Spiro Mounds

Illustration of Spiro Mounds from the west

Spiro Mounds is an archaeological site run by the Oklahoma Historical Society and open to the public. It is in Eastern Oklahoma, near the modern town of Spiro. It is one of the most important pre-Columbian sites in the United States.

Spiro Mounds Media

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  Engraved whelk shell from Spiro Mounds depicting a falcon warrior

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  A reconstructed Spiroan house. Grass-thatched roofs were typical of more recent historical Wichita and Caddo cultures, who also made round grass lodges.

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  Craig Mound, the Spiro burial mound that was referred to as the "Great Mortuary" by archaeologists conducting the early scientific research at the site

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  Anthropomorphic human headed avian plate from Spiro

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  Obsidian scraper found at Spiro Mounds, Oklahoma, made from green obsidian that was sourced from Pachuca, Mexico; an example of vast Pre-Columbian trade networks

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  Engraved shell gorget from Spiro Mounds—the striped-center-pole, or axis mundi, divides the image in half—the cross and circle motifs also have symbolic meaning

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  Spiro Mounds shell gorget with a central spider motif and a border of hands with bracelets, Woolaroc Museum

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  Map of the Caddoan Mississippian culture and some important sites

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  Effigy pipe of figure smoking from a frog effigy pipe, Missouri flint clay

Other websites

• Spiro Mounds Archaeological Park Archived 2005-12-22 at the Wayback Machine