Discovery At Mound 72

Name

Instructors’ Name

Course Title and Code

Date

Discovery at Mound 72

In the second half of the twentieth century, the archeologists discovered some sites which hold great importance for the archeology department. The sites were discovered by chance and made the archeologist aware of the settings of the societies and people who used to live there. Melvin Fowler was the archeologist, who came across Cahokia and discovered the archeological site. He was forced to believe the fact that Cahokia was a well-planned city laid out by skillful surveyors, because of the evidence excavated from the site. The most remarkable evidence secured by the archeologists was the dead bodies of men and women which were buried in the pits. There were not spate graves; however, people were buried collectively in the pits, which also highlighted the fact that they did not die naturally, but they were killed. The archeologists perceived that Cahokia was a well-planned city because of the organized structure of the society, which had the plaza, the housing scheme and the business area that was clearly depicted in the excavations.

The unusual thing about Mound 72, when compared to other earthworks at Cahokia, is that it consisted of several pits, located at some distance from each other, which contained the collective dead bodies of the people. The mound 72 was different from Cahokia in the way that it was a well-established city, consisting of different well-defined parts of the city setting. On the other hand, the mound 72 only contained a number of pits, which contained the collective dead bodies of the people of that era (N.A.).

Numerous finds associated with the mound of 72 were discovered by the archeologist, which specifically consisted of pits of dead bodies. In one of the pits, the archeologist found the dead bodies of fifty-three women. According to them, the fifty-two women fell in the age range of fifteen to twenty-five years, while one woman was almost thirty-five years. They also discovered the fact that the women were killed either by slitting their throats or by being poisoned. Another remarkable feature was that the women were buried in two layers. There was a body on another body. In other pits, discovered near the first, the dead bodies of two men were discovered. In addition to it, the men were buried on the layer of beads, which were originally a part of some fabric, which was not present anymore, due to decaying process and only the bones of the dead bodies were present in the pits (N.A.).

The finds reveal major information about Cahokia’s level of socio-political organization, as well as the types of funerary rites and performances performed at this locality in ancient times. The most important thing is this regard is that there was an unequal system in the society, which consisted of the powerful and powerless groups of the society. Moreover, society was prone to religious rituals and services as well. The political and social organization of the society highlighted the fact that there was a power struggle in the society and the poor had to suffer in this regard. In addition to it, the organizational structure of the society highlights the aspects of administration as the society contained the plazas, the housing schemes, and the business areas as well. The society practiced the funerary rites in ancient times, which focused on the collective burial of the dead bodies. The practice associated with the widespread legend of twin or half-brothers in the way that people were buried in the set of two, as there were many dead bodies in the same pit, which were layered upon each other (N.A.).

The discovery at mound 72 is one of the greatest discoveries of the archeologist, which shed light on the sociopolitical organization of the ancient society. It also provided an insight into the religious practices of the ancient society as well. The mound 72 had been a point of curiosity for the archeologists for a great time, and ultimately they were able to discover its significance.

Work Cited

N.A. Discovery at Mound 72. Cahokia. N.D.