Ocmulgee Mounds

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park protects one of the largest and most complex archaeological sites in the Southeastern US. There is evidence of human habitation at the site stretching back 12,000 years. Archaeological excavations in the 1940s uncovered artifacts that show a wide trading network across the southeast. The 3,300 acre park includes the Great Temple Mound, built about 1,000 years ago, and six other mounds, as well as a Visitor Center with exhibits and a short film about the park. The mounds were built by different cultures over a period of nearly 4,000 years. The major earthworks are ceremonial mounds, burial mounds, and defensive entrenchments. The Great Temple Mound was the main ceremonial center. The mounds were abandoned about 900 years ago for reasons that are not known.