It was ten stories tall, and wider at the base than the Empire State Building. And nearly a thousand years ago, it was the centerpiece of the continents largest city north of Mexico.
Today, the search to determine how native engineers built Monks Mound North Americas biggest prehistoric earthen structure has turned up some new and crucial, but very small, clues: the seeds and spores of ancient plants.
An aerial view of Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in North America.Researchers studying the giant platform mound at the heart of the settlement of Cahokia have studied its internal structure in closer detail than ever. And their new findings suggest that the huge earthwork may have been built surprisingly quickly perhaps in just a fraction of the time that archaeologists once thought.
Monks Mound is an incredibly complex bit of earthen architecture, said Dr. Timothy Schilling, who co-authored the new research as part of his dissertation.
Whether or not you would call it engineering, the builders were certainly in tune with their materials.
We documented massive repairs done on the mound, and these were done pretty darn efficiently.
At its peak from about 1050 to 1100 CE, Cahokia was home to as many as 15,000 people, and Monks Mound was constructed as its symbolic center: a towering, rectangular series of terraces topped with a large public building, perhaps a temple.
[Learn about new discoveries of ancient alignments at Cahokia: Ceremonial Axis Road Discovered in Heart of Ancient City of Cahokia ]Investigations into how the mound was built began in the 1960s, when researchers drilled nine core samples and, based on the layering that they found, surmised that it was constructed in 14 stages, over the course of as much as 250 years.
This seemed plausible enough at the time, considering that the mound was built entirely by hand.
Workers are thought to have loaded baskets at a nearby source of fill dirt, called a borrow pit, and then shaped the dirt and clay into a flat-topped pyramid 30 meters [100 feet] tall all without wheels, metal tools, or beasts of burden.
Repair work conducted on a sloping face of Monks Mound in 2007. (Courtesy Washington University)But when the slopes of Monks Mound began to collapse in 2005, Schilling and Dr. Neal Lopinot of Missouri State University, who led the new study, took advantage of the repairs being done to collect 22 samples from an exposed face of the mounds interior.
Their aim was to study the sediments from the surrounding floodplain that were used to build the earthwork.
These samples were filled with tiny plant life that could reveal where the dirt came from, and how long it sat undisturbed before it was moved to the mound.
We decided to look for plant material, because quite a bit of information can be derived from sediments, particularly about environments, Schilling said.
We were hoping to understand the source for the sediments in the mound.
Using optical and electron microscopes, Lopinot studied the samples and found plant remnants that suggested the soil in Monks Mound had not gone undisturbed for very long.
For one thing, with the exception of plants that were used as food, like elderberry, all of the seeds found were of annual plants plants that only live for one year including wetland species such as quillwort and spike rush.
The absence of any perennial plants, which live for two years or more, suggests that the borrow pits used to build the mound were disturbed frequently.
If there was a substantial time lapse between the use of the borrow pits, we would have a different environmental profile more well established perennials versus weedy annuals, Schilling explained.
Consequently, we think activity in the borrow pits never ceased long enough for perennials to become established. Construction must have been relatively continuous without long interruptions.
Lopinot, who led the research, agreed.
Given the great dominance of seeds from annual weeds in the samples, he said, it seems evident that the areas where soils were obtained were much disturbed, probably due to the continuous removal and thereby disturbance of those soils.
This evidence supports Tims argument that Monks Mound was built over a relatively short period of time that is, a few decades not intermittently for some 250 years as once believed.
Moreover, the seeds that were found were all uncarbonized, or unburned; this, too, may suggest that the soil had been quickly turned over, the pair noted.
In places where soil is not disrupted, archaeologists often find burned plant material as a sign of human activity, like from fires or cooked food, they explained.
Typically, archaeobotanists look for carbonized plant remains at archaeological sites, because there is a greater level of certainty that the remains are associated with human activities food, wood for fires, et cetera, Schilling said.
Lopinot added that the unburned remains were well-preserved, suggesting that they had not been exposed on the surface of the borrow pit for long.
Uncarbonized remains typically decompose relatively rapidly at open-air sites in non-arid to semi-arid contexts, Lopinot added, whereas carbonized remains can remain at such sites for many thousand years.
[Read more about recent research into thesite: Infamous Mass Grave of Young Women in Ancient City of Cahokia Also Holds Men: Study ]
An artists rendering depicts Cahokias city center at its prime (Painting by L. K. Townsend/Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site)In addition to these finds, the researchers discovered another striking aspect of Monks Mounds construction: Parts of it appear to have been built from whole blocks of sod, rather than basketfuls of soil.
They are cut sodblocks turned upside down and stacked like bricks, Lopinot said.
Schilling added, This is the first time sodblock construction, or repair, has been identified in the mound.
All of this evidence taken together suggests to the researchers that Monks Mound was built quickly and efficiently.
Rather than taking two centuries or more, they believe, the continents largest earthwork was constructed in one-tenth that time.
While cautioning that their research doesnt provide absolute ages for the mounds construction, Schilling noted that the data do not contradict a very short chronology.
In my opinion, 20 years is a good number, he said.
The microscopic clues turned up by their research may then lead to a new understanding of one of Americas most impressive prehistoric monuments, Schilling said.
At first glance, the mound fill sediments look like just dirt, but in reality weve added a considerable amount of knowledge to what the local Cahokia environment looked like while the mound was being constructed, he said.
In the big scheme of things, it may be a small discovery, Lopinot added, but we think its one that should receive far more attention in the future, wherever mound excavations are being undertaken by conscientious archaeologists.
