The Worship of Meteorites

Abstract

HERE is a small fragment of iron that has a curious history. It is a portion of a mass of meteoric iron found upon a brick altar in one of the Ohio mounds. Along with it were various objects—a serpent cut out of mica—several terra-cotta figurines—two remarkable dishes carved from stone into the form of animals; pearls, shells, copper ornaments, and nearly three hundred ankle bones of deer and elk. There were but one or two fragments of other bones, and one animal furnished but two of these ankle bones; hence they must have been selected for some special, important reason. The figurines had been apparently broken for some purpose, and the whole collection had suffered in the fire not a little. In a like altar of another mound of the same group were found nearly two bushels of like objects.