The Mississippian culture arose along the Mississippi River and flourished from 900-1350 A.D. The culture spread along the rivers to many parts of what is now the central and eastern United States. Among the most important centers of Mississippian culture were Cahokia, Illinois; Moundville, Alabama; and Ocmulgee, Georgia. The Mississippians are also known as the Mound Builders, due to the enormous flat-topped temple mounds they constructed in the centers of their large, well-organized cities. In this tour we will explore the impressive ruins of the Ocmulgee Mounds.
Ocmulgee
takes its name from the river upon which the Mississippians settled here.
This photo shows a view of the river from the top of the Great Temple Mound,
which was built on its shores. The name "Ocmulgee" means "boiling
water," and the river water literally seems to boil and bubble as one
stands near the shore. Today one may walk along scenic trail which follows
the river and imagine the thriving Mississippian civilization which once existed
along its banks, while seeing the skyline of the modern city of Macon above
the treetops.
The Mississippians at Ocmulgee displaced the previous inhabitants of the region known as the Woodland Indians. The culture at Ocmulgee was considerably more advanced than that of the Woodland peoples, who lived in villages for only part of the year. The inhabitants of Ocmulgee, like other members of the Mississippian culture, were farmers who grew corn, squash, beans, pumpkins, and tobacco. At one time, the village they built along the river housed as many as 1,000 people.
The Mounds at Ocmulgee
Ocmulgee is primarily known for the remains of several mounds. There are at least seven mounds still remaining on the site, including the largest mound, the Great Temple Mound, the Lesser Temple Mound, which is adjacent to the Great Temple Mound, and the Funeral Mound, near the Great and Lesser Temple Mounds. Scholars know very little about what these mounds were used or, except that they were built for public ceremonies. The mounds were not constructed all at once, but were built up over a period of several years. There are two lines of prehistoric trenches at Ocmulgee, which may be the pits from which dirt was taken for use on the mounds.
The Great Temple Mound, seen here together with the Lesser Mound to its left, is approximately 45 feet high. Its base is 300 feet by 270 feet long. At one time, there were rectangular wooden structures on top of the mound, whose purpose is uncertain. Let's go to the top of the mound now, as the Mississippian priests once did in the prehistoric era, and look at a panorama of the entire site. As you move your cursor around the scene, you will see (moving toward the right) the Funeral Mound, the Lesser Temple Mound, the trading outpost, the earthlodge, the Ocmulgee river, and the skyline of modern Macon. When you finish your panoramic tour, we will discuss these sites in more detail, and you will be able to view each site again by clicking on the links provided.
The Lesser Temple Mound is located directly adjacent to the Great Temple Mound. It is much smaller than the Great Mound, and its exact relationship to its counterpart is unknown. At one time, there was also a wooden hut on top of this mound. The Mound was partially destroyed by railroad construction in the 1840s.
The Funeral Mound, like the Great Temple Mound, was built in successive stages. It is 230 feet long, 100 feet wide, and was originally approximately 25 feet high. There are at least seven stages of the mound, which was used as a burial mound for the village leaders. Archaeologists have found over 100 burials in the mound, and many artifacts, including shell and copper ornaments buried with the leaders. The Mound as it exists today corresponds to its level in he third stage of construction, as railroad building destroyed much of the mound in the 1870s. As with the other two mounds nearby, there was once a wooden hut on top of the mound. The hut was likely used to prepare bodies for burial. The first link above shows you a view of the Funeral Mound taken from atop the Great Temple Mound. Click here for a closeup view of the Funeral Mound from directly in front of it.
