Space Syntax Analysis of Stirling Phase (1100–1200 CE) Monks Mound

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

We use spatial syntax to construct access map models for Monks Mound, the central and largest mound at Cahokia, during the end of the Stirling phase, as this was a time of great change with respect to both architecture and religious practice. We use access analysis to measure the Depth from the Exterior (DE), the Real Relative Asymmetry (RRA), and the potential Control Values (CV) of spaces on Monks Mound. The RRA and the DE allows us to quantify global accessibility, allowing us to see how architecture may shape interactions of people coming into Monks Mound from the exterior. The CV allows us to quantify the local accessibility, how built space shapes interactions within Monks Mound as if it were a closed system.

Spatial syntax analysis has not previously been applied to Cahokia. Through the application of spatial syntax, we aim to provide a more complete picture of Monks Mound by analyzing the connections between constructed space and elements of religion, politics, and social organization. Our analysis provides insight into the societal and religious organization of Monks Mound and the site of Cahokia as a whole and a greater understanding of the largest sites of pre-colonial North America.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51632