The Irene Mound is a historical site in Georgia associated with the Mississippian culture.
Description
The Irene Mound site was located on the western bluff of the Savannah River. Its location is about 5 miles from Savannah city center.[1] Pipemakers Creek ran along one side and a ditch enclosed the other.[2] It previously consisted of a collection of temple mounds and residences, a burial mound and a rotunda. It was about 2.4 hectares in size,[3] and is the largest Mississippian site on the Georgia coast.[4]
History
The site went through seven phases of construction while it was occupied, between 1,150 AD and 1,300 AD.[5] It is believed to have housed the local chief and his family, no more than 30 or 40 people total.[6] Different types of ware, including cordmarked, stamped and burnished ware.[5] Food waste like shell middens was also found there.[3]
Excavations
The Works Progress Administration, Chatham County commissioners and Savannah chamber of commerce organized an archaeological project which excavated the Irene Mound site between 1937 and 1940.[7] Many women, especially black women, took part in the excavations of the Irene Mound site in the 1930s.[8]Gussie White is one of the most prominent examples of these women archaeologists.