Ancient Mounds, Modern Meanings
Abstract
Students at the University of Wisconsin and other residents of Madison encounter effigy
mounds on an almost daily basis as they move throughout campus and the city. Mounds can be
found on Observatory Hill (see Figure 1), near the Lakeshore path, in Elmside Park, and
throughout the city, Dane County, and the rest of Southern Wisconsin. But what do these
mounds mean? Archaeologists can offer some explanations as to the motivation of the mounds'
builders, but they cannot explain what the mounds mean today or how the function in our
society. This honors thesis begins to answer this question. I examine two effigy mound
landscapes, Effigy Mounds National Monument (EMNM), and Bear Mound Park.
Subject
Bear Mound Park
Effigy mounds
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/35938Licensed under: