The Etowah Indian Mounds are situated near Cartersville, in North Eastern Georgia. It was the third largest of all of the Mound building settlements, extending over 52 acres, and was populated between 1000 and 1550 A.D. The name "Etowah" is probably a corruption of the Indian word "itawa", the significance of which is not known.
Etowah, the centre of political and religious life in the Etowah valley, was home to the chiefs who directed the growth, storage and distribution of food. At its peak, several thousand Indians may have lived in the fortified village. The houses were constructed using a post framework with clay plastered walls and probably grass, thatch or cane mat roofs. A clay fireplace was built in the centre of the earthen floor and smoke escapes through a hole in the roof.
The inhabitants of the Etowah village were part of a much larger group known as the Mississippian culture. The Mississippian period, named because the beginnings of the culture were found along the Mississippi River, began in approximately 1000 A.D. The Creek tribe that later populated the area were descendants of this earlier culture.
The Etowah settlement had contact with other Indian communities in the Southeast. Marine shells from Florida, flint from Tennessee, copper from North Georgia and pottery made near the Mississippi River all found their way to Etowah. Decorations on pottery and religious objects are typical of a wide area of the Southeast.
A plan of the site is shown below. The site can be access for a self guided tour. There is also a museum on the site which contains a number of artefacts found at the site. The inhabitants of the village used copper, shell, cane, flint, wood, clay and bone to make hundreds of different items. Pottery was one of the most important Etowah crafts; wood was carved into masks, ornaments and rattles; copper was shaped into decorative ornaments; and shells were made into bead necklaces. Baskets and matting were woven
from cane, and cloth was made from plant fibre, hair and feathers. Sewing implements, weaving tools, hairpins and fishhooks were cut from bone, and stone was used for axes, arrow points and knives.
(1) Borrow Pit
This is a large pit, there is a similar one to the west of the site. These pits and the moat are the result of hundreds of thousands of basketfuls of earth that were borrowed from here and carried to build the mounds.
(2) Defensive Moat
The moat once stretched from riverbank to riverbank around the village, enclosing 52 acres. The 9 to 10 foot deep moat was a very effective first line of defence. A few feet inside the moat was a fence or palisade of upright logs imbedded several feet in the ground and probably standing twelve feet tall. The palisade had towers or bastions projecting toward the moat that allowed the villagers to propel their weapons at attackers from a safe point The attackers had to climb in and out of the moat then be under intense fire, that could not be effectively returned, while they tried to break through the palisade. These defences made the village almost invulnerable to attack by spears, arrows, and clubs, which were the principle weapons of the Southeastern Indians.
(3) Plaza Edge
Between the moat and the mounds is the village area. Houses were scattered to protect them from fire arrows and accidental fires.
Just before the northern edge of Mound A is the edge of the ceremonial plaza. The edge of the plaza runs in a straight line eastward.
The plaza is made of packed red clay that was brought in to make up the ceremonial centre of the mound complex. At the edge of the plaza there are a number of small rises labelled Mounds D-1, E-2, F-3, and G4 on the sketch plan. Only D-1 and E-2 have been archaeologically tested. The mounds surrounded the plaza which was swept clean and used much like a town square of today.
(4) Mound A
Mound A stands 63 feet tall and can be accessed by climbing the 132 steps. This is the great temple mound, which has never been excavated. At other Mississippian sites, the great temple mounds have been found to be without significant burials or interior structures. This may or may not be the case with Mound A. It was a platform for the temple and where the chief-priest presided over ceremonies that took place on the plaza. The use of the platform on the south side or the mound is unknown. It overlooks Mounds B and C and an extension of the plaza, where ceremonies could have taken place.
(5) Mound B
Like Mound A, Mound B was a temple platform and has never been completely excavated. A test pit was dug on the west side at the base. Here were found burials as well as trash pits with the remains of deer, turtles, plants, and fish.
(6) Mound C
This burial mound has been completely excavated and restored. The 350 burials studied here told scientists much about the burial practices, classes of people, dress, diet, diseases, trade patterns, and highly developed ceremonial practices. This mound was built up in layers with changes in temple structures, fences, and burial practices dating from the earliest at the bottom to the latest at the top. Most of the other museum exhibits came from Mound C. The red clay from which the mounds are constructed is clearly apparent on this mound.
(7) Shoals and Fish Traps
Gravel shoals and a restored fish trap can be seen in the river. "V' shaped traps were built of piled stones and woven basket caught fish at the point of the 'V'. Gar, drum, and catfish plus freshwater mussels were an important source of protein for the inhabitants here. Gar and drum come near the surface and were probably speared as well as trapped and hooked. The villagers could travel along the river using timber canoes.
(8) River Walk
Along the riverbank are the walnut and hickory trees that furnished nuts and persimmon trees that furnished fruits. The river cane furnished arrow shafts, thatch for roofs, splits for baskets, and mats for walls and floors.
Cultivation of crops provided the Indians with one of their most important food sources.
The area has sandy soil that could be tilled with primitive hoes and digging sticks. The soil's fertility was renewed every few years by flooding and supported a large population for several hundred years.
The Indians also grew beans and pumpkins but most of the valley was used for corn production. The corn was stored until the next harvest in raised corn crib.
On wooded hills lining the valley, the villagers gathered wild nuts, fruits and roots. They did not raise animals for food because hunting and fishing provided their meat. Excavation of refuse areas indicates that deer and turkey were important game.
Furthermore, just to the south lies the Piedmont Physiographic Region with its different plants and animals. This junction of two environments gave the inhabitants a much wider range of foodstuffs and made it easier to earn a living.
Further information on
Mississippian Period Indians
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