The Enlightened Histori An Article Authored By Jeffrey...

Aregai 1 The Enlightened Archaeologist – an article authored by Jeffrey Hantman and Gary Dunham chronicles Thomas Jefferson’s investigation of the Indian burial mound located on the South Fork of the Rivanna River in the 18th century. The site excavated by Jefferson, however, is no longer visible, most likely due to dissipation by inevitable natural occurrences (I.E. excessive rainfall, flooding rivers, etc.) or human activity such as farming. The â€Å"Father of American Archaeology† correctly predicts the latter in his book, Notes on the State of Virginia, in which he states, mounds â€Å"†¦put under cultivation are much reduced in their height, and spread in width, by the plough, and will probably disappear in time† (1787). Fortunately for Archaeologists of the late 20th century (1988) an Indian burial mound identical to that of the one Jefferson described in his book was uncovered just 14 miles from the South Fork of the Rivanna River. The Rapidan mound – in spite of being reduced to its southern edge, provided archaeologists’ Hantman, Dunham, and colleagues a unique, yet waning opportunity to record and excavate the quickly abrading site. What they discovered from their digging surprised them; the content and order within the mound also resembled Thomas Jefferson’s descriptive notes. However, what he noted as the random placement of