Tim Schilling:
      A New Construction History of Monks Mound

Researchers believe the prehistoric people of the American Bottom (St. Louis, Mo.) Region constructed Monks Mound, the largest earthen mound in North American, between 900 and 1200 A.D. Because of its size and prominent location, most see the mound as a central component of the larger Cahokian society. Some of the more recent approaches to Monks Mound challenge this gradualist model of construction, instead arguing for a much shorter time of construction – perhaps only spanning the period of 900-1050 A.D.

My research is designed to create a better understanding of the timing and pace of the construction of Monks Mound. Importantly, this work has greater implications for theorizing the place of the monument within the larger polity. Only through an accurate construction chronology can we begin to address topics such as what is the role of monumental construction in the initial stages of large-scale political integration.

Do monuments such as Monks Mound serve to reify pre-existing social inequalities or are social inequalities created through the building and use monumental works? My dissertation will detail the construction history of Monks Mound within the framework of understanding the social basis of platform mound ceremonialism in Southeastern North America.

Primary sources of information for this project will be derived through historical studies and field based observations. One particularly important source is recent fieldwork conducted by Dr. T.R. Kidder, Dr. John Kelly, and Timothy Schilling. This work documented the internal stratigraphy of the mound exposed through efforts to repair and prevent further slumping. Key insights from this unprecedented look into the mound will allow my research both to better understand past excavations and plan future work.