Pottery in the woods

[BobGuy]

A family member bought some property a few years ago so I decided to do some exploring in the woods this morning. While I was out I noticed a small mound of dirt and after looking closer I realized that it was covered in pottery shards. I can't believe I haven't seen this before.

The mound is only a couple of feet high and sits at the bottom of a steep hill where trash has been dumped for I would say at least the last 50 years. What do you think it could be? A heap of Native American trash? A pile of dirt someone dumped that just so happened to have pottery? I don't know a lot about the way the natives actually lived so I don't have any idea what this would actually be.

After finding this, I began to look around for other evidence. I noticed that there is a berm that forms a semicircle off of a section of this hill side. There is a break in the berm in the middle of it where you can walk through. Based on the trees that are growing out of this I would say it is at least 50 years old as well. I tried to take a panorama but it is hard to see.

So there is a steep hill that trash has been dumped over for the last 50 years. A small mound of dirt littered with pottery shards and a hundred yard, or so, long berm forming a semicircle up against this hill. The small mound is outside of the berm. Any thoughts? Are the two related? Would the natives have made a berm like structure or is it most likely modern?

 

[mainejman]

All I can say is quick Bob grab the rake and shovel.Those are some pretty good hunks of pottery especially for surface finds.Sounds like a great place to dig...good luck...mjm

 

[NCPeaches]

It looks native american to me, is it wet or glazed in the pic? I would definitely carefully start poking around in that area.

 

[rock]

Interesting story. The dirt pile was probably pushed up by tree roots. The circle is probably a old trash dump more modern like from the 50s. I know in the fields where I hunt they will take the Bobcat and make those circles with berms to tier the levels of a hill for planting. Could be a old field that hasn't been used in many years and trees have now grown. Now the berm is where the top soil was pushed that is where the good stuff will be.

 

[GaRebel1861]

Have you tried putting the pieces of pottery back together? In the picture it looks like it all might be from the same pot. Interesting site.

 

[BobGuy]

It looks native american to me, is it wet or glazed in the pic? I would definitely carefully start poking around in that area.

They are just wet. Not glazed...

 

[BobGuy]

Have you tried putting the pieces of pottery back together? In the picture it looks like it all might be from the same pot. Interesting site.

They are definitely not all from the same pot. I identified a few as being from the same one though. There are more out there because I couldn't carry everything back.

 

[BobGuy]

Interesting story. The dirt pile was probably pushed up by tree roots. The circle is probably a old trash dump more modern like from the 50s. I know in the fields where I hunt they will take the Bobcat and make those circles with berms to tier the levels of a hill for planting. Could be a old field that hasn't been used in many years and trees have now grown. Now the berm is where the top soil was pushed that is where the good stuff will be.

I am struggling with the idea that it could be a root ball. How long would it take for the tree to completely disappear if the ground was pulled up from a fallen tree? Could it be that a tree fell 300 years ago, completely decomposed, and now there is a small hill of dirt left over with exposed pottery?

 

[civil_war22]

That does look close to being native amberican

 

[beadman2]

mound looks to be exsactly that a trash heap or midden....the berm more than likely an earthwork ...make a sifting screen and start sifting ...you will be amazed at whats in there...also if you find all the pieces to a pottery vessel....it can be glued back together

 

[unclemac]

you need to put on you investigating hat and get busy

 

[BobGuy]

you need to put on you investigating hat and get busy

 

[undertaker]

There are some small mounds in the middle of a large swamp along a small creek that I search for arrowheads that are littered with pottery shards. I was told by a friend who is of abenaki descent that they were burial grounds. I have never touched or disturbed anything in this spot and I tend to stay away from it all together.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Very Nice finds,

I would as suggested, rake and dig very carefully, then begin the process of sifting the dirt. Who knows what wonderful finds await you.

Regards,

 

[beadman2]

hey undertaker....you arent afraid of ghosts r u?....lol.....actually i shouldnt laugh ...ive had some paranormal experiences looking sites....prob just trash heaps....not the burials...though....but i suppose out of respect for your friend prob best to not disturb

 

[BobGuy]

Is there a consensus on what the berm may be? I think it is safe to say that the small hill is a midden or trash heap. Beadman2 suggested that the berm may be an earthwork. What do you mean by that?

 

[NCPeaches]

I think it's just dirt moved around by whatever and wouldn't worry too much about it being a burial mound. The shards on top are probably just from heavy rains washing them into a sort of pile or something like that. Not sure if you know but back in the 1920's and up to 1950's or even later people didn't think much of these artifacts and would just toss them anywhere to get them out of the way...so sad :-(. And when the community college was built here it was right in the middle of a place where meetings and pow wows were held and the bulldozers dug up, broke and buried tons of pottery. I say it's safe to sift, dig and rake it and around it but if you find bones you have to report it, not sure what state you are in but in NC you have to call the Sheriff's dept if they are human bones so they can determine if they are old or new and if native american then you have to cover them back up. I would love to find what you have found and it would be hard to stop me from digging up and sifting every thing out there lol

 

[civil_war22]

Not to sound like a moron but my uncle has several caves on his property with writing on the walls and stuff. One day some goons moved a huge rock with a tractor that we had dug around for years and moved it outside. They dug about three foot below it and found some of the nicest blades, pottery shards, and even several beads. Obviously not sure what to make of it at first kept digging and hoping to find more They ended up digging up a broken skull and immediately stopped. Come to find out obviously that rock had been placed on top of the corpse of a long dead Indian and on the bottom of the rock we found out later that it had ceremonial writing on it from the Indians who once lived in the dwelling and over the years the erosion had eaten away at the rock that was once part of the roof and it collapsed down on where the skull was found. They called sheriffs office and put everything including blades, shards, and beads back in and they showed up along with coroner. Skull went with coroner and as far as I know never came back to the cave. Hole is still open and some jack wagons took off with the stuff in the hole. Now uncle has several no trespassing signs up and two gates in front of the entrances

 

[beadman2]

bobguy ...earthworks are usually characteristic by man made shapes or forms made from surrounding dirt or (earth)....sometimes stone but i could be wrong there dont quote me.....usually in the shape of circles or pyramids maybe even mounds sometimes effigys of animals or even human....examples cahokia or even nasca lines peru the serpent in ohio etc......some earthworks may even be pallisaded in other words it was built to be a defense usually with a habitation zone from within the defense....some built up with berms etc or natrually defensible features such as deep ravines or cricks etc on 3 sides.....then they would enclose entrance with trees driven in the ground...(hence post mold)

 

[beadman2]

and i would not call anyone if you do come across bones....just cover em back up and shut ur mouth ....u will open up pandoras box there .....99% common sense tells you ....its an indian...duh especially if youve picked up an artifact....farmers plow em out ocassionally in farming...some r shallow