Centuries before the Giza pyramids of Egypt were built and long before Nero infamously fiddled while Rome burned, indigenous people of North America were constructing vast mounds. Using baskets to carry soil, clay, or stones, they shaped remarkable ceremonial and burial landscapes, mainly in the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Early archaeologists coined the term ‘Mound Builders’ for the ancient cultures behind these earthworks. Recent research reveals that these sites were the product of diverse cultures—such as the Woodland, Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian—evolving over thousands of years by the fertile riverbanks.
In this region, several major centers rose to prominence. We’ll focus on the most significant ones, including three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Poverty Point, Cahokia, and Hopewell. Join Dr. Timothy Pauketat, who has spent years studying Cahokia, and a select group of thirteen others on a ten-day archaeological journey to explore these captivating ancient sites.
(If you have any questions about this tour itinerary, get in touch.)
(Special thank you to our valued traveler, Susan Markley, and to Historic Resource Analyst, Robert H. Rohe, for sharing photos posted in the gallery below)
Arrive in New Orleans. Take the hotel shuttle to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New Orleans Airport, located near the airport. Meet in the lobby to go to a nearby Cajun seafood restaurant for our festive welcome dinner party. (D)
Depart early for our four-hour drive to Poverty Point, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Louisiana. This extraordinary National Monument was built 3,400 years ago. Remarkably, it was contemporary with the Olmec of San Lorenzo and La Venta in Mexico. Archaeologists have not found any human remains in these monumental earthworks, thus Poverty Point has been interpreted as a vast pilgrimage site and an epicenter for religious ceremonies rather than a ‘city’ filled with inhabitants. An engineering marvel, six imposing concentric half-circles, 4 to 6 feet high in places, face towards a plaza covering an astounding 43 acres. Here, we join Diane Greenlee, the archaeologist who has been conducting research at Poverty Point for more than a decade. Dr. Greenlee will tell us about her discoveries.
Before leaving, we will enter the museum to view a wide assortment of finds from Poverty Point.
In the late afternoon, cross the mighty Mississippi River. Our home for the night is the Hampton Inn in Greenville Mississippi. (B/L/D)
Winterville is a National Historic Landmark just north of Greenville along the Mississippi River. The park includes more than twelve large platform mounds arranged around an enormous plaza. This ceremonial center thrived from about 1000 AD to its abandonment in 1450 AD. The Mississippian period was an intensive time of mound building and this site echoes influences springing from celebrated Cahokia in Illinois. According to archaeological evidence, a great fire during the late 14th century destroyed the structure atop the 55-foot central mound. We return to Greenville for lunch and then drive to Memphis where we will spend two nights. (B/L/D)
We depart, again crossing the Mississippi River to Plum Bayou Mounds Archaeological State Park. Here, three mounds remain where eighteen once stood. In the past, it was enclosed by a lofty 100-foot-tall earthen embankment; and a portion is still visible today. Most likely, a small permanent group of religious and political leaders and their families resided here. But remains of scattered villages and hamlets in the surrounding countryside suggest that the community was chiefly made up of farmers. The displays in the onsite museum contain artifacts found during excavations including arrowheads created from crystal, and conch shells from the Gulf of Mexico. While here, we will meet privately with an archaeologist from the Toltec Mounds Research Station.
Return to Memphis with dinner on our own. (B/L)
Travel north from Memphis to Cahokia, across the mighty Mississippi River from St. Louis. A thousand years ago, Cahokia was the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico and the largest mound center in what is now the United States. This was the pre-eminent example of a cultural, religious, and economic center of the Mississippian culture. This culture extended throughout the Mississippi Valley and the southeastern United States. We will enjoy a special treat when we meet University of Illinois archaeologists, under the direction of Dr. Alleen Betzenhauser. They are working at one of several archaeological sites under investigation in the bottomlands around Cahokia. During our visit, Dr. Betzenhauser will take us into their lab to view some of the excavated artifacts.
Overnight for two nights at the Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch. (B/L/D)
Today is our Cahokia day! This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the richest archaeological region on the continent north of central Mexico. Originally it was composed of three boroughs connected via waterways, and trails. The city and nearby communities extended across the river floodplain for miles. The Cahokia Interpretation Center is not to be missed. It focuses on the uniqueness of Cahokia as an urban center with singular features. It has the most and the largest earthen pyramids north of Mexico City, great upright wooden posts, distinct earthen causeways, and lagoons, as well as evidence of elaborate sacrificial offerings. We will climb Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas. At the summit, we will learn about Cahokian religion, based around the sun, moon, thunder gods, and agricultural cycle.
After that, we will retrace the travels of Charles Dickens in 1842 to Cahokia’s remarkable lunar-aligned Emerald Acropolis. We will enter private and state property, 15 miles east of the ancient city. Dr. Pauketat has been working here since 2012.
Dinner is on our own tonight. (B/L)
Our morning walk takes us to the iconic Gateway Arch rising elegantly more than 600 feet into the sky. Here, we will board the tram to proceed to the top for spectacular views over St. Louis, the great Mississippi River, and the surrounding landscape. While here, we will enter the Gateway Arch Museum featuring 200 years of history within six exhibit areas.
In the afternoon, a long drive takes us from St. Louis into Ohio to Cincinnati where we spend three nights in the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati downtown. (B/L/D)
Located near Newark, Ohio, the Newark Earthworks are three distinct sites, all credited to the Hopewell culture. We will visit two of them. The Great Circle Earthworks is massive. 1,200 feet across with a tall, protective wall enclosing it. Only a fragment of The Wright Earthworks can be seen. It forms an almost perfect square with part of the enclosure wall still standing. Adena Tablets were a rare type of artifact engraved in deep bas-relief and associated with the Adena culture. In the afternoon, we will explore the Ohio History Connection, a museum and research center in Columbus. Here, we will see many Adena and Hopewell artifacts that are on display. A highlight will be the clever effigy pipes depicting human and animal figures. Return to Cincinnati with dinner on our own. (B/L)
Today we will explore Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, recently inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, we will visit the Mound City Group, the only fully restored Hopewell earthwork. The complex covers a vast area larger than ten football fields. When constructed, protective walls encircled more than two dozen mounds. The visitor center displays fascinating artifacts found in excavations.
Then it’s on to Serpent Mound, the largest effigy earthwork in the world. The 1,370-foot–long site is shaped like a curved snake with an open mouth and an egg inside. The site, believed to have been constructed by the Adena people, includes a museum about this culture. (B/L/D)
Independent transfers to the airport for our flights home. (B)
