Greg Little: Native American Mounds and Earthworks

Visiting ancient mounds & earthworks in the United States is a great way to introduce you and your family to some of the most unappreciated archaeological treasures in the world. The largest and most complex geometric earthworks in the world, made about 2,000 years ago, are in America. There are thousands of ancient mound sites, some with associated museums, that show the history of an extensive civilization that was found all over America in 1492. There were tens of thousands of hamlets, villages, towns, and even cities here with populations up to 50,000 people residing in the area surrounding mound complexes. These towns and cities were often fortresses with high palisade walls protecting the elite, who resided on the massive mounds.

This ancient mound culture likely had its start around 9,000 B.C., but by 3,000 B.C. or so mound building took off and dominated the continent. It is known that over 100,000 mound sites, some having over 100 mounds, were constructed by this culture, which all but vanished after incursions by the Spanish in the early 1500s spread diseases that decimated the population. Within two generations, the indigenous populations declined by 90 to 95 percent and by 1600 mound building all but ceased. However, this culture made some of the most exquisite and mysterious ceremonial artifacts ever found in the world, some of which are displayed at site museums. America's Mound Builders represent a forgotten part of history, one that merits as much appreciation as any other ancient civilization.

In this first volume of the Native American Mound & Earthwork Field Journal, a brief history of this amazing culture is presented. The various types of mounds and earthworks they made, the dates of various mound cultures, and many of their key spiritual beliefs are presented in this easy-to-understand book. The role of shaman and Medicine People within their society is explained in a straight forward manner as well as a simple method to mentally connect with sites when you visit, should you desire to do so. Over 30 photos and illustrations are also found in the book.
The importance of keeping notes as you visit sites is stressed and the types of things you might want to record at each location are presented. There are 65 formatted "blank" pages in the book where you can write field notes, and there is a sample page included from the author's own field journal.

A list of 51 major sites open to the public is in the book along with 34 museums. Table of Contents:

America’s Ancient Mound Builders: A Forgotten History
The “Arrival:” The Beginning of an End
Who Were the Ancient Native American Mound Builders? How Many People Were in the Americas in 1492?
Native American Mounds & Earthworks
When Did Mound Building Begin & When Did It Reach Its Height?
Types of Mound Cultures
Why Keep Field Notes?
What Do You Put in Field Notes?
Why Are You Visiting Mound Sites?
Harmony With Nature: All Things Are Connected
Shamanism & Medicine People
Understand People Lived at These Places
How To Mentally Connect
List of Major Public Mound Sites

Dr. Gregory L. Little is the author of numerous books on Native American mounds and spirituality including The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2009; 2016), Path of Souls (2014), Native American Mounds in Alabama (2017), Forgotten History: 5-Day Mound Tour (2023), People of the Web (1990; 2022), and Mound Builders (2001). He is also co-author with Andrew Collins of Denisovan Origins (2019) and Origins of the Gods(2022), both of which focused on America's mound cultures. Greg has a B.A. and M.S. in psychology and an Ed.D. in counseling and educational psychology from Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. He is also the author or coauthor of dozens of other books.

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