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Back to Subjects - Anthropology

Wright Mounds

Wright Mounds This study explores the Wright Mounds, specifically mound six. Who or what people were buried in mound six? Why were they buried there? And furthermore, what do the patterns in the mound tell us about status among the Adena peoples. In order to make inferences about past cultures we need to understand modern cultures first. There are certain things we look for that show status in modern society. This is called Wealth. Wealth should not be confused with cash or income. It describes what someone owns at one point in time. Many things indicate high status, from objects like jewelry and diamonds, to home and land. These are the types of archeological correlates that will lead this discussion of the Adena peoples towards a conclusion. Mound six has four levels. The first stage being the first created, and the last stage being the last created. Each level’s purpose was to cover the previous level, and each had it’s own central tomb. From the previous excavation of mounds belonging to the Hopewell cult, there is a “sophisticated kind of social organization that is reflected by the…. Earthworks”(Fowler, p2) How is it that social organization can be reflected through a mound of dirt? The answer lies in data. Extensive excavations have produced data about mound six that range from grave goods, to logs. This data must be processed then interpreted to find patterns within culture. What indicates elites within a population? To find evidence for elites within the population of mound six I am going to look at grave goods, labor per tomb, size of tomb, age, and gender. Grave goods are the single most important item in a grave that tells about that person’s past. Various goods found in mound six were indigenous to Adena culture, such as; stone pipes, snake skeletons, shell disk beads, and red ochre. Other items were imported, these are; copper bracelets, conch shells, and marginella beads. From previous accounts it is known that copper headpieces, and marginella beads were of high value, and imports require wealth This graph shows prevalence of gravegoods located in stage. The goods are as follows: Copper, Shell, Marginella Beads, Snake Skeleton, Ochre, Micha, Crafted Goods, and other. Since The objective is to look for correlates to elites, goods that are characteristic of high status should be recognized. In one form copper is an abundant gravegood. Since copper bracelets are so prevalent that it can be inferred that the people buried in this mound were not commoners, but in fact elites. Marginella beads are also a high status good. They are not prevalent, but they are present in stage one and three. Also a copper headdress and conch shell are found in stage 3. What else supports this hypothesis? Labor is another factor that shows evidence of an elite class within a society. The existence of the mound itself shows extensive work being done for the recognition of the dead. The time spent on creating such a tomb can be calculated. Researchers have used experimental archeology to conclude that it takes 10 minutes of labor to produce one cubic foot of pit volume, and 90 minutes to produce one log. The data used in the graph Labor Vs Stage is all averaged. It shows an average number of hours worked per stage. There are obvious outliers within the data, but for the purposes of pattern searching, these outliers are of no concern to this set of data. The graph shows a steady increase in hrs spent on tomb production from stage one to three, then there is a steep decline into the fourth. This shows that perhaps stage three was the peak of some sort of elite people. It could be a burial place for the leaders, or it could be a lineage. To find this gender in the mound must be explored. Leaders in the time of the Adena were only men. Men ruled the countryside. They were big men, chiefs, breadwinners, warriors, and hunters. If mound six were a burial place for leaders, warriors, or hunters one would expect to find only men, but this is not the case. The graph of Gender Vs Stage shows the correlation between males and females. On the X axis is stage, and on the Y-axis is number of individuals. Stage one was the first stage created in the mound. It contains 4 males and zero females. Stage two introduces the first females buried in mound six. Here we see Three males versus two females. Now, in stage three there is an influx of females that exceeds that of males. Specifically there are two males and three females. Stage four shows the possible termination of male burials in the mound. Here only one female is present, Note, however that this female is not the only individual buried in stage four. There is another body and it is unidentifiable as a gender. Consequently, the word termination is used loosely Age is not an indicator of status, but it helps to understand the deaths of the people excavated. The ages show if the mound was used as a tribute to the elderly, or young, those who died at the end of life, or those who died at the beginning. The results show that this mound was clearly not. . This graph shows the distribution of ages at death in the four stages within the mound. There are three individuals between the age of 10 and 20, Nine individuals between the age of 20 and 30, and four individuals between the age of 30 to 40. We see a peak at the range 20-30. Each individual in the mound was at least of young adult age. There were no children, with the exception of one set of infant bones, and there were no elderly. Elderly means upwards of 60 years of age. The most prevalent was the category of 20-30 yrs. A person of this age group would be at his peak, where everything can be done well and without much difficulty. From the data collected, and the graphs I have compiled I believe the people buried in mound six of the Wright Mounds were part of an elite population with ascribed status. The evidence is clear. Every stage has signs of wealth; copper bracelets, and marginella beads. Much labor was put into these tombs, not to mention the mound itself, which is indicative of power. From the distribution of age throughout the mound, a majority of the people buried were between 20 an 40 years old men and women combined There is an influx of women in stage three that exceed the number of men in the mound. If status were achieved the mound would certainly feature more men in stages three and four. Finally Stage three seems to have significance. It is the only stage that has all gravegoods combined, and the most labor per tomb. Perhaps this represents the peak of these elite’s reign. This study may help further research of the Wright mounds and their use during the time of the Adena. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1198