The Chronology of Monks Mound

Monks Mound, the largest Native American construction in North America and a central feature of Cahokia, was likely built in two rapid phases spanning fewer than twenty years, contradicting earlier assumptions about its prolonged construction. Using a Bayesian computer model that integrated archaeological data and radiocarbon dates, this study challenges the notion that Monks Mound was one of the oldest and longest-lived monuments at Cahokia. The findings suggest that Cahokian society could mobilize vast labor forces for short durations, potentially inhibiting the development of institutionalized, transgenerational sociopolitical hierarchies.

Schilling, T. (2013). THE CHRONOLOGY OF MONKS MOUND. Southeastern Archaeology, 32(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.1179/sea.2013.32.1.002