Woodhenge
E699279
Woodhenge is a prehistoric timber circle at the Cahokia archaeological site in Illinois, believed to have served as a solar calendar and ceremonial structure for the Mississippian culture.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Woodhenge (Cahokia) | 0 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
archaeological site feature
ⓘ
prehistoric monument ⓘ solar calendar ⓘ timber circle ⓘ |
| alignment |
sunrise at equinox
ⓘ
sunrise at summer solstice ⓘ sunrise at winter solstice ⓘ |
| archaeologicalEvidence | post molds visible in subsoil ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Monks Mound
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
equinoxes ⓘ solstices ⓘ |
| constructionTechnique | large wooden posts set in pits ⓘ |
| culture | Mississippian culture NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| discoveredBy | Warren K. Moorehead NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| excavatedBy |
Cahokia Mounds archaeological teams
ⓘ
Warren K. Moorehead NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| functionHypothesis |
elite ceremonial space
ⓘ
observatory for tracking the sun’s annual movements ⓘ setting for public rituals ⓘ |
| hasPart |
central observation post
ⓘ
concentric post circles ⓘ perimeter posts ⓘ |
| heritageStatus | part of UNESCO World Heritage Site Cahokia Mounds ⓘ |
| interpretiveUse | public sunrise observations on equinoxes ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Collinsville, Illinois NERFINISHED ⓘ Illinois ⓘ Madison County, Illinois NERFINISHED ⓘ United States of America ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| managedBy | Illinois Department of Natural Resources NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| material | wood ⓘ |
| near | Mississippi River NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| numberOfKnownCircles | multiple ⓘ |
| partOf |
Cahokia Mounds
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mississippian culture NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reconstructed | yes ⓘ |
| region | American Bottom NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| shape | circular ⓘ |
| significance |
evidence of complex astronomical knowledge in Mississippian culture
ⓘ
key feature of Cahokia ceremonial landscape ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
Mississippian period
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
circa 1000–1200 CE ⓘ |
| touristAttraction | yes ⓘ |
| UNESCOWorldHeritageSiteSince | 1982 ⓘ |
| usedFor |
calendar system
ⓘ
ceremonial purposes ⓘ solar observations ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.