Mississippian Culture Mounds

Timeline

1. c. 900–1050Mississippi River basin · Mississippi River basinMississippian centers began large-scale construction of platform mounds and plazas; at Cahokia and elsewhere, population and craft production concentrated, forming interregional networks of tribute and ritual.
2. c. 1081–1090Cahokia Mounds · IllinoisAt this time centers such as Cahokia were still at their peak of population and building activity; giant platform mounds like Monks Mound supported chiefly authority and seasonal ceremonies, and the mound groups formed the typical landscape of mound builder culture.
3. c. 1200–1400Southeastern North America · Southeastern United StatesAfter Cahokia's population declined, the Mississippian tradition continued in southeastern chiefdoms (such as Etowah and Moundville), maintaining political and ritual order through mound centers until changes in the contact period.