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Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Great Circle Mound
Ohio History
Into the Mound
Now for the real Indian stuff. Descending this stairway into the Great Circle Earthworks, we were surrounded by dirt walls. The ring-shaped mound stretching 1,200 feet across was really amazing—imagine hauling and shaping this much dirt with only hand tools and baskets! Inside the circle lay several smaller mounds called the Eagle Mound, as they resemble a bird in flight. An open gateway had been left at one end, and we had a good cross-section view of the towering height of the dirt walls!
As I understand, the Moundbuilders were the ancesters of the so-called American Indians. The Moundbuilders lived around AD 200-1000 and built most of the mounds we see. The Indian tribes that the settlers called Native Americans didn't build many mounds but were the descendants of the Moundbuilders. So technically, both could be called Native Americans.
As to why the mounds were built, no one knows for sure. Some seem to be for religious purposes, as they line up with certain patterns of the sun or moon. Others could just be social gathering places, for tribal feasts, etc. Some are burial mounds. A few artifacts have been found, but none tell much about the earthworks.
5 comments:
That wall does look huge. It must have taken a long time to move that much dirt.
If American Indians are the Native Americans, what are the Moundbuilders?
Why did the Moundbuilders build all those mounds? Does anybody have an explaination?
As I understand, the Moundbuilders were the ancesters of the so-called American Indians. The Moundbuilders lived around AD 200-1000 and built most of the mounds we see. The Indian tribes that the settlers called Native Americans didn't build many mounds but were the descendants of the Moundbuilders. So technically, both could be called Native Americans.
As to why the mounds were built, no one knows for sure. Some seem to be for religious purposes, as they line up with certain patterns of the sun or moon. Others could just be social gathering places, for tribal feasts, etc. Some are burial mounds. A few artifacts have been found, but none tell much about the earthworks.
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