been merely this substance! Implements of hematite were, indeed, found in the same mound,-Transactions American Antiquarian Soc., vol, i, p. 168, On continuing our excavations about a foot lower, and somewhat more to the eastward, a second pile of charred human bones was found resting on a layer of ashes, charcoal and burned clay. But one or two fragments of these remains could be identified as human, and these also indicated a small-sized adult. The incremation had apparently been performed in the same manner as in the previous instance. Immediately beneath the clay deposit a third white layer was observed, quite similar to that just described. In this layer was a male skeleton, not in so good a state of preservation as those already mentioned, although evidently belonging to an individual considerably older. In this case also the head was toward the east, and the burial had been carefully performed. Near this skeleton about a pint of white chaff was found, which appeared to belong to some of the native grasses. The form was still quite distinct, although nearly all the organic substance had disappeared. A few inches deeper, near the surface of the natural earth, several skeletons of various ages were met with, which had evidently been buried in a hurried manner. All were nearly or quite horizontal, but no layer of bark had been spread for their reception, and no care taken in regard to arrangement of limbs. These skeletons were in a tolerable state of preservation, some parts being quite perfect. A tibia and fibula, with most of the corresponding bones of a foot, were found quite by themselves, and well preserved. Our excavations had now reached the original surface of the ridge, on which the mound was erected, and we were about to discontinue further researches, when the dark color of the earth at one point attracted attention, and an examination soon showed that a cist, or grave, had first been excavated in the soil, before the mound itself was commenced. This grave was under the eastern part of the elevation, about four feet from the center. It consisted of a simple excavation, in an east and west direction, about six feet long, three wide, and nearly two deep. In this grave were found parts of at least eight skeletons, which had evidently been thrown in carelessly,-most of them soon after death, but one or two not until the bones had become detached and weathered. Some of the bones were very well preserved, and indicated individuals of various ages. Two infants, about a year and eighteen months old respectively, were each represented by a single os illium, and bones of several other small children were found. One skull, apparently that of a boy about twelve years of age, was recovered in fragments, and this was the best preserved of any obtained in the mound. The skeleton of an aged woman of small stature was found resting on its side. It was bent together, and lay across the grave with its head towards the north. Some of the loose, human bones, |