1,500-year-old burial mound discovered west of Columbia
COLUMBIA - Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get inside. That, evidently, is also true of a land development west of Columbia.
Mike Tompkins, owner of Tompkins construction, found an ancient Native-American burial site on a property he is developing. According to Michael O'Brien, an anthropology professor, the mound dates between 450 and 750 A.D.
Tompkins is out of the country and could not be reached for comment, but he told The Associated Press, "There was a hump there, and of course I’ve always known some of the lore that those could be Indian mounds."
The 80-foot-long burial site will be incorporated into Tompkins' development plans of 91 acres. Artifacts and anything else collected from the site will be donated to the University of Missouri for further study.
In terms of actual human remains being found at the site, O'Brien says it's unlikely. However, there is a remote possibility some could be found.
But, like life, crews won't know what they're going to get inside until they actually start digging.
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