Monks Mound (the Monks' Mound)
Cahokia · Collinsville, Illinois, USA · c. 900/950–1100/1200 CE (the mound grew in stages; the northern summit was completed by ~1100, the lower southern terrace by ~1200)
Monks Mound is the largest earthen mound of pre-Columbian North America: four terraces about 30 m high, raised basketload by basketload of earth by the builders of the Mississippian culture. On the summit stood a "great building" — probably a temple and the residence of the ruler of Cahokia, a city whose population in the 12th century exceeded that of London at the time. Today the mound is the core of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Cahokia Mounds".
Dossier
- Type: Stepped structure
- Ancient city: Cahokia
- Modern location: Collinsville, Illinois, USA
- Dedication: A platform mound: the site of a "great building" (a temple and the residence of the paramount ruler) on its summit — the religious and administrative centre of Cahokia
- Dating: c. 900/950–1100/1200 CE (the mound grew in stages; the northern summit was completed by ~1100, the lower southern terrace by ~1200)
- Builders: The Mississippian culture — the people of the city of Cahokia
- Material: Layers of earth and clay carried in baskets; a volume of ~0.6 million m³ (c. 22 million cubic feet)
- Plan: A rectangular platform mound ~291 × 236 m at the base (with a southern ramp; other measurements give up to 320 × 294 m), 4 terraces, a height of ~30 m; on the fourth terrace a platform for the "great building" (temple/residence) more than 30 m long
- Base: 291 × 236 m
- Height (originally): about 30 m
- Height (surviving): about 30 m
- Tiers: 4
What matters
The dimensions of Monks Mound are given differently, depending on the level at which the base of the mound is measured. The usual figures are about 291 × 236 m in plan and a height of 28–30 m (19th-century measurements reached ~33 m). The eastern part of the summit has subsided because of landslides, so the four terraces are not fully visible today.