GREAT AND LESSER TEMPLE MOUNDS
The Great Temple Mound is by far the largest Mississippian mound on the Macon Plateau. It is located on an artificially terraced and enlarged portion of the so-called Macon Plateau. The mound is 50' high on the side facing the ancient town. The opposite side drops 90' to the river floodplain. Relatively little is known about this mound except that it was constructed in several stages; its last two stages were ascended by stepped ramps; the summit of the last stage was encircled by a low earthen wall; and it was topped by rectangular wooden structures that were probably used for important ceremonies. The low West Platform, facing the Funeral Mound, may have been connected to an earlier mound stage.
The nearby Lesser Temple Mound was partially destroyed by railroad construction in the 1840s. It, too, was the sub-structure for an important building.
Much of the Funeral Mound was destroyed by railroad construction in 1874. During the excavations in the 1930s, over 100 burials were uncovered in what is now known as the Funeral Mound. Many of these burials contained shell and copper ornaments indicating this mound was probably reserved for village leaders. Like the temple mounds, this mound was built in successive stages - at least seven. The structures that stood on top at each stage may have been used in preparing the dead for burial.
The Southeast Mound, McDougal Mound, Dunlap Mound and Mound X are smaller mounds reached by trails extending from the primary village area.
