It is easy to perceive the resemblance between these walled towns in central Africa, and the remains of similar works in this country, America.—[Priest.]
SCIENTIFIC ACQUIREMENTS OF ANCIENT BUILDERS IN THE WEST.
As it respects the scientific acquirements of the builders of the works in the West, now in ruins, Mr. Atwater says: “When thoroughly examined, they have furnished matter of admiration to all intelligent persons who have attended to the subject. Nearly all the lines of ancient works found in the whole country, where the form of the ground admits of it, are right ones, pointing to the four cardinal points. Where there are mounds enclosed, the gateways are most frequently on the east side of the works, towards the rising sun. Where the situation admits of it, in their military works, the openings are generally towards one or more of the cardinal points. From which it is supposed they must have had some knowledge of astronomy, or their structures would not, it is imagined, have been thus arranged. From these circumstances, also, we draw the conclusion, that the first inhabitants of America emigrated from Asia, at a period coeval with that of Babylon, for here it was that astronomical calculations were first made, 2234 years before Christ.
“These things could never have so happened, with such invariable exactness in almost all cases, without design. On the whole,” says Atwater, “I am convinced from an attention to many hundreds of these works, in every part of the West which I have visited, that their authors had a knowledge of astronomy.
“Our ancient works continued into Mexico, increasing in size and grandeur, preserving the same forms, and appear to have been put to the same uses. The form of our works is round, square, triangular, semicircular, and octangular, agreeing, in all these respects with those in Mexico. The first works built by the Mexicans were mostly of earth, and not much superior to the common ones on the Mississippi.” The same may be said of the works of this sort over the whole earth, which is the evidence that all alike belong to the first efforts of men in the very first ages after the flood.
“But afterwards temples were erected on the elevated squares, circles, &c., but were still, like ours, surrounded by walls of earth. These sacred places, in Mexico, were called ‘teocalli’ which in the vernacular tongue of the most ancient tribe of Mexicans, signifies ‘mansions of the gods.’ They included within their sacred walls, gardens, fountains, habitations of priests, temples, altars, and magazines of arms. This circumstance may account for many things which have excited some surprise among those who have hastily visited the works on Paint creek, at Portsmouth, Marietta, Circleville, Newark, &c.
“It is doubted by many to what use these works were put; whether they were used as forts, camps, cemeteries, altars, and temples; whereas they contained all these either within their walls or were immediately connected with them. Many persons cannot imagine why the works at the places above mentioned were so extensively complicated, differing so much in form, size, and elevation, among themselves.” But the solution is, undoubtedly, “they contained within them altars, temples, cemeteries, habitations of priests, gardens, wells, fountains, places devoted to sacred purposes of various kinds, and the whole of their warlike munitions, laid up in arsenals. These works were calculated for defence, and were resorted to in cases of the last necessity, where they fought with desperation. We are warranted in this conclusion, by knowing that these works are exactly similar to the most ancient now to be seen in Mexico, connected with the fact, that the Mexican works did contain within them all that we have stated.”—[Priest.]