Adena

Term used in North American archaeology to describe a group of sites in the middle Ohio River valley, particularly in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, most of which date to the halfmillennium following 500 BC. The best-known sites are earthen mounds, many of which have a distinctive conical shape, and other earthworks. Many mounds were built over places where one or more large, special-purpose structures were previously located. The mounds were built gradually through the addition of graves and layers of earth. They contain different kinds of graves, including loglined tombs with skeletons and valued artefacts, such as copper bracelets. Adena mounds were often built in prominent places, presumably serving as important landmarks for nearby dispersed populations.

A widespread native American culture of the Early Woodland period, centred on Southern Ohio. It is best known for its ceremonial burial practices, particularly mound building (e.g. Grave Creek Mound). Adena mounds date from as early as cl000 be, but do not become common until 500 be. Hunting and gathering was the main subsistence base, but limited horticulture may have been practised. Other characteristic cultural traits include small village dwelling units (possibly seasonally occupied), longdistance trade, and both inhumation and cremation as means of disposal of the dead. A typical artefact inventory would include cord-marked pottery, engraved stone tablets, blocked-end-tube smoking pipes, birdstones, boatstones and hammerstones.

A widespread Native American culture of the Early Woodland period in the Ohio Valley and named after the Adena Mounds of Ross County. It is known for its ceremonial and complex burial practices involving the construction of mounds and by a high level of craftwork and pottery. It is dated from as early as c. 1250 bc and flourished between c. 700 and 200 bc It is ancestral to the Hopewell culture in that region. It was also remarkable for long-distance trading and the beginnings of agriculture. The mounds (e.g., Grave Creek Mound) are usually conical and they became most common around 500 bc There was also cremation. Artifacts include birdstones, blocked-end smoking pipes, boatstones, cord-marked pottery, engraved stone tablets, and hammerstones. Artifacts distinctive of Adena include a tubular pipe style, mica cutouts, copper bracelets and cutouts, incised tablets, stemmed projectile points, oval bifaces, concave and reel-shaped gorgets, and thick ceramic vessels decorated with incised geometric designs. [Adena point]