[See the very latest research at Cahokia: Victims of Human Sacrifice at Cahokia Were Locals, Not Foreign Captives, Study Finds ]While the construction of Monks Mound may have been much faster than some experts believed, it was still a herculean effort that dwarfed the high-tech emergency repairs that the scientists themselves witnessed in 2005.
While we probably did the best repair job possible it seems to be holding up fine nearly 10 years later the Mississippians were able to fix the mound and make it last for almost 1000 years, Schilling said.
So, in short, it took a lot of smarts to build Monks Mound and have it last for as long as it has.
Lopinot and Schilling report their findings, with colleagues Gayle Fritz and John Kelly of Washington University, in the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology .
Some of the mounds were lost in the late 1800's and early 1900's, with farmers plowing them under to make way for farms.
Thankfully much of it was saved and has added history and a mystery. Who were the people and where did they go.
Their trade routes extended as far west as the Rockies, north to the Great Lakes, south to the Gulf of Mexico and east to the Atlantic ocean.
In it's time Cahokia was larger than London or Paris.
The area is well worth the visit.
A few years ago, my wife and I drove from Yuma to Boston by a southern route across Texas and Louisiana, and then northeast. We visited two distinct mound sites, although I don't remember the names. (And there are many , in Mississippi alone!)
Before then, I hadn't even known these things existed. Pre-Columbian history is not of great interest to most Anglos.
A rectangular structure ... this is a new geometry to me for pyramid construction . I wonder if it unique .
Bob, there are many mounds through out the south and all the way north into Ohio.
Sadly, there is so much really interesting history pre-Columbian in the U.S. Yet, people don't seem to be that interested.
One of many different shape that the mounds were built in petey.
Here is another in Ohio, named the ''Serpent mound.''
That's quite ornate ... I am more interested in the rectangular one . I perceive its function as that of elevating a large surface , perhaps the best shape to accomplish that practical function .
I grew up very close to there and enjoyed Cahokia Mounds. Toured the museum many times and also climbed the mounds. Great childhood memories.
It could be the reason petey.
Happy that you enjoyed it RW.
Hi, good to see you Kat.
I'm sure that the memories are great. Did you take photos?
Dear Friend Kavika: The more we know about this the more impressive it is.
Thanks for a great overview.
E.
History uncovered provides a wealth of knowledge of a people and time. On one hand reading the discoveries is logically fabulous, those working the mound are dedicated to discovery and preservation. Yet on the other hand, it's disturbing a place that I see assacred.
Last month, driving the Natchez Trace, we saw mounds that invoked a spiritual connectedness, almost like hallowed ground. Of course someone discovered those as well providingdocumentation and mapping for me to share in the discovery.
Perhaps it can be summed in a word...respect. Wondering if ancestors feel respect or violation?
How very fascinating!
I've never seen the Cahokia mounds, but hope to, some day! There is so much to learn about the Mississippian peoples, and not much to study-- but they certainly left some tantalizing clues...
Thanks for this wonderful article!
Yes, we took photos, but, unfortunately, they got lost when my Mom and Grandpa moved about 25 years or so ago. I do remember having picnics there in the park section. What a shame--- I'd love to share those photos with you!
That is true niijii...Very impressive.
Lynne, the work being done is repair of a collapsed portion of it being repaired.
The Mississippian culture left behind mounds in many states. All extremely interesting and amazing in design.
You welcome Dowser, there is a lot of information starting to come forward about the Mississippian peoples.
Ahhh, the lost photos. Know that problem very well...
Some more photos and interesting info on Cahokia.
Great link Kat, thanks.
You're welcome! Fascinating, isn't it! Full of info!
It really is, and really should be it's own article.
Go ahead, Kavika. You're good at posting articles. Let the others see the post/article on its own.
Thanks Kat, I'll post it as an article later today.
Feronia,
The Mississippian people traded as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. It's quite possible that this was in some way connected to celestial information.
To answer you question re NA's did built structures on celestial positions. One that is worth researching is the ''Star People'' of some NA tribes.
The medicine wheel is if taken to it's full extent, isquite interesting as there are circles within the circle of life. The four directions are used to build houses. If followed to it's logical extent there are 7 directions. Up, down, and inside ones self.
Wassa Inaabidaa (we look in all directions)
This is a good book regarding the heavens and the Ojibwe, Feronia.
Rockflower Press
Pub Date: 2014
ISBN: 9781938241000
Carl Gawboy, Ron Morton
Talking Sky: Ojibwe Constellations as a Reflection of Life on the Land
by Carl Gawboy & Ron Morton
Magic is in the air.
Join award-winning authors Carl Gawboy and Ron Morton on a journey of discovery and story telling as they explore the night sky of the Ojibwe. From the important seasonal constellations (Moose, Panther, Wintermaker, and Nanaboujou) through wandering wolves, flying skeletons, and brave fisher to meteors and comets, the authors bring to life the sky world of a northern people. A world that reflected no only the four seasons of the Ojibwe, but also their traditions, stories, religion, science, and day to day living on and with Planet Earth.
In an easy to read and conversational manner, Gawboy and Morton describe Ojibwe constellations, tell the fascinating stories about them, discuss their importance to the Ojibwe people, and explore their connection to the pictographs found throughout the Canadian shield.
Combining natural science and a Native people's holistic vision of the night sky, the authors show how the Ojibwe used their observations of the heavens to not only explain events on the land, but also to create marvelous stories of great cultural, spiritual, and practical importance.
The Woodhenge Circle is also "thought" to have been a holding area for trade goods/critters.
The Blood Moon, was spectacular here in the middle of nowhere Feronia. A stunning sight to be sure.
''what else correlates, etc.''
Ok, back to the Michif/Scot thingy.