Ohio History Journal

(434)

storage or refuse-pits;

however, it may be of

significance that prac-

tically all burials in the

feed-lot area were ori-

entated toward the east,

northeast and south-

east, as shown on the

map. The burial found

within the strip to the

south of the farm-

house had the head of

the enclosed skeleton almost directly toward the west.

Of the 21 burials uncovered,

15 lay extended at length upon the

back; two lay upon the back with

knees drawn upward; three were

of undetermined position owing to

recent disturbance; and one skele-

ton, disarticulated and incomplete,

was found in a refuse pit. Of the

total of 21, 12 were adults, two

adolescents, and seven were children ranging from in-

fancy to ten years of age. Five of the 21 had pottery

vessels placed with them, while four others were accom-

panied by minor artifacts. Of the total number of

burials, one had been disturbed by the depositing of a

later burial, and two had been partly displaced in the

construction of storage-pits. A single burial was par-

tial, indicating re-burial.

THE BURIALS IN DETAIL

Burial Number 1 -- This grave contained the skele-

ton of a child of about four years of age, extended upon

the back, with head almost due east; with it was an

earthenware pot (Fig. 1) of about three pints capacity,

having four handles. Within the pot, was a mussel-

shell spoon (Fig. 2) decorated with notches cut upon

its edges.

Burial Number 2 -- Skeleton of a child (Fig. 3) of

approximately five years old, extended upon the back

with head toward the east. A pottery-vessel (Fig. 4)

of one quart capacity, having two handles and a scal-

Burial Number 3 -- Skeleton of an adult (Fig. 5),

extended upon the back, with head toward the north-

east. At the abdominal region was found a triangular

arrow-point of drab flint.

This burial and the two

preceding ones were at a

depth of two feet below

the surface.

Burial Number 4 --

An adult skeleton, appar-

ently buried extended up-

on the back, with head a

trifle north of east. The

original burial lay only

one foot below the sur-

face, but bones of the legs and feet had been re-

moved in digging the grave for burial Number 3, and

were found at a depth of two feet below the surface,

beneath the skeleton of the last-named burial.

Burial Number 7 -- Just across the fence dividing

the feed-lot from the barnyard and within the latter,

there had been noted a year or two previously, a burial,

from which workmen, in re-setting the fence, had re-

moved a shell container. As the burial had not been

further molested, it was felt that so small an encroach-

ment upon the forbidden barnyard area was justified,

and the skeleton accordingly was exposed. The burial

was that of an adult, extended horizontally, with head

toward the southeast. Alongside the left forearm lay

a perforated canine tooth of the black bear. The shell

container, now in the collection of Dr. H. Lee Good, of

Hamilton, measures 11 inches in length and is made

from the Fulgur perversum. It is shown as Fig. 6.

cut, Fig. 7. The depth of this burial was so slight that

the skull was but 10 inches, and the knees but seven

inches, below the surface. At the pelvis lay a small

earthenware pot, of less than one quart capacity and

without handles. The type of this vessel, as well as its

decorative imprint, is somewhat different from the

typical vessels of the site. Alongside the left ear was

found a short spool-shaped ear ornament (Fig. 8) made

from soft reddish stone, closely resembling both in size

and form the spool-shaped ear ornaments of copper

found with the burials of the Hopewell culture group.

east. An interesting feature of this burial is the fact

that a subsequently constructed storage pit had resulted

in the displacement and removal

of the lower portions of the skele-

ton, as shown in the cut, Fig. 9.

The burial was at a depth of two

feet.

Burial Number 10 -- An in-

complete adult skeleton, placed at

length upon the back with head

toward the east; skull, cervical

vertebrae and feet bones absent;

depth of burial, a trifle less than

two feet.

Burial Number 11 -- Skeleton of an infant, ap-

Burial Number 13 -- Skeleton of a child, extended

burial with head toward the southeast; had been dis-

turbed by the plow.

Burial Number 14 -- Adult skeleton, placed hori-

zontally at length, head toward the southeast.

