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Since it appears that there is relatively little
readily available information in many parts of the world on American
Archaeology, this Internet page aims to inform archaeologists on the
subject. The aim is to facilitate
This page will be refined and improved as
deemed necessary and useful.
Version 1.3
The Adena Culture
of the
of the Eastern US
By
(Copyright © 2000-May 16,
2007. All rights reserved)r
The Geography
During the Early through the beginning of Middle Woodland periods (ca. 1000 BC – AD 100) the Adena culture or tradition existed in Ohio Valley.
The Adena are found in the Eastern Woodland
Culture Area, especially in the central part of the State of
The Adena type-site is the Adena estate, just west of
Chronology
Adena is generally dated between ca. 1000 BC – AD 100 or ca. 800 B.C. – 100 A.D. The list
of Adena radiocarbon dates does not permit precise conclusions, but could it
may suggest a beginning as late as 500 – 400 BC and an end as late as 100
– 200 AD. The demise of the Adena is related to the development of Hopewell tradition,
dated as early 100 BC.
Artifacts
“Adena stemmed
points” and leaf-shaped blades are similar to those of Glacial Kame. The
Adena, like the later Hopewell, made
pipes. An extraordinarily skillfully human representation is a carved
stone pipe found in Burial 21 of the Adena Mound in Ross County in
1901. It illustrates Adena
clothing, headdress, ear spools, and a
bustle on the back side. The pipe measures 5.0 by 6.6 by 20.0 cm (1.97 by 2.60
by 7.87 inches).
Of special interest are the Adena
tablets with stylized designs, indicating abstractions of realistic
motives.
The Mound Builders
The beginning of monumental
architecture is currently being reevaluated. The first monumental structures
may have been built in the Middle Archaic,
as early as 4500 – 4000 cal BC. More intensive mound building occurred
during the Early and Middle Woodland Period, especially among the Adena.
The Archaic Glacial Kame and
Red Ochre cultures, located just to the north and west of the Adena, foreshadow
their development by burying their dead in the natural mounds. Glacial Kame
also shares some of the burial rituals, including cremation. These customs are
thought to receive their full expression in the burial customs of the Adena.
They built a large number of
conical burial mounds or tumuli. Grave Creek Mound,
The Adena constructed not only
mounds, but also single causeway, circular enclosures, sometimes with an
interior ditch. Typically these enclosures measured about 50 - 65 meters
(150 - 200 feet) in diameter. One of the largest burial mound and sacred circle
complexes is on Wolf’s Plain on the Hocking River, in The Plains, Athens
County, Ohio.
Mounds and Enclosures
Sites in Ohio:
Detailed map of
Ohio and its Rivers
- Shrum Mound, Campbell Park, Columbus
Location on west side of the Scioto River
View from the top of Shrum Mound to the
southwest
- Miamisburg Mound, Miamisburg
Location
in Southern Montgomery County
- Hartman Mound and Wolfe’s Plains Group, The Plains
- Enon Mound, Enon
Location
in Southwestern Clark County
- Wolf’s Plains Mound and Enclosure Group, The Plains
Location
North West of Athens in Athens County (Site not marked on this map, but the
mounds and a sacred circle are directly in the town of The Plains)
Sites in West Virginia:
- Grave Creek Mound, Moundsville, West Virginia
Location in
View of Grave Creek Mound with
References and Links
Links from the Ohio Historical Society
Ohio
Historical Society Timeline
"Adena,"
by
"Excavation
of the Coon Mound and an Analysis of the Adena Culture," by
"Excavations
of the Adena Mound," by
"The
Archaic Cultures and the Adena People," by
"The
Spruce Run Earthworks: A Forgotten Adena Site in Delaware County, Ohio,"
by
See Also: Archaeology
"Excavations
of the Adena Mound," by
Please send comments or questions to Max Baldia.