List of burial mounds in the United States
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable burial mounds in the United States
built by Native American
s. Burial mounds were built by many different cultural groups over a span of many thousands of years, beginning in the Late Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period
up to the time of European contact.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
built by Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s. Burial mounds were built by many different cultural groups over a span of many thousands of years, beginning in the Late Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
up to the time of European contact.
Adena and Hopewell culture burial mounds
| Mound | Location | Date | Culture | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bynum Mound and Village Site Bynum Mound and Village Site The Bynum Mound and Village Site is a Middle Woodland period archaeological site located near Houston in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The complex of six burial mounds was in use during the Miller 1 and Miller 2 phases of the Miller culture and was built between 100 BCE and 100 CE... |
Chickasaw County, Mississippi Chickasaw County, Mississippi -National protected areas:* Natchez Trace Parkway * Tombigbee National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,440 people, 7,253 households, and 5,287 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 7,981 housing units at an... |
100 BCE to 100 CE | Miller culture (part of the Hopewell tradition) | A Middle Woodland period archaeological site Archaeological site An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,... located near Houston, Mississippi Houston, Mississippi Houston is a city in and one of two county seats of Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,079 at the 2000 census. The land on which Houston, MS resides was donated to the city by Judge Joel Pinson on the condition that it would be named for Sam Houston, a childhood... . The complex of six conical shaped mounds was in use during the Miller 1 and Miller 2 phases of the Miller culture. and was built between 100 BCE and 100 CE. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 as part of the Natchez Trace Parkway Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a National Park Service unit in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Old Natchez Trace and preserves sections of the original trail.... at milepost 232.4. |
| Carl Potter Mound Carl Potter Mound The Carl Potter Mound is a historic Native American mound in southern Champaign County, Ohio, United States. Located near Mechanicsburg, it lies on a small ridge in a pasture field in southeastern Union Township... |
Champaign County, Ohio Champaign County, Ohio As of the census of 2000, there were 38,890 people, 14,952 households, and 10,870 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile . There were 15,890 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile... |
? | ? | Also known as the "Hodge Mound II", it is located in southern Champaign County Champaign County, Ohio As of the census of 2000, there were 38,890 people, 14,952 households, and 10,870 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile . There were 15,890 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile... , Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... near Mechanicsburg Mechanicsburg, Ohio Mechanicsburg is a village in Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,744 at the 2000 census.Mechanicsburg laid out in 1814 on the site of the Shawnee Indian Village of Chief Ohito... , it lies on a small ridge in a pasture Pasture Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs... field in southeastern Union Township Union Township, Champaign County, Ohio Union Township is one of the twelve townships of Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,920 people in the township, 1,788 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:... . |
| Conus | Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth... |
800 BC to 700 CE | Adena culture Adena culture The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system... |
The conical Great Mound at Mound Cemetery is part of a mound complex known as the Marietta Earthworks, which includes the nearby Quadranaou and Capitolium platform mound Platform mound A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period... s, the Sacra Via walled mounds (largely destroyed in 1843), and additional mounds. |
| Criel Mound Criel Mound The Criel Mound is a Native American burial mound located in South Charleston, West Virginia, USA. The mound was built by the Adena culture, probably around 250-150 BC, and lay equidistant between two “sacred circles”, earthwork enclosures each in diameter. It was originally high and in... |
South Charleston, West Virginia South Charleston, West Virginia South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, U.S. The population was 13,450 at the 2010 census. South Charleston was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1919 by special charter enacted by the West Virginia Legislature... |
250 to 150 BCE | Adena culture Adena culture The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system... |
Located in South Charleston, West Virginia West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... , the mound lies equidistant between two “sacred circles”, earthwork enclosures Earthworks (archaeology) In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface... each 556 feet (169.5 m) in diameter. It was originally 33 feet (10.1 m) high and 173 feet (52.7 m) in diameter at the base, making it the second-largest such burial mound in the state. |
| Crooks Mound Crooks mound Crooks Mound is a large Marksville culture mound site, located in La Salle Parish in south central Louisiana. It is a large, conical, burial mound that was part of at least six episodes of burials. It measured about and . It contained roughly 1,150 remains that were placed however they were able... |
