Shaw Mound

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(From www.bartowdig.com/index.html)

The Shaw Mound was a stone burial mound at the foot of Ladds Mountain that was dismantled circa 1940 to collect the stones for road fill and to satisfy the curiousity of the landowner. A single individual was found within, buried with several items of copper, including a celt (axe), breastplate, and a cutout; large sheets of mica atop the face and chest; and stone celts. Scraps from the production of such items are abundant at the Leake site. This burial provides significant information regarding the social system that characterized the local cultures. Buried apart from others in a large mound at the foot of this mountain, this personage was most certainly a prominent leader associated with the Leake site. They may be equated with a "Big Man/Woman", a person who has risen to a position of high social prestige and power through their actions rather than through inheritance. They were probably instrumental in the ceremonial, political, and economic happenings at Leake, such as organizing and supporting the construction of the earthworks.