Across from the mounds, one can see traces of the Creek trading post which once flourished here. After the decline of the Mississippian culture in about 1350 A.D., the Lamar culture arose in this place. Hernando de Soto saw the Lamar Indians during his explorations of the southeast in 1540. Later, the Creek Indians built a large town here and traded with the British. The outlines of their trading post can barely be discerned in the large, flat grassy region across from the mounds. After the Creeks were defeated in the Yamassee War, they abandoned their village and trading post. After 1715, Native American civilization ceased to flourish here. We will explore the European colonization of the New World more fully in Unit III, and will discuss in greater detail some of the interactions of the Europeans with the Native Americans.
The Earthlodge
Let's continue
our virtual tour of Ocmulgee by exploring the
earthlodge.
This earthlodge was one of several lodges on the site, and it has been reconstructed
by archaeologists. This lodge was used for ceremonial purposes, though the
exact nature of these ceremonies is unknown. This is the entrance to the lodge.
Click here for a close-up view of the entrance.
Once inside the door, one walks through a
low passageway
until reaching the central, circular area. The lodge was built over a square
formation of four poles, with a
thatched roof coming
to a point in the center.
There is a raised platform directly opposite the entrance which is shaped like a large bird. The bird may be an eagle, although there is no clear evidence to decisively identify it. There is a fire pit in front of the platform, and the platform itlsef has three seats, which are higher than the other forty-seven seats along the circular wall. Clearly the leaders sat on the platform, and as every seat leading to these three seats is progressively higher than the one before it, participants were likely seated in order of importance. There is an indentation along the front of each seat which might have been used to hold potions or other items used in the ritual practiced here. The doorway was aligned so that once a year on the winter solstice, sunlight poured through the entrance and flooded the platform. Rituals here may have commemorated the beginning of the spring and harvest season.
Panorama of the Site from the Earthlodge
Let's walk out and to the back of the lodge now. From this vantage point, we will take one more panoramic tour of the Ocmulgee site. As you scroll through the panorama using your mouse, you will see (moving to the right) the earthlodge, the fields which surround it, a view of the Great and Lesser Temple Mounds (with a view of the stairs leading up to the Great Temple Mound), the path leading to the mounds through the site, and finally, the Cornfield Mound. After you finish exploring the panoramic virtual tour below, we will further discuss the Cornfield Mound and other interesting sites of Ocmulgee.
The small mound visible in the panorama to the left of the earthlodge is the Cornfield Mound. It was originally around eight feet high. This mound is very unusual, as archaeologists have found the remains of a cultivated cornfield under the mound. Mississippian farmers usually cultivated their fields in areas near rivers, so the traces of this field away from the river are something of a mystery. We do not know what the Cornfield Mound was used for, but like the other mounds, it probably had a wooden ceremonial structure on top.
Other Smaller Mounds
There are several other mounds near the earthlodge, including McDougal Mound, Dunlap Mound, and the Southeast Mound. The Southeast Mound is a very small mound, around three feet in height, and it is located between the earthodge and the Great and Lesser Temple Mound complex.
The magnificent ruins of the Ocmulgee Mississippian culture are ample evidence of the strength of their social and political structures, and the success of their agricultural communities. As you explore the other virtual tours in this unit, try to compare and contrast the structure of the various great Native American civilizations as seen through the archaeological remains. These remarkable civilizations would be forever changed by the arrival of the Europeans.
For further exploration, consult the following WWW sites:
Ocmulgee Old Fields: A Place and Its Peoples
My graduate assistant, Cathy Locks, created this web site on Ocmulgee's history as part of a project in a graduate seminar. Cathy has a detailed timeline of Ocmulgee history as well as numerous links to websites.
Panoramas, photos and text copyright © Dr. Deborah Vess 2000. All rights reserved. Special thanks to Dr. Frank Lowney, GC&SU, and Tim Vacula, GC&SU, for their help in creating the quicktime panoramas and still shoots respectively.
For further information regarding these materials, contact the author via e-mail:
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or by snail mail at:
Dr.
Deborah Vess
Director of Interdisciplinary
Studies
and Associate Professor of History
Georgia College & State University
CBX 048
Milledgeville, Georgia 31061-0490