The historic city mounds at Moundville, Alabama

Two of the great mounds at Moundville Archaeological Park, Alabama, USA

Although my interest is in British history, art and literature, I recently had the pleasure of visiting the historic city mounds at Moundville in Alabama, USA, the site of a large, palisaded settlement which was occupied for around 400 years until around 1450. What a fascinating place to visit!

The original native American name for the settlement is unknown. As it stands today, Moundville is a large field of over 300 acres, containing a series of largely square platform mounds, many of which are the size of earthen mottes in Britain. This was clearly a place of huge significance.

The largest mound at the site was most likely for the chieftain and his family

20+ settlement mounds, some with associated living areas

There are over 20 mounds in total varying in height and dimension. One of these, significantly larger than the others, is associated with an adjacent lower enclosure and was most likely that of the settlement’s leader and his family.

Evidently, the sheer number of mounds and the site’s former palisaded enclosure could not have been the result of the actions of a small society. It is thought that the earliest mounds were palisaded in around 1200 and the site grew in political and religious importance over the next 100 years.

A panoramic view of the site, taken from the largest mound

The enclosure itself is broadly square. The palisade – seemingly supplemented by watchtowers at regular intervals - protected it on three sides. On the fourth side, the land drops away sharply to the Black Warrior River; a dock was no doubt located beneath the bluff facilitating trade.

Academics consider Moundville to be second in size and complexity only to a similar site at Cahokia in Illinois; in its prime, it was the largest city in America north of Mexico.

A powerful civilisation

How the site may have looked - information board suggests a powerful civilisation

The mounds are built around the edge of the large enclosure, in the middle of which is a great central plaza, today a marshy expanse but once bustling with activity. Clearly, the social organisation necessary to build not only the mounds but also the palisade suggests a society of considerable power and sophistication.

Scholars think that the larger mounds were associated with nobles while the smaller ones may have had other purposes such as supporting mortuaries or other social buildings. It is thought that by 1350, the site became less of a town and more a place of a political or religious significance.

The demise of Moundville

Empty now, the mounds are protected as important monuments for all to enjoy

Over time, several of the mounds were abandoned with only a few being occupied by the fifteenth century. It’s amazing to think that when Moundville was first built, the Normans invaded England and that, at its demise, the Hundred Years’ War was ending in France.

Evidence of life at Moundville

Sadly, given the evident sophistication of the site, much of the history surrounding the site remains obscure; indeed, from an American point of view, as the literature tells us, Moundville is a prehistoric site (i.e. before a known written record).

However, we are not totally ignorant of life at Moundville. Finds from the site are on display in the site museum, including examples of Moundville pottery with distinctive engraved designs and Moundville stone carving (including pipes, greenstone axes and a large bowl in the shape of a duck).

The Rattlesnake Disk - replica on display at the museum at Moundville

Of particular interest is the Rattlesnake Disk, a replica of which is on display. Incorporating a "Hand and Eye" motif in the middle of the rattlesnake thought to be indicative of a portal in the sky through which souls travelled after death.

Notwithstanding, much remains to be discovered about the Mississippian people of Moundville, how they governed themselves and interacted with their neighbours. It would also be fascinating to know the name by which Moundville was originally recognised; place names tell us so much about how earlier peoples viewed and understood their world.

---

Gallery showing the mounds at Moundville, Alabama and some helpful information boards

Entrance to the Research Center

A mound in the trees, telling its own story

Who lived here long ago?

A place of medieval civilisation, now just earth and trees

A powerful presence in the landscape

Impressive still, despite its age

Don't climb the mounds! Protecting Moundville for future visitors

A place of ghosts where once stood a whole city

Signs help us to understand the landscape

A magnificent panorama - Moundville viewed from the chifetain's mound

Helpful information - the layout described

A riverside community - a sign explains the history

Moundville was once surrounded by a thick palisaded wall with towers

How people may have lived - a lodge described

Power in the landscape - a chieftain surveys his domain

More of the site explained

Life long ago in Moundville

The chieftain's domain. Who would once dare to climb this mound?

The Black Warrior river at Moundville

Example of Moundville work - a stone axe and handle

The fascinating Rattlesnake Disk - a replica of the original at Moundville

---

About the author, Michael Smith

Michael Smith is a British translator and illustrator of medieval literature; he is also an accomplished printmaker, whose work is in private collections worldwide.

His books, including a translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Alliterative Morte Arthure, are available through all the usual outlets. His translation of The Romance of William and the Werewolf was published in 2024. All Michael's books feature his linocut prints as their illustrations.

For more details of Michael's books and how to purchase signed copies, click here.

---