Mounds and Earthworks on the Public Highway Part Twelve: Kolomoki Mounds State Park	by Steven R. Cooper
Central States Archaeological Societies 2023 January Journal	Cary, North Carolina

This excerpt from "Mounds and Earthworks on the Public Highway Part Twelve: Kolomoki Mounds State Park" published in the 2023 Central States Archaeological Societies 2023 January Journal Read this and mores in the Central States Archaeological 2023 January Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2024
The plaza at Kolomoki with the large 56’ high Mound A in the center and the reconstructed 20‘ high Mound D at the left. Mound D was one of two elaborate burial mounds. Rock slab and log tombs along with intrusive burials were uncovered along with fine pottery, shell beads and other objects.

Kolomoki Mound State Park is nestled in the lower Chattahoochee Valley of southwestern Georgia, a few miles from the Alabama border. The area is covered in trees, rolling hills, streams and rivers, and overall is very peaceful. Small towns dot the landscape, and most of the roads are simple state highways. It was an area of intense prehistoric cultural activity, especially during the Woodland and Mississippian periods. A century ago, C.B. Moore noted over 150 sites along the Chattahooche and Apalachicola Rivers and on the northwest coast of Florida. Modern archaeological methods have uncovered even more sites. This was an area of dense prehistoric population, and Kolomoki stands out as the center of human activity from AD 350-750. The site is huge. The main mound (Mound A) is so big that for years archaeologists insisted it must be a Mississippian mound, since it has a flattop and overlooks a large plaza similar to Cahokia. There are two large burial mounds (Mounds D and E), several smaller platform mounds, and remnants of a prehistoric embankment or enclosure, similar to what is found on Hopewell sites in Ohio.

The site was first noted in the 1840s when it was known as Mercier Mounds (after the landowner, George Mercier). In 1884 a small excavation was done on Mound A, but otherwise no scientific activity really occurred until local citizens in 1939 requested the Federal Government to establish a CCC camp to improve the roads in the area and survey the mounds. This lasted until 1941 when work stopped due to the start of WWII. Archaeologist Charles Fairbanks did some limited work and reporting on the site, but it wasn’t until 1948 that William Sears started an extensive exploration, including complete excavations of Mounds D and E. He worked there until 1956. A museum was then built to hold the artifacts from these investigations. This museum uniquely utilized Mound E as part of its construction, allowing isitors to literally be inside the mound to view some of the excavations. This mound had a dome shape and was utilized over several hundred years, starting around AD 430.

Archaeologically, Kolomoki sits in between the Hopewell and the Mississippian emergence. This is considered the Intrusive Mound period in Ohio, and remarkably, Kolomoki does include some intrusive burials. The site has been the subject of much discussion as to age and function. There are literally thousands of pottery sherds and hundreds of artifacts that suggest the site was a place of tremendous ceremonial activity. The excavations uncovered slab and log tombs, some including human sacrifice and skulls placed around the internments. There is evidence of multiple cremations. In addition to pottery; mica, shell and pearl beads and copper and iron (hematite) earspools were also uncovered. The mounds were ...

 

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