Burial Number 15 -- Skeleton of a youth, extended

upon the back with head to the northeast. An interest-

ing vessel (Fig. 10) of about three pints capacity, lay

at the right side of the skull.

Burial Number 17 -- In-

fant, extended burial, with

head to the southeast; at the

pelvis reposed two triangular

arrow-points of drab-colored

flint.

Burial Number 18 --

Adult, badly decomposed as a

result of shallow grave; ex-

tended burial, with head to-

ward the southeast.

Burial Number 19 -- This grave furnished the sec-

ond example for the site of a burial disturbed by the

construction of a storage-pit. In this instance the body

had been deposited upon large slabs of limestone, and

the digging of the pit had removed the lower one-half

of the skeleton, including the pelvis. The cut, (Fig. 12)

shows the slabs in place with the skull as it lay when

found, but through an oversight, the remaining skeletal

parts were removed before the photograph was made.

The edge of the pit, as it impinged upon the burial, may

be seen in the cut.

Burial Number 20 -- Skeleton of an adult, extended

upon the back, with head toward the southeast; this

skeleton lay in a very shallow grave and was badly de-

composed. With it were several bone implements, in-

cluding an awl, made from a leg-bone of the deer.

which usually burns to a reddish hue, this vessel is made

from a very fine and smooth slip, without visible

tempering material, and as a result of firing has a dark

brown to black color. Tests of fragments show, despite

their thinness, extreme strength and resistance to use

zontal lines, arranged somewhat shield-like as to pat-

tern. All traces of fabric or basketry container, that

may have been used in its manufacture, have been re-

moved. Professor C. B. Harrop, of the Department of

Ceramic Engineering of Ohio State University, to

whom the vessel was submitted for examination, pro-

nounces it as most exceptional from a primitive ceramic

viewpoint. It was a considerable achievement, he points

hammer, (Fig. 17), com-

prise practically the only

types of pecked and

ground stone implements

found in the site. Celts

were not numerous, but

the hammer-stones were

fairly abundant.

Implements of Bone --

The principal type made

from bone found in the

site are the awls, the elon-

gated scrapers or beam-

ers, and the hoes or dig-

ging  implements.  The

bone awls are mainly of

three types -- those made

from the ulna of the wild

turkey and other large birds; those fashioned from the

metapodial (and occasionally from other leg-bones) of

the deer; and those made from splints and split strips of

various animals and bird bones. These forms are shown

in the cut, Fig. 18. A single example of the long curved

bodkin-like needle, with the perforated base for ac-

commodation of the thread, was found. Specimens of

the scraper -- one made from the metapodial bone and

one from the femur of the deer, are shown in Fig. 19.

The shoulder blades of the deer and the elk appear to

have been the favorite bones used by inhabitants of the

site as hoes. Not infrequently these are perforated,

Shell Implements--Hoes, scrap-

ers and spoons, or ladles, are the

three forms commonly made from

shell, as found in the Campbell site.

The last-named is illustrated in con-

nection with the description of pot-

tery vessels found with burials; the

hoes and scrapers are shown as Fig.

21. In the former, the cutting edge

of the implement often is strikingly

worn, showing energetic use; in the

scrapers, as will be noted, the mar-

gin of the shell is ground away to

form a straight or slightly curved

line at the point of contact with the

object or material to be shaped.

those found at the Madison-

ville site. The lower portion

of the implement, correspond-

ing to the cutting edge, is cut

partly away, to leave a curved

bit, while the projection higher

up, resulting from the removal

of a tine, apparently served as

a stay for the thong which,

passing around it, helped to

secure the handle to the poll of

the implement. Other forms

of antler implements are the

chisel and the hollow point

(Fig. 23), the flint-chipping

implement and   the arrow-

point shown as Fig. 24. An

interesting digging implement,

in the form of a hoe, is shown

as Fig. 25. This notched speci-

men, chipped from an argil-

laceous rock, is the only one

of the kind found in the site.

