Mound 72 facts for kids
Mound 72, reconstructed after major excavations
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 Location in Illinois
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| Location | Collinsville, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States |
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| Region | Madison County, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 38°39′2.02″N 90°3′48.24″W / 38.6505611°N 90.0634000°W |
| History | |
| Cultures | Middle Mississippian culture |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1967–1972, 1992–1997, |
| Archaeologists | Melvin L. Fowler |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | timber circle, platform mound, ridgetop mound, mass burial |
| Architectural details | Number of monuments: 1 Number of temples: 2 |
Mound 72 is a special place at the ancient city of Cahokia Mounds in Collinsville, Illinois. It's a small, long mound shaped like a ridge. It sits about 850 meters (2,789 feet) south of the much larger Monks Mound. This site was once home to a powerful leader and many other people from the Mississippian culture.
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What Was Mound 72?
Mound 72 wasn't always a mound. It started as a huge circle made of 48 large wooden posts. This type of structure is called a "woodhenge". People likely used it to track the sun's movements, like the sunrise on the longest or shortest days of the year.
Later, the woodhenge was taken apart. In its place, people built different structures over time. These included special houses for the dead, flat-topped mounds (called platform mounds), and places where many people were buried together. Finally, the long, ridge-shaped mound we see today was built on top of everything.
The Beaded Burial
One of the most exciting discoveries at Mound 72 was a very important burial. Archaeologists call it the "beaded burial." It was the grave of a very important person, possibly one of the rulers of Cahokia. This person was buried on a bed of about 20,000 shell beads, which were arranged in the shape of a bird. This bird design is known as the "Birdman" and is important in the art of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex.
This leader was buried with many valuable items. These included:
- A cape made of shell beads.
- A staff (a long stick) made of wood, covered with copper.
- A large pile of more than 1,000 arrowheads.
- A special game set made of stone and deer antlers.
Other Burials at Mound 72
Around the main leader, archaeologists found the graves of several hundred other people. These people were likely buried with the leader to show their importance or to serve them in the afterlife. Some of these burials were very organized. For example, one pit held the bodies of 53 young women, all arranged in two rows. Another pit contained 39 men and women who had been buried quickly.
In total, archaeologists found the remains of more than 270 people in Mound 72. These discoveries help us understand how important leaders were in the Mississippian culture and how they were honored after death.
Who Excavated Mound 72?
Mound 72 was carefully studied by archaeologists. The main excavations happened between 1967 and 1972, and again from 1992 to 1997. The lead archaeologist for much of this work was Melvin L. Fowler. His team's discoveries helped us learn a lot about the people who lived at Cahokia thousands of years ago.
Images for kids
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Solstice and equinox sunrise and sunset markers at the Md 72 Woodhenge
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Reconstruction of the Birdman burial in the site's interpretative center
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The location after the removal of the timber circle and the final cap of Mound 72
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Ceramic beaker with woodhenge motif
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Birdman sandstone tablet excavated from Monks Mound in 1971
