OCR Text |
Show 8o BASIS OP AMERICAN HISTORY of native silver and gold or meteoric iron have also been found. It cannot be shown that any of these metals were ever smelted from the ore, though copper and the precious metals were sometimes cast in ancient Mexico. All iron objects which have been found, except the few of meteoric iron, are of European manufacture. .^ Of all prehistoric remains, stone objects are the most common; and together with pottery form the bulk of archaeological collections. This is due in large part to their resistance to destructive agencies, for objects of wood and vegetable materials decay rapidly, and even bone objects are preserved only under favorable conditions. > Among the most important classes of stone objects are the few human images discovered, mainly in Georgia, Tennessee, and southern Illinois. They all exhibit considerable similarity, varying in size from a few inches to over a foot in height. 1 Another interesting group of objects are supposed to have been used for ceremonial purposes. They are finely finished and polished, as a rule, and were made of various kinds of stone, slate being the favorite material. They include such objects as " banner stones," bird or saddle stones, boat- shaped implements, etc. Weapons in great variety, such as arrow- points, spear- heads, knives, axes, celts, etc., form a large group and have been divided into numerous classes, 1 Thomas, " Stone Images from Mounds and Ancient Graves " { American Anthropologist, IX. t 404- 408). |