6. Jefferson's Process and Findings
Jefferson’s findings had a profound impact on the future disciplines of anthropology and archaeology because he documented what he observed. At a time when searching for material value or treasure was at the forefront of most antiquarian’s minds, Jefferson was more interested in the discovery of the truth about what he was investigating. The knowledge borne from the excavation of the mounds was where the wealth was hidden for him and he donated that wealth to the rest of the world through the publication of his book. The last pages of the chapter described what the mounds looked like from the outside prior to excavation stating, “It was of a spheriodical [sic] form, of about 40 feet diameter at the base, and had been of about twelve feet altitude…”[1]
He explains his methods of entry to the mound, “I first dug superficially in several parts of it, and came to collections of human bones, at different depths, from six inches to three feet below the surface.”[2] He discovered in these bones that they were not solely standing erect as once thought, but rather mixed in their configuration to include vertical, horizontal and “entangled.”[3] From this disarray of bones he posited that they were arbitrarily placed into the area as if they were “emptied promiscuously from a bag or blanket”[4] and then promptly covered by dirt. Jefferson describes the condition of the bones and their brittleness, the types of bones present as well as their sizes and color. “This bone was white, all the others of a sand color. The bones of infants being soft, they probably decay sooner, which might be the cause so few were found here.”[5]
He explains his methods of entry to the mound, “I first dug superficially in several parts of it, and came to collections of human bones, at different depths, from six inches to three feet below the surface.”[2] He discovered in these bones that they were not solely standing erect as once thought, but rather mixed in their configuration to include vertical, horizontal and “entangled.”[3] From this disarray of bones he posited that they were arbitrarily placed into the area as if they were “emptied promiscuously from a bag or blanket”[4] and then promptly covered by dirt. Jefferson describes the condition of the bones and their brittleness, the types of bones present as well as their sizes and color. “This bone was white, all the others of a sand color. The bones of infants being soft, they probably decay sooner, which might be the cause so few were found here.”[5]
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| Stratigraphy (SOURCE) |
He excavated the mound further and documented the stratigraphy of the mound as well as the layers in which each artifact or ecofact was located, a shockingly modern scientific consideration developed by James Hutton, the Father of Modern Geology, in the same era the excavation was taking place.[6] Jefferson was able to conclude from this study of the strata that the mounds were developed by placing the first collection of bones of the multiple deceased on the main level of earth, then covering them first with stones followed by dirt, then repeating this process by depositing a second collection of bones and covering them with stones and earth, continuing on until the mound grew to the size it currently was.[7]
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| SOURCE |
Jefferson stood strong in his conclusion that
the mounds belonged to the native peoples of the area. “I know of no such thing
existing as an Indian monument… that they were repositories of the dead, has
been obvious to all: but on what particular occasion constructed, was a matter
of doubt.”[18] Jefferson
supports his theory that the local or original tribes to the area were the
creators of the mounds by recounting a time in which he observed a traveling
band of Native Americans approach the particular mound under excavation thirty
years prior. The tribe “went through the woods directly to it, without any
instructions or enquiry, and having staid [sic] about it some time [sic], with
expressions which were construed to be those of sorrow, they returned to the
high road…”[9] He attributes the
existence of the children’s bones for their mourning and makes note of other
mounds in the area which had experienced similar interactions with native
peoples.
[2] Ibid, 142
[3] Ibid, 142
[4] Ibid, 142
[5] Ibid, 143
[6] "James Hutton: The Founder of Modern Geology | AMNH." American Museum of Natural History. Accessed April 19, 2019. https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/earth-inside-and-out/james-hutton.