Existing comment:
On the right is the Great Temple Mound. On the left is a smaller mound, described elsewhere as the Lesser Temple Mound (Mound B). The sign for the Great Temple Mound says the following:
The Great Temple Mound and Town Site
Capital of a Thriving Civilization
Relatively little is known about these mounds except that there [sic] were topped by rectangular wooden structures probably used for religious and ceremonial purposes. A stepped rampway descended from the summit of the mount to the plaza level below. Its size and presence is another indication of the advanced society that built and used it, probably for the important ceremonies and rituals. Scientists can only suggest what might have been true; archeological proof does not exist.
What conclusions can we draw about the Mississippians? They were Master Farmers as evidenced by the extensive old fields that remain. The number of mounds suggests that a large number of healthy individuals labored intensely to build the village and structures and to produce the food necessary to sustain a large population. There had to be strong leaders present in their society to organize and to maintain such a large population. The successive stages of the development of the mounds suggest a long period of occupation.
The recovered artifacts further suggest an elite class of priests and/or chieftains who were carefully honored in their death, another sign of the advanced culture of the Mississippians. |