Monday, August 1, 2016

Large Skeletons Discovered in Stone Burial Mounds, South Of the Newark, Ohio Earthworks


Large Skeletons Discovered in Stone Burial Mounds, South Of the Newark, Ohio Earthworks















The large skeleton was found in a burial mound inside of a large henge (Sun Temple) to the northeast of this large burial mound next to the Fairmount Church in Licking County.





Ohio Historical and Archaeological Society Bulletin, 1900 



     Among the most elaborate and extensive of these works were those on the high hill, the most elevated ground in the vicinity, a short distance north of Amsterdam, near to, and in a  northeasterly direction from the Fairmount church in Licking township. These consisted of a circular wall or embankment, now only a few feet high, enclosing an area of about eight acres. On the outside of this wall is a ditch eight or ten feet feet in width, which was made by throwing the earth out to make the embankment. These works have been plowed over many times, and are gradually disappearing. Within this enclosure there stood, near its center, and within one hundred feet of each other, three mounds, two being of stone. One of the stone mounds had a diameter at the base of forty-five feet, and the other two mounds of thirty feet ; all were about twenty-five feet in height. The two stone mounds were removed many years ago bv Mr. John Cover, who found in the large one some skeletons within three feet of the surface of the ground, which must have belonged to persons of very large size. The stone in these mounds were not of large size, and the earth, after their removal, was very black, and gave indications of the presence of fire before and soon after the commencement f the mounds; perhaps upon the first layer of stone, or more likely, upon altars which had been erected, and upon which sacrifices had been offered as an act of worship, as was the practice of some ancient nations.