Mapping Residential and Public Space in Cahokia’s Merrell Tract: Results of Recent Magnetic Surveys

Summary

The Merrell Tract is located west of Monk’s Mound and just outside downtown Cahokia. It is well known for excavations of the famous Woodhenge at its west end and a large residential district at the east end. However, very little is known about what lies between. In 2012 and 2013, with logistical funding from the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society and the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology, a large-area magnetic survey was undertaken to determine the density and extent of the area’s archaeological features. Though their magnetic signatures proved to be quite subtle, many dozens of pit features and houses from various time periods were detected. Also notable are large areas lacking features. In this presentation I review the results of the magnetic surveys and situate them alongside earlier excavation data. These recent geophysical surveys continue a long tradition of the use of remote sensing data at Cahokia for examining site structure, and they further show the utility of even larger-area surveys.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Insights into Mississippian Culture at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15239