Posted on 12/03/2002 8:10:24 AM PST by ameribbean expat
Bones at Miami Circle suggest beheading rite BY MARTIN MERZER mmerzer@herald.com
Two human bones found inside the Miami Circle suggest a gory purpose of the ancient carving now surrounded by hotels, banks and offices: Scientists believe severed human heads were displayed there, possibly as a warning to enemies.
''We think we have found evidence of mortuary activities at the Circle,'' said archaeologist Robert Carr, one of the discoverers of the enigmatic 38-foot-wide stone artifact that was unearthed four years ago in downtown Miami.
The two bones -- a C1 vertebra and a C2 vertebra -- were from different people and were found within five feet of each other inside the eastern arc of the circle, an area that faced the rising sun and any enemies approaching from Biscayne Bay.
Such vertebrae frequently are associated with decapitations. The reason: Upper vertebrae can separate from a mounted head, fall unnoticed to the ground, become covered by debris and lie hidden for hundreds or thousands of years.
''It kind of takes the warm, fuzzy aspect out of the Circle,'' Carr said.
The bones, previously undisclosed, were found buried about 12 inches deep in a layer of ''cultural material'' -- earth containing broken pottery, discarded animal bones and other relics of ancient inhabitants.
''The features are very clear,'' said Alison Elgart-Berry, a physical anthropologist from Cornell University who works with Carr and first identified the human bones. ``There is no doubt that the bones are from two different human beings.''
An official announcement of the discovery will be made today.
Now widely known around the world, the Circle is located on the south bank of the Miami River east of the Brickell Avenue bridge. It sits in the center of Miami's financial district, just north of the Sheraton Biscayne Bay Hotel.
Formed by 24 irregularly cut basins, the Circle almost certainly was carved by the now-extinct Tequesta tribe or their ancestors, according to archaeologists. The Circle's age is unknown, but experts say the surrounding site has been inhabited for at least 2,400 years.
HEADS DISPLAYED
Carr and other scientists believe the human bones indicate that the Tequesta exhibited human heads atop wooden posts mounted strategically and ceremonially inside the Circle.
The bones were found in the same part of the Circle that previously yielded the bones of a sea turtle, a dolphin and a shark -- all apparently offered as sacrificial tribute.
In addition, Spanish explorers who arrived in the early 1500s reported seeing ''trophy heads'' exhibited on the other side of the river, where the Tequesta maintained a large and vibrant community on the north bank.
Funny how that recedes every time one gets close to actual aborigines. Poor Lo.
Man, I hate it when that happens...
What enemies? The Spaniards report seeing heads on posts when they arrived. The locals must have been lonely waiting for an enemy before the "evil" Europeans arrived. < /sarcasm >
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.