La Salle Parish, Louisiana La Salle Parish, Louisiana La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 14,282. The parish seat is Jena.-Geography:The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water.... |
100 BCE to 400 CE | Early Marksville culture Marksville culture The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name... |
A large Marksville culture Marksville culture The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name... mound site in La Salle Parish La Salle Parish, Louisiana La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 14,282. The parish seat is Jena.-Geography:The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water.... in south central Louisiana Louisiana Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties... . It is a large conical mound that was part of at least six episodes of burials. It measured about 16 ft (4.9 m) and 85 ft (25.9 m). It contained roughly 1,150 remains that were placed however they were able to be fit into the structure of the mound. Sometimes body parts were removed in order to achieve that goal. Archaeologists think it was a holding house for the area that was emptied periodically in order to achieve this type of setup. |
| Dunns Pond Mound Dunns Pond Mound The Dunns Pond Mound is a historic Native American mound in northeastern Logan County, Ohio, United States. Located near Huntsville, it lies along the southeastern corner of Indian Lake in Washington Township... |
Logan County, Ohio Logan County, Ohio Logan County is a county in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,858. The county seat is Bellefontaine. The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who fought Native Americans in the area.... |
ca. 300 to 500 CE | Ohio Hopewell culture | Located in northeastern Ohio near Huntsville Huntsville, Ohio Huntsville is a village in Logan County, Ohio, United States. The population was 454 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Huntsville is located at .... , it lies along the southeastern corner of Indian Lake Indian Lake (Ohio) Indian Lake is a reservoir in Logan County, western Ohio, in the United States. It is approximately 20 mi southeast of Lima... in Washington Township Washington Township, Logan County, Ohio Washington Township is one of the seventeen townships of Logan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,945 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:... . In 1974, the mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... as a potential archeological Archaeology Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes... site, with much of its significance deriving from its use as a burial site for as much as nine centuries. |
| Grave Creek Mound Grave Creek Mound At high and in diameter, the Grave Creek Mound is one of the largest conical type burial mounds in the United States. The builders of the site moved more than 60,000 tons of dirt to create it. It is located in Moundsville, West Virginia near the banks of the Ohio River. The first recorded... |
Moundsville, West Virginia Moundsville, West Virginia Moundsville is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,998 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. The city was named for the Grave Creek Mound. Moundsville was settled in... |
250 to 150 BCE | Adena culture Adena culture The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system... |
At 69 feet (21 m) high and 295 feet (89.9 m) in diameter, the Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type burial mound in the United States. In 1838, much of the archaeological evidence in this mound was destroyed when several non-archaeologists tunneled into the mound. To gain entrance to the mound, two shafts, one vertical and one horizontal were created. This led to the most significant discovery of two burial vaults. |
| Grand Gulf Mound Grand Gulf Mound The Grand Gulf Mound is an Early Marksville culture archaeological site located near Port Gibson in Claiborne County, Mississippi, on a bluff east of the Mississippi River, north of the mouth of the Big Black River. The site has an extant burial mound, and may have possibly had two others in... |
Claiborne County, Mississippi Claiborne County, Mississippi -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,831 people, 3,685 households, and 2,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 4,252 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile... |
50 to 150 CE | Marksville culture Marksville culture The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name... |
An Early Marksville culture Marksville culture The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name... site located near Port Gibson Port Gibson, Mississippi Port Gibson is a city in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,840 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Claiborne County.- History :... in Claiborne County, Mississippi Claiborne County, Mississippi -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,831 people, 3,685 households, and 2,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 4,252 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile... , on a bluff 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the Mississippi River Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains... , 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the mouth of the Big Black River. The site has an extant burial mound, and may have possibly had two others in the past. The site is believed to have been occupied from 50 to 200 CE. |
| Indian Mounds Regional Park | Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city... |
1 to 500 CE | ? | Originally up to 37 mounds constructed, 6 still in existence |
| Miamisburg Mound | Miamisburg, Ohio | 800 BC to 100 CE | Adena culture Adena culture The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system... |
