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Article: Mound builders. (earthworks in the eastern U.S.)
- Article from:
- National Parks
- Article date:
- January 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 National Parks Conservation Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Ancient earthworks offer a glimpse into the civilizations that once inhabited the eastern half of the United States.
As European settlers spread out across what is now the eastern half of the United States, they encountered a curious thing. Throughout the land they thought of as virgin wilderness, inhabited by people they considered unsophisticated savages, the settlers came across impressive, ancient earthworks.
Some were flat-topped pyramidal mounds as high as hills. Others were domed burial mounds or mounds in the shape of animals. Still others were walls, built of dirt and grown over with grass, that formed huge circles, squares, or octagons. ...