Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley / Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. I.

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

49668

Title

Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley / Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. I.

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This seminal 1848 Smithsonian volume documents the ancient earthworks of the Mississippi Valley, arguing for the high antiquity and sophisticated civilization of their builders. Through detailed surveys of fortified hills and sacred mounds, the authors reveal a culture capable of complex engineering, religious ritual, and long-distance trade, challenging contemporary notions of indigenous barbarism.

Summary up to 500 words

In *Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley*, E. G. Squier and E. H. Davis present a comprehensive survey of the prehistoric earthworks of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, published as the first volume of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. The authors systematically document fortified hillworks, such as those near Granville, Ohio, and the mouth of the Great Miami River, alongside sacred enclosures containing altars and mounds. They meticulously describe the construction of massive defensive structures, including high walls, deep ditches, and gateways, often utilizing natural topography for strategic advantage. Inside these enclosures, the authors detail excavations revealing mounds containing altars paved with stones or sand, frequently marked by layers of burnt earth and charcoal, indicating sites of ritual sacrifice. Significant artifacts recovered from these sites include copper axes, mica crescents, obsidian tools, pearl beads, and carved serpents. The text argues that the presence of materials from Lake Superior to Mexico within single mounds proves a contemporaneous, widespread civilization rather than a migrating tribe. Furthermore, the authors use the age of surrounding forests and geological terraces to assert that these works predate European settlement by centuries. They establish the mound-builders as a distinct, highly developed race that achieved a transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural society independently. The work concludes that agriculture originated domestically in America, specifically citing maize as an exclusively American plant, thereby refuting theories of foreign importation and affirming the high antiquity and sophistication of the ancient builders.

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Categories

• History
• Archaeology