The largest conical mound in the state of Ohio, constructed by the Adena culture on a 100-foot-high bluff, the mound measures 877 feet (267.3 m) in circumference and its height is 65 feet (19.8 m). |
| Mound City | Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, formerly known as Mound City Group National Monument, is a United States national historical park with earthworks and burial mounds from the Hopewell culture, indigenous peoples who flourished from about 200 BC to AD 500. The park is composed of five... , Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of... |
200 BC to 500 CE | Ohio Hopewell culture | Located on Ohio Highway 104 approximately four miles north of Chillicothe along the Scioto River Scioto River The Scioto River is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles in length. It rises in Auglaize County in west central Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth... , it is a group of 23 earthen mounds. Each mound within the Mound City Group covered the remains of a charnel house Charnel house A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves... . After the Hopewell people cremated Cremation Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation.... the dead, they burned the charnel house. They constructed a mound over the remains. They also placed artifacts, such as copper Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish... figures, mica Mica The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition... , arrowheads, shells, and pipes in the mounds. |
| Pinson Mounds Mounds 6, 12, and 31 |
Madison County, Tennessee | 100 to 300 CE | Miller culture | A mound complex which includes mounds, a geometric enclosure, and numerous habitation areas, it is the largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the United States. The complex covers approximately 400 acres (1.6 km²) and contains at least 30 mounds, 17 of which have been identified as being completely or partially constructed by prehistoric peoples. It includes at least 3 burial mounds, and a number of ceremonial platform mound Platform mound A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period... s. |
Mississippian culture burial mounds
| Mound | Location | Date | Culture | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cahokia Mound 72 | Cahokia Cahokia Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the area of an ancient indigenous city located in the American Bottom floodplain, between East Saint Louis and Collinsville in south-western Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The site included 120 human-built earthwork mounds... , Collinsville, Illinois Collinsville, Illinois Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County, and partially in St. Clair County, both in Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 26,016. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles from St. Louis, Missouri and is considered part of that city's Metro-East area... |
650 to 1400 CE | Middle Mississippian culture Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally.... |
A ridge-top burial mound south of Monk's Mound Monk's Mound Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in America north of Mesoamerica. Located at the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collinsville, Illinois, its size was calculated in 1988 as about 100 feet high, 955 feet long including the access ramp at the southern end, and 775... , during excavations archaeologists found the remains of a man in his 40s who was probably an important Cahokian ruler. Archaeologists recovered more than 250 other skeletons from Mound 72. Scholars believe almost 62 percent of these were sacrificial victims, based on signs of ritual execution, method of burial, and other factors. |
| Castalian Springs Mound 2 | Castalian Springs Mound Site Castalian Springs Mound Site The Castalian Springs Mound Site is a Mississippian culture archaeological site located near the small unincorporated community of Castalian Springs in Sumner County, Tennessee. The site was first excavated in the 1890s and again as recently as the 2005 to 2011 archaeological field school led by... in Sumner County, Tennessee Sumner County, Tennessee Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 130,449. Its county seat is Gallatin, but its largest town is Hendersonville... |
1100 to 1450 CE | Middle Mississippian culture Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally.... |
Located on the eastern edge of a plaza, a 120 feet (36.6 m) in diameter 8 feet (2.4 m) tall mound which was found to contain over a hundred burials when excavated by William E. Myer in the early 1890s. |
| Craig Mound | Spiro Mounds Spiro Mounds Spiro Mounds is an important pre-Columbian Caddoan Mississippian culture archaeological site located in present-day eastern Oklahoma in the United States. The site is located seven miles north of Spiro, and is the only prehistoric Native American archaeological site in Oklahoma open to the public... , Le Flore County, Oklahoma Le Flore County, Oklahoma Le Flore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 48,109. Its county seat is Poteau. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma is the federal... |
800-1200 CE | Caddoan Mississippian culture Caddoan Mississippian culture The Caddoan Mississippian culture was a prehistoric Native American culture considered by archaeologists as a variant of the Mississippian culture. The Caddoan Mississippians covered a large territory, including what is now Eastern Oklahoma, Western Arkansas, Northeast Texas, and Northwest Louisiana... |
