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Biltmore Mound

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Biltmore Mound
LocationBiltmore Estate, North Carolina
TypePlatform mound
Diameter30 meters (98 ft)
Height2 meters (6 ft 7 in) (originally)
History
MaterialEarth
Founded400-600 AD
CulturesConnestee people, Hopewell tradition
Site notes
Discovered1984

The Biltmore Mound is a historical and archaeological site on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

Description

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The Biltmore Mound is a platform mound which was originally 2 meters tall and 30 meters in diameter. There are 62 postholes on the mound,[1] where ritual posts were once placed.[2] These posts were removed and the holes were filled with sediment before the mound was abandoned.[3] It originally served as a substructure wooden buildings used as civic or religious sites by nearby settlements.[4] These buildings may have included an earthen Great House, approximately 25 meters in diameter.[5] The site is very well preserved which makes it extremely valuable to archaeologists. It was encircled by a large village[3] which has also been excavated.[6]

History

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The site was used during the Middle Woodland Period and is associated with the Connestee people,[7] ancestors of the Cherokee.[8] They are a place of importance in Cherokee historical memory.[5] Native American presence in the area dates to as early as 8,000 BC.[9]

The mound was built over an older settlement dating to about 300 AD. The beginning of the mound's construction is dated to between 400 and 550 AD.[1] It is one of the earliest mounds in the Appalachian Summit along with the similarly aged Garden Creek Mound, both of which are in the French Broad River watershed. The latest phase of construction occurred between 580 and 600 AD.[1] Nine distinct phases of occupation and use have been identified by archaeologists.[10] Towards the end of the period, a large ditch was dug around the mound.[2]

It is considered to be a part of the Hopewell tradition of Native American cultural networking.[2] Evidence of wide-reaching trade, including copper possibly from the Ohio River Valley and mica possibly from Macon County, has been found there.[9] The site was used intensively for ceremonial activity and communal feasting.[11] Numerous artifacts, including pottery, seashells, quartz crystals, minerals and metal items, have been found there. Large amounts of seeds and faunal remains were also deposited at the site, probably from feasting.[3]

Archaeology

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The first modern archaeologist to report the site was David Warren who performed an archaeological survey of the Biltmore Estate in 1984.[5] Archaeologists from Appalachian State University began excavating the site in 2000.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kimball, Larry R.; Whyte, Thomas R.; Crites, Gary D. (2010). "The Biltmore Mound and Hopewellian Mound Use in the Southern Appalachians". Southeastern Archaeology. 29 (1): 44–58. ISSN 0734-578X. JSTOR 41620047.
  2. ^ a b c "Biltmore Mound and the Appalachian Summit Hopewell". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  3. ^ a b c Wright, Alice P.; Henry, Edward R. (2019-10-01). Early and Middle Woodland Landscapes of the Southeast. University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0-8130-6528-1.
  4. ^ Angel, Heather (2023-11-03). "Before Biltmore Estate: Earliest Inhabitants". Biltmore. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  5. ^ a b c Wright, Alice P.; Horsley, Timothy J. (October 2019). "What Surrounds Connestee Mounds? Insights from Magnetometer Survey at Biltmore Mound (31BN174), Buncombe County, North Carolina" (PDF). North Carolina Archaeology. 68: 63–80.
  6. ^ Boyd, C. Clifford; Whyte, Thomas R. (2023-06-13). Archaeology of the Southern Appalachians and Adjacent Watersheds. Univ. of Tennessee Press. pp. 129–160. ISBN 978-1-62190-774-9.
  7. ^ Whitemire, Tim (2003-01-29). "ASHEVILLE INDIAN MOUND STUDIED\ THE SITE'S LOCATION INSIDE THE BILTMORE ESTATE SAVES IT FROM THE INTRUSION OF MODERN CULTURE". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  8. ^ Boyle, John. "Answer Man: Did the Cherokee live on Biltmore Estate lands? Early settlers?". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  9. ^ a b c Neal, Dale. "Cherokee reclaim landmarks of ancient Asheville". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  10. ^ Tim Whitmire. "Mound gives insights into ancient Indians". Wilmington Star-News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  11. ^ Wright, Alice P.; Loveland, Erika (2015-01-30). "Ritualised craft production at the Hopewell periphery: new evidence from the Appalachian Summit". Antiquity. 89 (343): 137–153. doi:10.15184/aqy.2014.34. ISSN 0003-598X.
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