Woodhenge

At least five large post-circle monuments were built at this location from AD 1100 to 1200, each with a different diameter and number of posts. Woodhenge III, the circle most extensively excavated, has been reconstructed in its original location. From the central observation post, the rising sun above the eastern bluffs aligns with certain perimeter posts, especially at the winter and summer solstices, which mark the southernmost and northernmost sunrise positions, and at the fall and spring equinoxes, when the sun rises due east midway between the solstice posts. At the equinoxes, the rising sun also appears to emerge from the front of Monks Mound, perhaps confirming a link between the sun and the chief who ruled from the top of the mound. Excavations revealed hundreds of houses and pits, showing that this was a residential area before and after the construction of the Woodhenges. Fragments of wood in some postholes indicate that red cedar, a sacred wood for most Indians, was used for the posts.

Fairmont City, Illinois · United States