In the valleys of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River in the United States lie an amazing collection of large mounds of earth. Some of the mounds are low, simple cone shapes. Others are tall, wide hills. Still others are shaped like huge animals. These mounds are not natural formations; ancient Native Americans built them. Archaeologists call those ancient people mound builders. Who the mound builders wereIn North America many Native American groups built mounds. Three important groups of mound builders were the people of the Adena, the Hopewell, and the Mississippian cultures. The mounds of these and other Native American peoples have been found as far north as Minnesota, as far south as Louisiana, and as far east as the Appalachian Mountains. Types of moundsMound builders made different sizes and types of mounds, including burial mounds, effigy mounds, and large platforms that held up temples or palaces. Early Native Americans built burial mounds starting in about 1000 BC. Later peoples built mounds as late as the 17th century AD. Burial moundsNative Americans used burial mounds as graves. They placed a body on the ground and built a hill of dirt and stones around it. They often placed important items—for example, pottery, pipes, and jewelry—in the mound with the body. Some burial mounds contained more than one body. Entire families could be buried in a mound. The bodies of many generations were layered on top of one another. Eventually the mound would grow to look like a small hill. Effigy moundsNative Americans also built effigy mounds, which were shaped like animals. Some effigy mounds served as burial mounds. The purpose of other effigy mounds is unknown. Effigy mounds found in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin resemble snakes, bears, birds, and lizards. Among the most impressive of the effigy mounds is the Great Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio. Viewed from above, the mound looks like a snake holding an egg in its mouth. The mound is more than 1,300 feet (400 meters) long and 21/2 to 3 feet (75 to 90 centimeters) high. Platform moundsOther mounds provided platforms for religious temples or leaders' homes. The Cahokia Mounds in southern Illinois are examples of platform mounds. The people of the Mississippian culture built the mounds, shaped like flat-topped pyramids, between about AD 900 and 1200. The largest one, Monks Mound, is about 1,000 feet (300 meters) long, 700 feet (200 meters) wide, and 100 feet (30 meters) high. |