Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Burial 1
Burial
Burial 1 & Cremation 1
Magrath 1945:42
Feature Description:
- Molded from puddle clay mounded to a height of about eight inches above the floor
- Slabs of white sandstone covered nearly every part of the figure and formed a
complicated mosaic of conjoined circles
- Measured 32 feet from wing tip to wing tip, and 16 feet from head to tail
- Two extended burials occurred, one over each wing of the eagle
- Burial 1, platform of puddle clay 14 inches high made after completion of the effigy
- Burial 1 enclosed in fine, clean river sand
- Circular hearth, two feet wide, is north of burial’s head on right side
Contents:
1. Human skeletal remains (1)
- southern wing
- extended
- head to the west
- incredibly large
2. Human skull (1)
- purposely broken
- at feet
3. Platform pipe (1)
- plain type
- limestone
- on chest
5. Flake knife (1)
- [fancy primatic blade, gem]
- on chest
- pink chalcedony
6. Copper earspools (2)
- birch bark clings to cymbals
- in hands on chest
- possibly fastened to clothing
7. Clay pedestal with stone celts (4)
- polished diorite
- on pedestal south of head
- two very large
- one nearly a foot long and polished like glass
- one blue-green
8. Ceremonial of shale (1)
- unknown position
9. Fragments of copper
- probably breastplate
- unknown position
10. Cache of tiny seeds
- similar to flax
- unknown position
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Burial 2
Burial
None
Magrath 1945:43
Feature Description:
- Molded from puddle clay mounded to a height of about 8 inches above the floor
- Slabs of white sandstone covered nearly every part of the figure and formed a
complicated mosaic of conjoined circles
- Measured 32 feet from wing tip to wing tip, and 16 feet from head to tail
- Two extended burials occurred, one over each wing of the eagle
- Burial 2, enveloped by a clay cover which may have been worked into a plastic
mortar before being laid down
- Probably laid on a 14 inch platform of clay
- See Photo
Contents:
1. Human skeletal remains (1)
- extended on back
- head to west
- five feet eleven inches
- holes from disease in forehead
2. Flake knives (4)
- [other translucent and other flint prismatic blade]
- laid out in a row
- three made from red and white jasper
- near right ankle
3. Deer antler awls (“a small cache of”)
- near feet
4. Slender piercing implement (1)
- drab flint
- by left hip
5. Hollow copper ball (1)
- tennis ball size
- double perforation in one hemisphere
- likely attached to top of staff
- near right shoulder
- wood grain shreds found clinging to holes
- small stones inside, possibly post depositional
- three finger bones inside [Photo]
6. Hacked up skulls (“at least two”)
- at feet
[Photo]
- Burial 2, 1 log high on all 4 sides
- No floor prep, no apparent body warp, cover prep unknown
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Burial 3
Burial
None
Magrath 1945:43
Feature Description:
- Located west of the southerly line of cremations
- Probable secondary burial
- Wrapped in matting, twined cloth, and inner layer of buckskin
- See photo
Contents:
1. Human skeletal remains (1)
2. Breastplate (1)
- shaped like a hoe-blade, perforated for suspension
- 5 3/4th inch wide
- on chest
3. Copper axe (1)
- on chest beside plate
[Photo]
- Floor wall, cover shows no prep platform absent, no visible body wrap
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Burial 4
Burial
None
Magrath 1945:43-44
Feature Description:
- Stone grave, sandstone slab at the head
- West of the north wing tip of eagle effigy
- Long axis in east-west direction
- Built of field stones and blocks of sandstone, 11 feet long by six feet wide
- Skeleton lay on clean, fine river sand
- See photo
Contents:
1. Human skeletal remains (1)
- extended on back
- right hand on chest, left hand on stomach
- head to east
2. Panpipes (1)
- cone tubes encased in copper (1)
- three tubes linked together
- in right hand on chest
- surrounded with hand by red paint
3. Hollow wood tube (1)
- probably a flute
- six inches long, 3/8 inch at small end, one inch plus at other end
- silver sleeve, two inches wide enclosed narrow end, petal shaped silver inlays
graced wider end
- in left hand
4. Arrow point (1)
- [quartz point]
- made of smoky quartz
[Photo]
- Water Barrier of light stone?
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Horseshoe Feature
Miscellaneous
Not Applicable
Magrath 1945:45
Feature Description:
- Horseshoe shaped feature with walls of dry-laid masonry 12 feet in circumference
and 2.5 feet high
- Floor covered by tamped down clay and then paved with stone blocks averaging one
foot square
Contents:
1. Human skeletal remains (?)
- skull fragments only
- axe marks in paving suggests these skulls were broken up with axes and are debris
from the broken skulls at the feet of Burials 1 and 2
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Offering
Ceremonial Deposit
Not Applicable
Magrath 1945:44-45
Feature Description:
- West of the great stone grave (Burial 4) and north of Burial 5
- Enclosure of laid-up stone forming a wall three feet high
- opening to the south on the central corridor
- Clay pedestal at center of enclosure, 14 inches high and somewhat wider
- Fire kindled on top or ashes placed on pedestal before deposited
- Red paint spread to 0.5 inches thickness over ashes
Contents:
1. Triangular mica sheets (“a bundle”)
- on top of red paint
2. Cooper earspools (4)
- smashed into outline of a quadrangle five inches square
- on top of mica sheets
3. Wood residue
- neck and head of a bird or serpent preserved
- eyes formed by white inlays (perhaps seed pearls)
- inside quadrangle of earspools
4. Cannel coal objects (4)
- in a neat square outside the copper earspool quadrangle
- two were broken gorgets
- one was oblong and imperforated, domino size and shape
- one was long, narrow, thin with one edge brought up into a double bevel
5. Galena chunks (2)
- perhaps more originally within the rotted wood inside the earspool quadrangle
6. Mica sheets (6)
- above other items
7. Red paint
- covered entire offering to 0.5 inch thickness at center
8. Arrow points (2)
- near the edge of the offering
9. Fine flake knife (1)
- near the edge of the offering
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Burial 5
Burial
None
Magrath 1945:44
Feature Description:
- North of the corridor and west of the fireplace
Contents:
1. Human skeletal remains (1)
- bundle burial
- bones not in normal relationship
- skull missing
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 1
Burial
Burial 1 & Cremation 1
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 2
Feature Description:
- Just north of Burial 1 by hip
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 2
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 3
Feature Description:
- West of Burial 1 above head
- Associated with two other cremations
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 3
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 4
Feature Description:
- West of Burial 1 with two other cremations
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 4
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 5
Feature Description:
- West of Burial 1 with two other cremations
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 5
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 6
Feature Description:
- West of Cremations 2, 3, and 4
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 6
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 8
Feature Description:
- West of Cremation 5
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 7
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 10
Feature Description:
- East of Burial 2
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Note: This cremation is indicated on an early field map that was drawn before
excavation was complete. It is not included on the final map of North Benton, or at least
not in the same location. It is probably indicated on the final map as one of the three
cremations positioned in a line to the west of the head of Burial 2 on the later maps.
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 8
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 11
Feature Description:
- West of Burial 2
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts
Site:
Provenience:
Provenience Type:
Burials in Same Grave:
Primary Source:
North Benton Mound
Cremation 9
Burial
None
Magrath 1939b: Map, Original Burial 12
Feature Description:
- West of Cremation 8
- Clay platform
Contents:
1. Cremated human remains (1)
No Artifacts