Etowah Mounds and village site
Etowah Mounds and village site, located in the Etowah Valley, represents the largest Indian settlement of the Mississippian culture, thriving from approximately 700 to 1650 CE. This site served as a significant political, religious, and trade hub for thousands of inhabitants, showcasing influences from cultures such as Adena, Hopewell, and potentially Mesoamerican traditions. Spanning 50 acres along the Etowah River, the settlement was fortified with a stockade and moat, featuring two large plazas and seven mounds, including three ceremonial mounds that supported richly decorated temples. Archaeological discoveries at the site, including elaborate burial artifacts and effigies, highlight the complex social structure and spiritual beliefs of its people, with a strong focus on death and ritual practices. The presence of a caste system with chief priests at the apex emphasized the role of religion in daily life and community governance. The fertile soil surrounding the site supported a diverse agricultural economy, contributing to a vibrant social and religious culture. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1965, Etowah Mounds remains a pivotal link to understanding the rich heritage of the southeastern United States and the traditions of its mound-building societies.
Etowah Mounds and village site
Category: Archaeological site
Date: 700-1650
Location: Etowah River Valley, near Cartersville and Atlanta, Georgia
Cultures affected: Mound builders, protohistoric Creek, historic Cherokee
Etowah Mounds and village site, the largest Indian settlement in the Etowah Valley, occupied between 700 and 1650 c.e., was a political, religious, and trade center for several thousand people of the Mississippian or mound builder culture. Influences from the Adena culture and Hopewell culture are evident along with possible Mesoamerican influence.
The 50-acre site along the Etowah River was fortified on the remaining three sides by a stockade and moat. The village contained two large plazas surrounded by seven mounds, where several hundred burial sites were uncovered by archaeologists. Laborers constructed these mounds by carrying hundreds of thousands of basketfuls of earth from nearby pits. Three ceremonial mounds, the largest 63 feet high and covering 2.9 acres, were topped with richly decorated temples or houses for chief priests. Artifacts found in burials under these summit temples include elaborate ceremonial outfits and ritual paraphernalia used by priests. Burials around the mound bases contained masks, ornaments, pearl and shell necklaces, baskets, and stone tools. One mound reveals a number of building periods, marked by varying layers of clay, possibly indicating the beginning of a new ceremonial cycle when the old temple was destroyed and a new one built.
Etowah is important for its elaborate religious art similar to that of the higher culture of Mexico. Designs on items of shell, stone, tortoise shell, and copper reveal a preoccupation with death in images of human sacrifice and symbols of skulls and bones. Such death-related symbols suggest a connection with the Southern Cult or Death Cult; this shared religion supported trade relationships and prevented warfare among other centers throughout the Southeast. A gathering place for large festivals and a major craft center, Etowah was gateway from the Middle Mississippi subregion to the Southern Appalachian. Trade between these areas was facilitated by an extensive network of rivers which flowed toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Mound builders had a rigid caste system of royalty, nobles, honored men, and commoners, with priests living atop the mounds and commoners living in thatched-roof huts around the plazas. Chief priests controlled religious life by presiding over festivals and mortuary rites, and they directed daily life by overseeing food distribution. Sandy soil, fertilized every few years by flooding, produced an abundance of corn, beans, and pumpkins. Hunting and gathering added to the plentiful food supply, allowing time for development of a rich social and religious life.
In 1965 Etowah was designated a National Historic Landmark. Outstanding artifacts, the largest found in the history of southeastern archaeology, are two mortuary figures, male and female. Carved of white marble and bearing traces of original paint, 2 feet high and approximately 125 pounds each, they are thought to be memorials to deceased chiefs or priests.
In 1817, the Reverend Elias Cornelius was guided to the Etowah site by chiefs from the Cherokee tribe who were uncertain about its significance. Archaeological research in the late 1920’s and mid-1950’s revealed the flourishing culture of these mound builders.