Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III
Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE)·Woodland–Mississippian·🇺🇸 Illinois, United States
About
About Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III
Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III in Illinois, United States is a Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE) earthwork attributed to Woodland–Mississippian. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal earthwork 350 m long and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 38.6540N -90.0610E controls access to Illinois resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey earthwork for Illinois, illustrating Woodland–Mississippian construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1200 BCE–1200 CE
- Period
- Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE)
- Culture
- Woodland–Mississippian
- Purpose
- Ceremonial earthwork centre for gathering and burial
- Rediscovered
- 1965 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 1200 BCE–1200 CE
Initial construction of Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III main structure
c. 1905
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1965–2010
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
38.6540° N · 90.0610° W · 115 m · 3 mapped features
- Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III — Main StructurestructurePrincipal earthwork — Earthwork 350 m long with diagnostic masonry/panel38.6548° N · 90.0601° W
- Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III — Ancillary ComplexcomplexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature38.6530° N · 90.0617° W
- Cahokia Woodhenge Post Circle III — Peripheral FeatureoutlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial38.6555° N · 90.0598° W
Gallery