The Barrow Pit and Mound 12

The Barrow Pit and Mound 12. Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park. A barrow pit is a designated source of material for the construction of earthen mounds or enclosures., The only known barrow pit at Pinson Mounds is located near the largest mound, Sauls. The soil removed from this depression was likely used in the construction of Sauls Mound., Nearby Mound 12 was built upon a natural rise that was occupied during the early Woodland Tradition (ca. 800- 200 B.C.). The mound is 4.5 feet high with a base of 75' x 55' and it was constructed, over the earlier occupation, late in the Pinson Site's timeframe, A.D. 400-500., Captions , Upper Left: The Pinson Mounds Site , Middle Left: Near the base of Mound 12 a multi-layered clay platform was found containing a crematory pit and associated cremations. The pit was datable to of A.D. 460, indicating its construction near the end of the Middle Woodland Tradition. - Mounnd 12 , Lower Left: American Indians carefully layered some of the mounds with different colors of soil, sand, and clay. Colors, and the sourcing of different soil types, obviously had a long-standing and deep ceremonial meaning to the builders. The builders did not work with the type of tools that we would have today. They probably used antler picks to loosen soil and deer scapulae (the shoulder blade) to scrape the dirt into woven baskets. They carried the baskets to the mound, adding the contents of one load after another. The material required to build Sauls Mound would fill a line of average-sized dump trucks stretching over 26 miles. , Center: The color layers in this image were found in the Twin Mounds within the Pinson Mounds site. , Lower Right: The Barrow Pit and Mound 12