List of burial mounds in the United States facts for kids

This article is about the special hills, called burial mounds, that Native Americans built across the United States. These mounds were created by many different groups of people over thousands of years. They started building them in the Late Archaic period and continued through the Woodland period until Europeans arrived. These mounds are important historical sites that teach us about ancient cultures.

Ancient Burial Mounds in the USA

Native American burial mounds are like giant puzzles. Each one tells a story about the people who built it. Archaeologists, who are like history detectives, study these mounds to learn about ancient life. They find clues like tools, pottery, and even human remains. These clues help them understand how people lived, what they believed, and how they honored their dead.

Mounds of the Adena and Hopewell Cultures

The Adena culture and Hopewell culture were two early groups of Native Americans. They lived in the eastern and midwestern parts of the United States. These cultures were known for building large, cone-shaped burial mounds. These mounds were often part of bigger earthwork complexes.

• Bynum Mound and Village Site is in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. It was built by the Miller culture, which was part of the Hopewell tradition. This site has six cone-shaped mounds. They were used between 100 BCE and 100 CE.
• Conus is a large conical mound in Marietta, Ohio. It's part of the Marietta Earthworks, a complex built by the Adena culture. This site also includes other flat-topped mounds and walled areas.
• Criel Mound in South Charleston, West Virginia, is a very old Adena mound. It was originally about 33 feet (10 meters) high. It is the second-largest burial mound of its kind in West Virginia. It sits between two large circular earthwork enclosures.
• Crooks Mound is a large conical mound in La Salle Parish, Louisiana. It was built by the early Marksville culture. This mound was used for many burials, with about 1,150 sets of human remains found inside.
• Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville, West Virginia, is the biggest cone-shaped burial mound in the United States. It is 69 feet (21 meters) high and 295 feet (90 meters) wide. In 1838, people tunneled into the mound. They found two burial rooms inside.
• Miamisburg Mound in Miamisburg, Ohio, is the largest conical mound in Ohio. It was built by the Adena culture. This mound is 65 feet (20 meters) high and 877 feet (267 meters) around.
• Mound City is a group of 23 earthen mounds in Chillicothe, Ohio. It was built by the Ohio Hopewell culture. Each mound covered the remains of a special building. After people were cremated, the building was burned. Then, a mound was built over the remains. Important items like copper figures and pipes were also placed in the mounds.
• Pinson Mounds in Madison County, Tennessee, is a huge complex of mounds. It has at least 30 mounds, including burial mounds and ceremonial mounds. It is the largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the United States.

Mounds of the Mississippian Culture

The Mississippian culture was a later group of Native Americans. They lived in the central and southeastern United States. They built many different types of mounds, including burial mounds, platform mounds for temples, and mounds for important leaders' homes.

• Cahokia Mound 72 is a special ridge-top burial mound at the famous Cahokia site in Collinsville, Illinois. Archaeologists found the remains of an important leader here. They also found over 250 other skeletons. Many of these were likely people sacrificed to honor the leader.
• Castalian Springs Mound 2 is in Sumner County, Tennessee. This mound is 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and 120 feet (37 meters) wide. Over one hundred burials were found inside it.
• Craig Mound at Spiro Mounds in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, is also called the "Great Mortuary." It's the only burial mound at this site. Inside, a hollow chamber kept many delicate items safe. These included things made of wood, shell, copper, and even fabric and feathers. It's sometimes called "an American King Tut's Tomb" because of its amazing treasures.
• George C. Davis Mound C is in Cherokee County, Texas. This mound was used only for ceremonial burials. It was the southwesternmost mound center built by these cultures in North America.
• Etowah Mound C is at the Etowah Indian Mounds in Cartersville, Georgia. Many valuable items were found in this mound. These items helped archaeologists understand the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, which was a shared set of beliefs and art among many Mississippian groups.
• Fatherland Site Mound C is at the Grand Village of the Natchez in Natchez, Mississippi. This mound was used as a temple and a place to prepare the dead for the Natchez elite.
• Gahagan Mound B in Red River Parish, Louisiana, is a burial mound where archaeologists found many burials and over five hundred grave goods. These goods included special flint knives, copper earrings, and statues. Many of these items came from far away, showing that these people traded across the continent.
• Mangum Mound in Claiborne County, Mississippi, is known for its pottery fragments and copper plates. Some of these plates show a "Birdman" design. This design is important to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex.
• Nacoochee Mound in White County, Georgia, is on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. This site was used by the South Appalachian Mississippian culture. Archaeologists found 75 human burials here, along with artifacts that helped date the site.
• Nodena site Mound C in Mississippi County, Arkansas, was a circular mound. It was about 93 feet (28 meters) wide and 3 feet (0.9 meters) high. Many male burials were found under this mound.
• Shiloh Mound C is at the Shiloh Indian Mounds Site in Hardin County, Tennessee. This site has several platform mounds and one burial mound, Mound C. A famous stone pipe shaped like a kneeling man was found here. It is now on display in a museum.

See also

• List of Adena culture sites
• List of Hopewell sites
• List of Mississippian sites
• List of the oldest buildings in the United States