Excavating the Mounds

It wasn't until the 1930's when it was decided to excavate the mounds. Under President Roosevelt the WPA (Works Progress Administration), sent in a professional team. They dug up pieces of several different mounds and were shocked with some of their discoveries. The architecture of some mounds showed that the people were not only very civilized, but also very intelligent. They had used the different soil types (clay in particular) to construct the sturdy and lasting mounds that we still see today. Also, the team in the 30's dug up some artifacts that contributed to the knowledge that the people there were somewhat sophisticated as well. The excavation team later realized after digging up several sets of human bones that at least one of the mounds was a burial mound. The pictures below are of the Great Temple Mound and of some artifacts that were dug up during the excavations.

Great Temple Mound

Ancient artifacts