Moundville started as a modest Woodland village around 1000 CE. By 1100, Mississippian influence arrived with Cahokia artifacts and the first two platform mounds. When Cahokia declined around 1200, Moundville's population surged past 10,000, building a ~40-acre plaza, 29 earthen platform mounds, and a roughly one-mile palisade. Decline began by 1300, with the site largely abandoned by around 1450 CE.
Moundville grew from Woodland village to major Mississippian center (800–1300 CE)
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Key facts
- Moundville began as a late Woodland period village established between 800 and 900 CE
- By 1100 CE, Mississippian influence arrived along with Cahokia artifacts and two new pyramid mounds
- Around 1200 CE, as Cahokia was being abandoned, Moundville's population surged
- A 320-acre grand plaza was constructed along with over 20 earthen pyramids and a one-mile palisade wall
- The greater Moundville community encompassed over 10,000 people trading and farming the flood plains
- Population decline began around 1300 CE; Moundville was completely abandoned by the late 1300s
- People returned to bury their dead in house foundations until the practice stopped around the mid-1400s
Site mentioned
Sources
Moundville Archaeological Parkencyclopediaofalabama.org
Once a thriving ceremonial and political center of Mississippian culture, the prehistoric Moundville site was occupied for more than three centuries until it ...
Moundville Archaeological Park – The University of Alabama ...moundville.museums.ua.edu
The University of Alabama Museums is a museum system that includes four public museums. Moundville Archaeological Park, place for your next camping trip
About Moundvillemoundville.museums.ua.edu
Moundville Archaeological Park was once the site of a powerful prehistoric community that, at its peak, was America's largest city north of Mexico.
Frequently Asked Questions about Moundville Alabamamoundville.org
Moundville was a thriving cultural and political center for the Mississippian people, dating back nearly 1,000 years. It was one of the largest settlements in ...
Moundville Archaeological Siteen.wikipedia.org
Extensive archaeological investigation has shown that the site was the political and ceremonial center of a regionally organized Mississippian culture chiefdom ...
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