GA's Ancient Civilizations

Thought some of you folks would enjoy the following article. I had driven within 50 yds of this mound for almost ten years during the 1990s going and coming from my hunting lease without even realizing it was there. It is completely wooded currently, and was only discovered through Satellite images during the 1970s. It seems there is some controversy regarding some of the claims made by the author in relation to a possible Mayan connection. The property owner has allowed very little in the way of researching the find since it's discovery. Either way, a very interesting read. I have killed many a deer within site of this place. http://www.examiner.com/article/ame...mysterious-kenimer-mound-the-nacoochee-valley

Interesting, thanks for posting.

Very interesting. Seems the Cherokee used all the old mounds as they occupied the region. I think i have seen that ridge in the valley, my Dad in the 70's had permission to fish the upper hooch near there.

I'm curious about the hill with the house on it that you can see in the same field as the small Indian mound with the gazebo on the right as go into Helen. It has always looked like an Indian mound to me.

The hill with a house on it is a mound i believe theres at least 4 mounds between the nachoochee mound and sautee creek but these properties are strictly posted. I used to have permission to hunt a portion of this property on the south side of the river and made a few bowkills from the mound i believe the article is written about.

Cabin creek man said:

The hill with a house on it is a mound i believe theres at least 4 mounds between the nachoochee mound and sautee creek but these properties are strictly posted. I used to have permission to hunt a portion of this property on the south side of the river and made a few bowkills from the mound i believe the article is written about.

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I think so too, it certainly looks like an Indian mound and is near other mounds. It must have been built back in the day, I can't imagine the fit the historians would have if you said I'll believe I'll flatten off the top of that Indian mound and put a house on top of it.

That house is probably haunted as all get out.

There is an Indian mound in Cobb County that people ride by all the time and not know it and it is very easy to see.

Really? I live here in May-retta and dont know about it either. Where abouts is it if you dont mind?

Villa Rica rd. At the creek where the horse farm is. Coming from Marietta just as soon as you cross the creek on the right. There is another one near Hurt rd. Next to Nickajack creek. I have never saw it but have been told it was there by people that knew.

Buckbuster said:

Villa Rica rd. At the creek where the horse farm is. Coming from Marietta just as soon as you cross the creek on the right. There is another one near Hurt rd. Next to Nickajack creek. I have never saw it but have been told it was there by people that knew.

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I have seen the one off Villa Rica and always thought it was a mound. Really can't see it except during the winter and even then it's hard to see driving down the road.

On the Cobb Corp land near Allatoona Creek there is a "hill" in the swamp that just doesn't look right. Flat all around it.

As for the mayan connection there was an episode of "ancient america" that covered that. It was based on similar art work and a mineral that is very important to the mayans that is rare in central america, but common in the areas of GA that had similar art work etc...

Having been to both mayan sites and mississippian sites in GA, the similarity of much of the art work is interesting. I have no doubt that there was interaction, but then again, by the mississippian period trade was being carried out throughtout N. America, there is no reason that it was not carried out with central america too. We know that corn/maize was domesticated in Mexico, where the Maya had many city states and it had spread to pretty much all of N. America by the time of Columbus. I see no reason why there would not be cultural flow, both ways between the mayan city states of central america and those of the natives of the the southern US.

I know of 1 decent size mound in Rockdale county. It was very visible from the road 20 years ago but is hidden by pine trees now.

Ga's Ancient Civilizations

redneck_billcollector said:

As for the mayan connection there was an episode of "ancient america" that covered that. It was based on similar art work and a mineral that is very important to the mayans that is rare in central america, but common in the areas of GA that had similar art work etc...

Having been to both mayan sites and mississippian sites in GA, the similarity of much of the art work is interesting. I have no doubt that there was interaction, but then again, by the mississippian period trade was being carried out throughtout N. America, there is no reason that it was not carried out with central america too. We know that corn/maize was domesticated in Mexico, where the Maya had many city states and it had spread to pretty much all of N. America by the time of Columbus. I see no reason why there would not be cultural flow, both ways between the mayan city states of central america and those of the natives of the the southern US.

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I've noted from reading all that I can find about these ancient peoples, and they are amazing in the things they accomplished.
One question has always intrigued me is how did they transport these heavy items overland to distant sites, for example, I used to hunt for points along the Alapaha River, and found a place that only could have been a site for point making, knapping and things like that, it is on a sand bar of the river and the sand is at least 40% rock chippings, flakes and other small particles of what I've always called flint. But my point is, how did they get this material to the site, there were no domesticated animals at the time, and in the case of the site mentioned above, the source of the material left behind is not located anywhere near this site. How did they haul a fifty pound or larger rock more than a hundred miles, over rivers, land and swamps to an apparent communal place to knap? Remember, there were no horses, mules or any animal big enough to move a load this heavy, and although I don't know for sure, I don't think that the natives in the southeast used sled or travois for hauling, I think they were mainly a Plains Indian conveyance and a recent development at that.
olcop:

