Cahokia Monks Mound South Terrace
Cahokia Monks Mound South Terrace North Annex · Cahokia Site
Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE)·Woodland–Mississippian·🇺🇸 Illinois, Collinsville, United States
About
About Cahokia Monks Mound South Terrace
Cahokia Monks Mound South Terrace in Illinois, Collinsville, United States is a Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE) earthwork attributed to Woodland–Mississippian. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal earthwork 350 m long and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 38.6580N -90.0620E controls access to Illinois resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey earthwork for Illinois, Collinsville, illustrating Woodland–Mississippian construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1200 BCE–1200 CE
- Period
- Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE)
- Culture
- Woodland–Mississippian
- Purpose
- Ceremonial earthwork centre for gathering and burial
- Rediscovered
- 1964 survey
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 1200 BCE–1200 CE
Initial construction of Cahokia Monks Mound South Terrace main structure
c. 1904
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1964–2009
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cahokia Monks Mound South Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
38.6580° N · 90.0620° W · 108 m · 4 mapped features
Cahokia Monks Mound South Terrace — Main Structure
structurePrincipal earthwork — Earthwork 350 m long with diagnostic masonry/panel
38.6588° N · 90.0611° WCahokia Monks Mound South Terrace — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
38.6570° N · 90.0627° WCahokia Monks Mound South Terrace — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial
38.6595° N · 90.0608° WCahokia Monks Mound South Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
38.6564° N · 90.0631° W