Mounds

Mounds are elevated accumulations of earth, rock, or other materials that create a distinct rise in the landscape. They can form naturally through geological and hydrological processes or be built by humans for a variety of purposes, including burial, ceremonial use, defense, or landscape modification.

Natural mounds include dunes, moraines, drumlins, and other hillocks formed by wind, water, ice, or sediment deposition. They range from small rises to large landforms and may host distinctive soils, vegetation, and microhabitats.

Artificial mounds are common in archaeology. Burial mounds, also called tumuli or barrows, cover human remains and grave goods. In North America, mound-building cultures constructed platform mounds to support buildings and ceremonial spaces, and effigy mounds shaped like animals. In Europe, prehistoric barrows and tumuli served as burial monuments across many cultures.

Notable mound sites include Cahokia Mounds in Illinois and Poverty Point in Louisiana. Mounds are also created by animals, such as ant hills and termite mounds. Today, many mound sites are protected as archaeological or natural heritage resources due to their historical and ecological significance.