I know some of the Northern tribes like the Souix used dogs as beasts of burden. But it is a tribute to their survival skills. Wonder if the used the river to transport their stuff?

olcop said:

I've noted from reading all that I can find about these ancient peoples, and they are amazing in the things they accomplished.
One question has always intrigued me is how did they transport these heavy items overland to distant sites, for example, I used to hunt for points along the Alapaha River, and found a place that only could have been a site for point making, knapping and things like that, it is on a sand bar of the river and the sand is at least 40% rock chippings, flakes and other small particles of what I've always called flint. But my point is, how did they get this material to the site, there were no domesticated animals at the time, and in the case of the site mentioned above, the source of the material left behind is not located anywhere near this site. How did they haul a fifty pound or larger rock more than a hundred miles, over rivers, land and swamps to an apparent communal place to knap? Remember, there were no horses, mules or any animal big enough to move a load this heavy, and although I don't know for sure, I don't think that the natives in the southeast used sled or travois for hauling, I think they were mainly a Plains Indian conveyance and a recent development at that.
olcop:

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I'm guessing slung from poles. Two men could carry 100 lbs. easily and moving in relays go right along.

When De Soto crossed the Mississippi, and approached what is now Oklahoma, he recognized Indian goods that they knew came from Mexico. The local Indians didn't know where they came from, just that they had received them in trade.

olcop said:

I've noted from reading all that I can find about these ancient peoples, and they are amazing in the things they accomplished.
One question has always intrigued me is how did they transport these heavy items overland to distant sites, for example, I used to hunt for points along the Alapaha River, and found a place that only could have been a site for point making, knapping and things like that, it is on a sand bar of the river and the sand is at least 40% rock chippings, flakes and other small particles of what I've always called flint. But my point is, how did they get this material to the site, there were no domesticated animals at the time, and in the case of the site mentioned above, the source of the material left behind is not located anywhere near this site. How did they haul a fifty pound or larger rock more than a hundred miles, over rivers, land and swamps to an apparent communal place to knap? Remember, there were no horses, mules or any animal big enough to move a load this heavy, and although I don't know for sure, I don't think that the natives in the southeast used sled or travois for hauling, I think they were mainly a Plains Indian conveyance and a recent development at that.
olcop:

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If no good stone was available locally, they would travel to a good stone source and either quarry or gather surface stone. This stone would normally be in large tabular pieces, nodules, or sometimes boulders. With hammerstones, large spalls would be taken from the parent stone, which would then be trimmed down to even smaller sizes with small hammerstones and antler billets. This would be done to lighten the load and cut down excess weight and waste. These "preforms are shaped roughly like tomahawk or ax blades and can range from 3 inches up to a foot or more in length. Many of these can be carried in a pack basket with tumpline attached.

On arrival back at an established camp or village, these preforms could be further worked into tools and weapons, with leftover flakes that could be utilized into even more tools. Nobody would bother to carry parent stone any distance simply because of sheer weight and no knowledge of whether the stone was even usable, due to weather fractures, low grade change inside the stone, or any number of factors.

Many caches that are found are preforms, that were hid and never returned to, for one reason or another. Good stone was a valuable trade item and always in high demand. Some of it traveled mighty long ways from where it was found. When you take into account that foot travel was the only mode of transportation, it it even more incredible. Obsidian from present day Yellowstone found in Ohio and the Midwest, Ridge and Valley chert from North Georgia found in Seminole County Georgia, Tennessee Dover chert found in Lee County Georgia, with research you can find more.

There is a site in Lee county where every point found has been made of Dover/Duck River Tn. chert or Kentucky Blue. It is within less than a half mile of an outcropping of quality grade coastal plains chert. The rivers were major trade routes. Steatite bowls have been found in the river in the downtown Albany area. The material came from soapstone ridge in the Atlanta area.

I've seen microblades found in eastern TN made from Ohio Flint Ridge material. There was an obsidian point found in the Town Creek Mound in central NC. I've found several points here in western NC made from KY blue hornstone, and rhyolite from about 200 miles to the east of here. Black Knox chert points from 70-80 miles west are really common here.

When De Soto took his field trip, they found Indians in N. GA. and N. C. that had sea shells, and the Spaniards wondered where they came from. They knew that the French and Spanish had settlements on the Ga/Fl. coast, but they didn't know how far away it was, and the Indians couldn't tell them.

When De Soto go to eastern Oklahoma, everything west looked like desert (why they turned around) the Indians had goods that the Spaniards recognized came from Mexico, but again the Indians couldn't tell them exactly where they came from, or how far away. In fact the Spaniards were pretty accurate about the source of the Mexican goods.