It is possible that these large mounds were originally well formed stacks that have been changed due to the effects of gravity, animals walking over them, and trees falling on them. I would guess that the interiors of these piles are still constructed of stacked stones.
Another type of stone pile is a stone pile connected to a large boulder. These are rare in this area. I think that the reason for this is that there are few large boulders in this area. The bed rock is shale, the only large stones are an occasional glacial erratic.
The most striking style of stone pile are the stacked stone piles. They can be further broken down into styles.
Some of these stacked stone piles are circular and they taper with the shape of the hill. They are taller on the uphill side of the pile and less defined on the lower end. This could be the result of gravity's pull or they may have been built this way. This type of pile is usually built on the side of a hill facing the sun. By tapering the design anything laid on top of the pile would get excellent exposure to the sun. This might have been done for agricultural reasons or it could be that bodies would be placed in the sun until the flesh was gone, then the bones of the dead would be buried in the cairn.
Some of the stacked stone piles are rectangular and connected to a circular stack at one end. These seem to be located at the crest of a hill.
The final style is a small cylinder. This type of stone pile would likely be a trail marker. They are often set in lines at even intervals. Like many of the stone piles, when you find one the next one will be found as far as you can see in line with the last one.
4 comments:
I think these formations are interesting. Thanks for posting the pictures. It would be cool to come upon some in your neck of the woods. -Judy
Hello
I live in Georgia near a park that has extensive stone piles. The piles are located near a water source and watershed area. Now the area is an overgrown wooded Ravine with a waterfall that runs dry in the summer.
I cannot find any history about the area. Last weekend, I came across what appears to be an old bone fragment- I found this after a heavy rain
Our stone piles resemble the last two pictures on
your site. What period are those stone piles from?
Just curious
Laure
Thanks
Laure
just came across one of these formations yesterday, one of the strangest i've seen around this area (western pa) it was about four foot high, ten feet long and five feet wide with round mound of soil and dirt on the one corner. it was clear that whomever done this, dug up the rectangle, placed the removed soil to the side forming the dirt pile and then preceded to fill in the hole with creek rock from about 50 feet over from the creek bed. after the pile was large enough then rock was taken to make staked outside walls. also found burnt wood (several pieces varying in size from 6 inches to 3 feet)inside the rock pile with decades worth of humus and moss and leaves atop it all. strange to say the least
I know exactly where you’re talking about. I’m only sorry I just found this comment so many years later. You’re talking about the ceremonial complex near the creek ravine that empties into the Little Mulberry River. I’ve been there. Here’s what I can tell you… I can’t tell you exactly where, but there are burials there, but they are not easily spotted. a classically trained archaeologist is not going to know exactly where to look. In this case, that is probably a good thing, so that the burials are not disturbed. Artifacts are not going to be found around these stone structures, but occasionally you might find one in the middle of them in a niche. A lot of the other stone structures are what you would call memorial cairns or altars of remembrance. These are usually built to remember a person or something that happened there, or close by or something that was linked to the area. There is also most likely the remnants of a village close by, but it would not be a parent, and most likely any evidence of it would have been destroyed by farmers as long ago. All you have to do is look for a wide open area on a slight rise or plateau not too far from the water. This particular site has running water and a waterfall running through the middle of the ceremonial site for a specific reason. There are also culturally modified marker trees in the area. This is something the average person would not know to look for, and would not know them if they saw them without special training. This is a place where the solar equinox is observed during the spring and autumn. There are also special shaped stones that have been modified or altered to point in specific directions at certain times of the year for solar alignments. This also requires a keen eye and special training, so that you know what to look for. In simplest terms, it is a sacred place. You know, it’s a shame. The structures up on Poole mountain nearby are already being destroyed. I went up there fairly recently, and saw what I needed to see. Some of the structures are already destroyed or damaged. Others are still somewhat intact. Large slabs of stone and piled stones. Marker trees. Probably an underground spring, and the creek down at the base of the mountain provides the water. Might be some springs coming out of the side of the mount. Same as the ones in Little Mulberry Park. You may find a stacked stone altar in the highest place. That’s all I can really tell you, because the rest is privileged information and cannot really be shared with just anyone.
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