Post holes at Adena Mound   Save
Ohio History Connection Archaeology Photograph Collection
Description: Photograph showing post holes at Adena Mound near Chillicothe in Ross County, Ohio, 1901. Many Adena mounds cover the remains of large buildings as well as burials, but because the Adena people dismantled or burned down these structures before building their mounds, the only evidence of their existence are the filled-in holes where the wall posts and roof supports once stood. Buildings were generally round with single posts (early Adena) or pairs of posts (late Adena) spaced at regular intervals. These post holes are useful for determining the width of the structure (usually 15 to 60 feet across, although some exceed 90 feet) and the size of the wall posts. The exact purpose of these structures is not known. In 1901, while curator of archaeology for the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection), William C. Mills excavated the Adena Mound. He and his team of workers discovered a number of artifacts in the mound, including copper bracelets and rings, slate gorgets, spear points made from Flint Ridge flint, and many bone and shell beads. The most remarkable artifact found in the Adena Mound was the Adena effigy pipe, also known as the Adena Man, which is now recognized as the state artifact of Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV17_B01F01e04_01
Subjects: Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Adena Mound; Excavations (Archaeology)--Ohio; Mounds--Ohio--Ross County
Places: Ross County (Ohio)