e (Austin 166). Mounds of varying geometric shapes and mounds with platform and fortress features were produced by Hopewell culture, and although Hopewell mounds vary in size, a mound height of about 30 feet and a length of 100 feet does not appear to be unusual (Shetrone passim; Silverberg 10-25). The structure of Hopewell society has been inferred from artifact and human-remains excavations of mounds in the Woodlands region.
Hopewell culture and the earthworks associated with it did not reflect unitary but rather diverse populations distributed across the geographical area of coverage (Asch and Asch 150-5). The existence of a complex cultural system has been inferred from various results of excavation and analysis: extraction of such well-crafted items as animal figurines carved in copper and flint, small polished stone sculptures, and pipes; variations in burial customs and patterns, reflecting social rank; and topographical survey of the Woodlands region (Lepper 52).
Odell (105ff) cites evidence of use of blades as tools in Hopewell domestic, burial, and ceremonial contexts, suggesting an application of hand tools to practical social uses. Auferheide, et al. (334-6, et passim) associate decorated ceramics found in Minnesota, normally considered outside the Woodlands tradition, with an extension of Hopewell culture northward and westward from Ohio and Illinois. This might suggest migratory patterns for Hopewell peoples, and according to James, the Hopewell are to be classi
...