mound builders of north america
The mound builders of North America have allured the curiosity of scholars and architects since the days of de Soto. Having such a long history, and being the most advanced civilization in the United States portion of North America, their history, vague and ancient, has continued to excite scholars up until current times.Mounds are scattered all over the United States as far west as the Rocky Mountains. Some, especially in Illinois and the Mississippi region, are very impressive, reaching as much as 100 feet high and covering sixteen square acres. Likewise, there are many very small mounds that are often mistaken for natural geographical features. Mounds have been classified by scholars into three major categories: effigy mounds, burial mounds, and temple mounds. Effigy mounds are most common in the northern part of the United States near the Great Lakes and as far up as the Canadian Shield. These cleverly designed effigies are remarkable in geometric precision and very impressive, especially since it is so far unexplained how they were constructed. The purpose for the creation of these amazing earthen artworks is also obscured, hidden somewhere in the far past, but it can be assumed,
Another feature that distinguishes the Mississippian from the other earlier eras was their use of bows and arrows to strike down game. Two theories have developed from these patterns: one states that the mound builders began in the north, and as they slowly made their migration southward they became more skilled at mound building until they reached the point of elaboration that was near to that of the Maya. They noted that the flat topped temple mounds found in the Southern parts of the United States bared great resemblance to the Mayan stone temple pyramids. The mystery of the ancient Mound Builders will continue to interest people far into the future. They also believed that Indians were too indifferent to work to build such massive earthen works anyway. Since they were mainly concentrated near major waterways and tributaries supplied by the Mississippi, they were able to travel by canoe and trade with other cities. The Mormon religion is based upon the theory that Israelites had at one time lived in America. Burial mounds are usually distinguishable by their cone shape, and received their name from theories concerning their purpose. In addition, coins from ancient Roam were found in Peru. Modern scholars have not completely abandoned the ideas that formulated 500 years ago. It was even believed that the ancient European residents of North America were wiped out by the savage Indians that currently lived in their old dwelling places! In the 1880's, however, the Bureau of Ethnology put to rest many of the early theories of the mystery culture. Not realizing that the people they had asked had just migrated into that region, they assumed that the mounds must all together come from some mysterious race not connected to the Native Americans. The Mound Building cultures can be dated as far back as 1500 BC, and that time until around 700 BC archeologist identify as the Poverty Point Culture. Theorists hoped that these high places were actually temple mounds.
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