Cahokia Mounds, St. Louis, United States

Cahokia Mounds is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. It was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800–1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 ha and included some 120 mounds. It is a striking example of a complex chiefdom society, with many satellite mound centres and numerous outlying hamlets and villages. This agricultural society may have had a population of 10–20,000 at its peak between 1050 and 1150. Primary features at the site include Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, covering over 5 ha and standing 30 m high.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site includes 51 platform, ridgetop, and conical mounds; residential, public, and specialized activity areas; and a section of reconstructed palisade, all of which together defined the limits and internal symmetry of the settlement. Dominating the community was Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthen structure in the New World. Constructed in fourteen stages, it covers six hectares and rises in four terraces to a height of 30 meters. The mounds served variously as construction foundations for public buildings and as funerary tumuli. There was also an astronomical observatory, consisting of a circle of wooden posts. Extensive professional excavations have produced evidence of construction methods and the social activities of which the structures are further testimony.

Cahokia Mounds is a National Historic Landmark and a designated site for state protection. It is also one of only 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within the United States.

References:

UNESCO

Address

Major Street 1, St. Louis, United States

See all sites in St. Louis

Details

Founded: 800-1400
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in United States

More Information

whc.unesco.org
en.wikipedia.org
cahokiamounds.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Lucinda Sinco (19 months ago)
This is a great place to visit at any age! The staff and volunteers are extremely helpful and welcoming and full of knowledge about all the artifacts and history of the site. If the weather is good walk the paths and climb Monk's Mound, it is worth every step.

Peter Blattner (19 months ago)
Visitor center has all sorts of info and is beautifully well done. The significance of this location is deep, but it really does feel like just a few hills until you learn more so check that part out!

Adena Gwirtz (19 months ago)
Worth the stop in along the way to St. Louis. Lots of stairs if your going to climb the chiefs mound. Really cool museum and we'll taken care of park. Helped Ohio State do a archaeological dig along the borders. Found city was surrounded by a huge wall

Sarah Rose (20 months ago)
I love this place and the fact that my mom took me here as a kid. I love this place and how it is local! Sightseeing your own little town is the best! Take your family here, go on an adventure and take a breath of fresh air!

chelle belle (21 months ago)
Very cool museum filled with artifacts and information about the Mississippian Indian's. One section has lifelike people showing them working or hunting and huts depicting their sleeping quarters. The grounds surrounding the museum are extensive and include several mounds. The largest mound, Monks Mound, has a stairway and you can climb to the top and look out over everything. Beautiful view but quite the workout to get to the top. There are several picnic areas and a playground on the grounds as well. Great for families, school field trip or even a date!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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Cahokia Mounds