Mound Builders

The Aleutian Islands

But the barbarians who went into Incalia, occupying the North American plains and lake regions—a future age should come which would find these hordes gone from the earth forever; and, later still, curious people digging from archaeological remains would say: “Here lived the mound builders.”

The author foresees a future when these groups have vanished and archaeologists of later civilizations uncover their remains, labeling them as "mound builders" due to the structures they left behind.

The "mound builders" reference could indicate that later Native American cultures constructed mounds.

The passage mentions that future generations would find the remnants of these peoples and label them as "mound builders," which aligns with ancient Native American cultures known for constructing mounds across the central and eastern parts of what is now the United States.

Cultural Reference: The term "mound builders" is historically associated with several Native American cultures, such as the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures.

Discover more about the Mound Builders

Ignatius Donnelly

Artificial Deformation of the Skull

The upper dotted line, A, represents the shape of the European forehead; the next line, B, that of the Australian; the next, C, that of the Mound Builder of the United States; the next, D, that of the Guanche of the Canary Islands; and the next, E, that of a skull from the Inca cemetery of Peru.

242) that the Mound Builders and Peruvians of America, and the Neolithic people of France and the Canary Islands, had alike an extraordinary custom of boring a circular bole in the top of the skulls of their dead, so that the soul might readily pass in and out.

(lbid., 1873, p.367.) In this respect the Mound Builders of Michigan were identical with the man of Cro Magnon and the ancient inhabitants of Wales.

Ignatius Donnelly

The Bronze Age in Europe

"The discoveries in Isle Royale throw a new light on the character of the 'Mound Builders,' giving us a totally distinct conception of them, and dignifying them with something of the prowess and spirit of adventure which we associate with the higher races.

The Mound Builders used the same contrivance.

Ignatius Donnelly

The Indentity of the Civilizations of the Old World and the New

193), "that these Scythic burial rites have a strong resemblance to those of the Mound Builders." Homer describes the erection of a great symmetrical mound over Achilles, also one over Hector.

W. Scott-Elliot

The Story of Atlantis

The mound builders of both eastern and western continents formed similar tumuli over their dead, and laid the bodies in similar stone coffins.

Frederick S. Oliver

Le Grand Voyage

But the barbarians who went into Incalia, occupying the North American plains and lake regions—a future age should come which would find these hordes gone from the earth forever; and, later still, curious people digging from archaeological remains would say: "Here lived the mound builders."

August 2024 Update

Mound Builders (Americas)

After the Great Flood

Mound Builders in America

Mound Builders refers to various indigenous cultures in North America that constructed earthen mounds for religious, ceremonial, burial, and residential purposes.

Those in Yucatan, those in the adjoining lands as begun by Iltar, gradually lost in their activities; and came to be that people termed, in other portions of America, the Mound Builders.

Homer, Herodotus, and accounts of Alexander the Great describe symmetrical mounds over graves, paralleling the burial rites of the Mound Builders in America.

Edgar Cayce

Atlantis’ Readings

Those in Yucatan, those in the adjoining lands as begun by Iltar, gradually lost in their activities; and came to be that people termed, in other portions of America, the Mound Builders.

Ignatius Donnelly

The Colonies of Atlantis

The Mound Builders of the United States are considered river people, with their densest settlements and greatest works near the Mississippi and its tributaries.

Construction of Earthworks: The Mound Builders created large structures of earth and stone, including great pyramidal mounds similar to those found in Mexico and Egypt.

Artifacts and Tools: The Mound Builders produced various artifacts and tools, including copper implements, ornaments, and cast objects.

Cultural and Technological Similarities: The civilization of the Mound Builders shows similarities with the Bronze Age in Europe, suggesting a shared origin or influence.

Chronological and Archaeological Evidence: The antiquity of the Mound Builders' works is supported by the advanced state of decay of their skeletal remains and the presence of cultivated plants with no wild originals, indicating long-term habitation and development.

Historical Movement: The retreat of the Mound Builders southward toward Mexico, coinciding with historical events, suggests a movement back to kindred races in Central America, paralleling other historical migrations following major disruptions.

Ignatius Donnelly

The Identity of the Civilizations of the Old World and the New

Homer, Herodotus, and accounts of Alexander the Great describe symmetrical mounds over graves, paralleling the burial rites of the Mound Builders in America.

16,000 - 10,500 BC