Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site
Kincaid Mound Center
Mississippian 1050–1400 CE (Kincaid phase)·Mississippian (Caborn-Welborn)·🇺🇸 Illinois, United States
About
About Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site
Major Mississippian town (1050–1400 CE) on Ohio River floodplain with at least 19 earthen mounds around central plaza (25 ha core, 105 ha district). Major mound 30 × 158 m base, 8 m high flat-topped platform for chief's residence; palisaded with bastions. Secondary center to Cahokia, yielding fluorite figurines, shell-tempered pottery and SECC copper.
Why it mattersSoutheasternmost Mississippian center showing Cahokian colonization model and riverine chiefdom hierarchy.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Extent of palisade bastions and political centralization
- 02Fluorite figurine workshop sourcing
Theories
- 01Colonial node linking Cahokia-Moundville networks
- 02Chiefdom defensive response to 1200s climate stress
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.1050–1400 CE
- Period
- Mississippian 1050–1400 CE (Kincaid phase)
- Culture
- Mississippian (Caborn-Welborn)
- Purpose
- Paramount mound town, river trade and political center
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1050–1400 CE
Initial construction
c. 1692 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
37.0800° N · 88.4900° W · 105 m · 2 mapped features
Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site central feature
featureMain architectural feature
37.0800° N · 88.4900° WKincaid Mounds State Historic Site secondary sector
sectorSecondary sector
37.0810° N · 88.4890° W
Gallery