Tobacco Pipes -- But three specimens of pipes were

found in the site -- two of them, a small cubical form

and an unfinished L-shaped specimen, both of sand-

stone, (Fig. 26), taken by our survey from refuse pits,

and a finely made platform type, (Fig. 27), taken from

raccoon; three beaver tusks, used as chisels or knives;

an ornament made from a section of the jaw of the gray

wolf; and a perforated canine tooth of the black bear.

A cache of 72 unfinished projectile points, of grayish-

colored chert, was found in one of the refuse pits in the

feed-lot.

That the Campbell Island site was not a particularly

prosperous settlement is indicated by the scarcity of ob-

THE HINE MOUND AND VILLAGE SITE

The Hine Mound and Village Site are located upon

the farm of Mr. George Hine, about five miles south

of Hamilton, in Ross township, Butler county, Ohio.

They occupy a rather strategic position, the plateau-like

terrace on which they are situated deriving natural pro-

tection on the east from the declivitous descent to the

Great Miami River, and on the south and southwest

from an almost equally abrupt descent to the bed of a

tributary stream from the northwest. Since the pre-

now occupies a new channel a mile or more to the east-

ward.

After completion of the examination of the Camp-

bell Island site, the survey spent ten days in a pre-

the latter site proved to be similar in every way to the

Campbell Island site, and that both are attributable to

the same culture group of Ohio aborigines, it is deemed

of considerable extent and

importance. Mr. Hine de-

clares that during the up-

wards of a half century that

he has lived upon the farm,

and throughout the preced-

ing years of cultivation by

his father, at least one hun-

dred skeletons have been dis-

lodged by the plow, many of

which were accompanied by

pottery vessels. According to his observations -- and

this is borne out by the examination made by our survey

-- practically all buri-

als were in extremely

shallow  graves.  A

number of graves

which had been prac-

tically eradicated by

the plow were located,

but none that lay

deeper were to be

found within the short

time at our disposal.

A few refuse pits, and

a considerable area of

refuse-bearing  soil

were examined with the result that a representative

series of implements was obtained. Practically all the

which was found buried in the refuse deposit above

referred to, at a depth of 15 inches below the surface.

In connection with the Hine village site is a burial

mound, which was found to be approximately 60 feet

in diameter and slightly less than seven feet in height

at its apex. There had been some doubt as to whether

this elevation was an artificial mound or merely one of

the gravel kames not uncommon in the vicinity. It was

found to be artificial in its entirety, and to be con-

remains. It proved

to be an exception,

however, in this re-

spect, and was found

to contain only five

burials.

Burial Number I

-- At a distance of

ten feet from the

eastern margin of

the mound was found

Burial Number i. It

was that of a young

adult, the skeleton

extended upon the

back, with the head

toward the northeast.

The burial, as it was

uncovered, is shown

as Fig. 29. A fine pot-

tery vessel, decorated

with looped lines

about the neck, lay

capacity (Fig. 31) and decorated with a pleasing de-

sign, lay at the left side of the head. A shell spoon

(Fig. 32) was inside the vessel.

Burial Number 3 lay southeast from the center of

the mound. The skeleton, an adult, was extended, with

head toward the north. It was unaccompanied by arti-

facts.

Burial Number 4, (Fig. 33), lay a short distance

south of center, was extended upon the back with head

Burial Number 5 was that of a child which occupied

a shallow grave near the top center of the mound. It

had been disturbed by the plow, and the accompanying

pottery vessel was badly broken.

The only additional feature of

the Hine mound was the occur-

rence at approximately the cen-

ter of its base or floor-line of up-

wards of 100 limestone slabs,

ranging from small and medium-

sized to very large and heavy

specimens.  These covered a

space of 10 by 12 feet and were

laid without apparent order, some of them flat upon the

surface and others on edge. These stone slabs, toward

the south side of their extent, were in places placed one

COMPARISONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Examination of the Campbell Island site and of the

nearby Hine site, though neither of them are extensive,

add definitely to the accumulating evidence concerning

the great Fort Ancient culture group in Ohio. While

less than a quarter of a century ago but a single site of

the group had been examined, there are now available

published results of complete examinations of at least