What is Adena? Discuss its origins, how it spread into the Chesapeake Region. Use archaeological evidence from its point of origin and in the Chesapeake to support your answer.

_What is Adena ? What is Adena ? 1

Running Head : What is Adena

What is Adena

What Is Adena ? 2

Abstract

Adena culture or people were basically found in Chesapeake region Although archaeologists were debating on that thesis , there is no other evidence showing that these people were from any other location . Adena people were basically hunters , farmers , craftsmen and traders . They had traded extensively since there was some evidence that they had traded as far as Gulf of Mexico . They were also one of the mound builders that had

built many mounds of different sizes in Chesapeake region . The mounds that they had built were basically for the purpose of burying their dead . However , there were also effigy mounds build most probably for religious purposes . Their dead were either cremated or uncremated . Along with these dead were artifacts like copper , mica , etc

What is Adena ? 3

What is Adena

Adena were settlers who had lived in areas in Ohia , Indiana , West Virginia , Kentucky , parts of Pennsylvania and New York during the Early Woodland Period . Their name was only derived from an estate near Chillicothe , Ohio were artifacts were excavated in 1901 . Adena were skilled craftsmen , jewellers and pottery makers . They lived in small villages and their main source of living was through hunting , fishing and farming (Adena Period , 2007 . They were also traders since some evidence were located showing copper from Western Great Lake Regions mica from the Carolinas and shells from Gulf of Mexico (The Adena Mounds , 2007 . These people had carved many figurines and artifacts They also had their famous pipe found in burial sites . They were somewhat nomad because of their source of living as hunters and gatherers . In their communities , they had built small circular houses (Ohio and Its People , 2003

Adena people were called mound builders . They built mounds for the purpose of burying and honouring their dead people including some of their possessions . People buried in the mounds were cremated and then were put in small log tombs . However , some people were not cremated and they were buried together with variety of artifacts including flints beads , pipes , mica and copper ornaments (The Adena Mounds , 2007 . They had started building mounds approximately 1 ,000 BC to 100 AD . They built mounds in different sizes . The biggest mound built is in Montgomery County , the Miamisburg Mound , measuring sixty-eight feet covering three acres (Taylor , 2007 ,

. 16 . Construction of these mounds is presumed to be manually built since there is no evidence supporting any mechanical evidence present within any site . Some mounds that Adena built are not burial mounds but effigy mounds . It may be part of their religious ceremony . The most famous effigy mound is the Great Serpent Mound found in the Adams County which measures five feet high and 1 ,330

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feet long . The said effigy mound is shaped like a big snake about to swallow an egg (Taylor , 2007 ,

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Adena people were linked with the Chesapeake Region . Chesapeake...