Also called the "Great Mortuary", it is the second-largest mound on the site and the only burial mound. A hollow chamber that began as a burial structure for Spiro's rulers became a cavity within the mound, about 10 feet (3 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) wide, and allowed for almost perfect preservation of fragile artifacts made of wood, conch shell Lightning whelk The lightning whelk, scientific name Busycon contrarium, is an edible species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the busycon whelks. This species has a left-handed or sinistral shell... , and copper. The conditions in this hollow space were so favorable that objects made of perishable materials such as basketry Basket weaving Basket weaving is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape... , woven fabric, lace, fur, and feathers were preserved inside it. Craig Mound has been called "an American King Tut's Tomb Tutankhamun Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom... ." |
| George C. Davis Mound C | Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site The Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site is an archaeological site in Cherokee County, Texas built by the Caddoan Mississippian culture. The site has two platform mounds and one burial mound. Archaeologists believe the site was founded in approximately 800 CE, with most major construction taking... , Cherokee County, Texas Cherokee County, Texas As of the census of 2000, there were 46,659 people, 16,651 households, and 12,105 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 19,173 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile... |
800-1200 CE | Caddoan Mississippian culture | Mound C, the northernmost mound of the three at the site, it was used as a ceremonial burial mound, not for elite residences or temples like the other two. The site was the southwestern most ceremonial mound center of all the mound building cultures of North America. |
| Etowah Mound C | Etowah Indian Mounds Etowah Indian Mounds Etowah Indian Mounds is a archaeological site in Bartow County, Georgia south of Cartersville, in the United States. Built and occupied in three phases, from 1000–1550 CE, the prehistoric site is located on the north shore of the Etowah River. Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site is a designated... , Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville is a town in Bartow County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 19,7314. The city is the county seat of Bartow County.-Geography:Cartersville was named for Colonel Farish Carter.... |
1000-1550 CE | South Appalachian Mississippian | Cyrus Thomas Cyrus Thomas Cyrus Thomas was a U.S. ethnologist and entomologist prominent in the late 19th century and noted for his studies of the natural history of the American West.-Biography:Thomas was born in Kingsport, Tennessee... and John P. Rogan John P. Rogan John P. Rogan conducted the first archaeological excavations on the Etowah Indian Mounds near Cartersville, Georgia for the Smithsonian Institution working under Cyrus Thomas during the early 1880s. He discovered the famous copper eagle dancer plates, which were later named the Rogan plates... tested the site for the Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines... in 1883. But, the first well-documented archaeological inquiry at the site did not begin until the winter of 1925, conducted by Warren K. Moorehead Warren K. Moorehead Warren King Moorehead was known in his time as the 'Dean of American archaeology' ; born in Siena, Italy to missionary parents on March 10, 1866, he died on January 5, 1939 at the age of 72, and is buried in his hometown of Xenia, Ohio.-Early life:His mother died when he was quite young, and while... . His excavations into Mound C at the site revealed a rich array of burial goods. These artifacts, along with the collections from Cahokia Cahokia Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the area of an ancient indigenous city located in the American Bottom floodplain, between East Saint Louis and Collinsville in south-western Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The site included 120 human-built earthwork mounds... , Moundville Moundville Archaeological Site Moundville Archaeological Site, also known as the Moundville Archaeological Park, is a Mississippian site on the Black Warrior River in Hale County, near the town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama... , Lake Jackson Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park is one of the most important archaeological sites in Florida, a former chiefdom and ceremonial center of the Fort Walton Culture... , and Spiro Mounds, would comprise the majority of the materials which archeologists used to define the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Southeastern Ceremonial Complex The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from... . |
| Fatherland Site Mound C | Grand Village of the Natchez Grand Village of the Natchez Grand Village of the Natchez, also known as the Fatherland Site, is a site encompassing a prehistoric indigenous village and earthwork mounds in present-day south Natchez, Mississippi. The village complex was constructed starting about 1200 CE by members of the prehistoric Plaquemine culture.... , Natchez, Mississippi Natchez, Mississippi Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County... |
1400-1732 CE | Plaquemine Mississippian culture Plaquemine culture The Plaquemine culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Mississippi River Valley in western Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. Good examples of this culture are the Medora Site in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, and the Anna, Emerald Mound, Winterville and Holly Bluff sites located... |
Mound C was used as the Sun Temple and charnel house for the Natchez Natchez people The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek... elite. |
| Gahagan Mound B | Gahagan Mounds Site Gahagan Mounds Site The Gahagan Mounds Site is an Early Caddoan Mississippian culture archaeological site in Red River Parish, Louisiana. It is located in the Red River Valley... , Red River Parish, Louisiana Red River Parish, Louisiana Red River Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. It was one of the newer parishes created in 1871 by the state legislature under Reconstruction... |
1100-1450 CE | Caddoan Mississippian culture | The burial mound at the site was excavated twice, in 1912 by Clarence Bloomfield Moore Clarence Bloomfield Moore Clarence Bloomfield Moore was an American archaeologist and writer... and then in 1939 by Clarence H. Webb. Between the 2 excavations, three burial shafts with a total of fourteen burials and more than five hundred grave goods were discovered. The first shaft, found by Moore, was 11 feet in depth and 13 by 8 feet in width and height. The other two, found in the 1939 excavations, were 19 feet (5.8 m) by 15 feet (4.6 m) and 12 feet (3.7 m) by 11 feet (3.4 m) feet in dimensions. Grave goods found included flaked flint knives known as Gahagan blades, a matched pair of Long-nosed god maskette Long-nosed god maskette Long-nosed god maskettes are artifacts made from bone, copper and marine shells associated with the Mississippian culture and found in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast. They are small shield-shaped faces with squared-off foreheads, circular eyes, and large noses of... earrings of copper, Missouri flint clay statues Mississippian stone statuary The Mississippian stone statuary are artifacts of polished stone in the shape of human figurines made by members of the Mississippian culture and found in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast... , greenstone Greenstone (archaeology) Greenstone is a common generic term for valuable, green-hued minerals and metamorphosed igneous rocks and stones, that were used in the fashioning of hardstone carvings such as jewelry, statuettes, ritual tools, and various other artefacts in early cultures... celt Celt The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria.... s and spuds, and caches of beads and arrow heads. Many of the grave goods were exotic imports from such distant places from across the continent. |
| Nodena Site Mound C | Nodena Site Nodena Site The Nodena Site is an archeological site east of Wilson, Arkansas and northeast of Reverie, Tennessee in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Around 1400–1650 CE an aboriginal palisaded village existed in the Nodena area on a meander bend of the Mississippi River. The Nodena site... , Mississippi County, Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... |
1400–1650 CE | Middle Mississippian culture | A circular mound, designated as "Mound C", was located at the other end of the chunkey field. It was roughly 93 feet (28.3 m) in diameter and 3 foot (0.9144 m) high. A large number of male graves, 314 of 316, were found buried under it. |
| Pope County Mound 2 | Kincaid Site Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site The Kincaid Mounds Historic Site, circa 1050-1400 CE, was among the largest prehistoric Mississippian culture chiefdom centers, located at the southern tip of present day U.S. state of Illinois... , Pope County, Illinois |
1050-1400 CE | Middle Mississippian culture | Adjacent to the Ohio River Ohio River The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream... , the site straddles the modern-day counties of Massac County and Pope County in deep southern Illinois, an area colloquially known as Little Egypt Little Egypt (region) -Early history:The earliest inhabitants of Illinois were thought to have arrived about 12,000 B.C. They were hunter-gatherers, but developed a primitive system of agriculture. After 1000 AD, their agricultural surpluses enabled them to develop complex, hierarchical societies... . On the eastern edge of the site is a low circular mound which was used as a burial mound, as opposed to all other mounds at the site which were substructure platform mound Platform mound A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period... s. The mound contained a number of stone box grave Stone box grave Stone box graves were a method of burial employed by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture in the American Midwest and Southeast. Their construction was especially common in the Cumberland River Basin around Nashville, Tennessee-Construction:... s and log lined tombs similar to those frequently found to the south in the Middle Cumberland Valley of Tennessee. |
| Shiloh Mound C | Shiloh Indian Mounds Shiloh Indian Mounds Site Shiloh Indian Mounds Site is a Mississippian culture archaeological site of the prehistoric indigenous peoples of eastern North America... , Hardin County, Tennessee Hardin County, Tennessee Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. State of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 26,026. The Hardin County seat is Savannah. The county was named posthumously for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina and... |
1000-1450 CE | Middle Mississippian culture | Adjacent to the Tennessee River Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names... , the site has 6 or 7 substructure platform mound Platform mound A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period... s and one burial mound, Mound C. This mound was excavated in 1899 by Cornelius Cadle, chairman of the Shiloh Park Commission. Amongst the discoveries was a large stone effigy pipe Mississippian stone statuary The Mississippian stone statuary are artifacts of polished stone in the shape of human figurines made by members of the Mississippian culture and found in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast... in the shape of a kneeling man. It has since become the site’s most famous artifact and is on display in the Tennessee River Museum in Savannah Savannah, Tennessee Savannah is a city in Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,917 at the 2000 census and the 2007 population estimate was 7,262. It is the county seat of Hardin County. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996-2007. Savannah is home to... . The pipe is from a distinctive red stone in the same style as several statuettes from the Cahokia site in Collinsville, Illinois. |
See also
- List of Adena culture sites
- List of Hopewell sites
- List of Mississippian sites
- List of the oldest buildings in the United States