Rock Eagle Effigy Mound is an archaeological site in Putnam County, Georgia, U.S. estimated to have been constructed c. 1000 BC to AD 1000 (1,000 to 3,000 years ago). The earthwork was built up of thousands of pieces of

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

laid in the mounded shape of a large bird (102 ft long from head to tail, and 120 ft wide from wing tip to wing tip). Although it is most often referred to as an

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

, scholars do not know exactly what type of bird the original builders intended to portray. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP) because of its significance. The

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

administers the site. It uses much of the adjoining land for a

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...

camp, with cottages and other buildings, and day and residential environmental education. What prompted the early inhabitants of Middle Georgia, who lived in a time long before the rise of the later Mississippian, Creek and Cherokee cultures, to build these massive effigy mounds is still something of a mystery. They obviously hold ceremonial significance and the Rock Eagle seems to have been expanded from a large dome-shaped central mound.

Archaeology

Only two such bird

effigy mound An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, human, or other figure. The Effigy Moundbuilder culture is primarily associated with the years 550–1200 CE during the Late Woodland P ...

s have been found east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. The other, known as Rock Hawk, is also located in Putnam County, approximately thirteen miles to the southeast. () Rock Eagle was once thought to be as much as 5,000 years old. While there is strong evidence that the area was occupied by Archaic Indians at that time, scholars no longer believe that they created the mound. Current archaeology suggests the mound was built between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago by Woodland Indians. These Native Americans may have been part of the Adena or Hopewell cultures. It is more likely that they represented a unique group. Rock Eagle is the next oldest Indian mound in Georgia after the Sapelo Shell Ring Complex. Early settlers of the region thought it might cover some fantastic buried treasure and dug into it from time to time, but 20th century archaeologists found only that the eagle was built atop a natural rock outcrop. Theories as to the reasons for its construction currently range from the need for some central burial place by the ancient inhabitants of the area to the possibility that the people of Rock Eagle were sending a message to the gods. The mound depicts a bird with a large beak and a fan tail. Archeologist Charles T. Hyatt produced the earliest measurements in 1877. It measures 120 feet from head to tail and 102 feet from wingtip to wingtip. The bird's head is often described as being turned to the east (see ''Marker'') "to face the rising sun", perhaps to suggest a

cosmological Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

significance to its placement. However, the bird's head actually faces south by southeast, and its beak points almost due south. The rocks comprising the bird's chest are piled eight to ten feet high, while the wings, tail, and head rise lower. Archeologists found non-indigenous clay on the mound, suggesting that materials were brought to it from other areas during construction. Early archaeologists also found evidence of a human

cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

on the mound, as well as a

projectile point In archaeological terminology, a projectile point is an object that was hafted to a weapon that was capable of being thrown or projected, such as a javelin, dart, or arrow. They are thus different from weapons presumed to have been kept in the ...

. Some scholars believe the mound resembles a buzzard or

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

more than an eagle. As the buzzard was a symbol of death among some of the indigenous peoples, it would have been a fitting image for a

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

.LostWorlds.org Georgia : Rock Eagle - Eastern Woodland Indians effigy mound
/ref> Scholarly study of the Rock Eagle Effigy Mound began by 1877, when noted

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Dr. Vincenzo Petrullo published measurements of the image.

archaeologist A. R. Kelly excavated much of the site during the 1930s. Because of this excavation, a single set of human and animal bones remain and a projectile point was found that may or may not be related to the effigy. Archaeological excavations into the mound over the years have found a surprisingly small number of artifacts other than the stones from which it was built. A 1950s research project did find a single quartz tool at Rock Eagle, along with evidence of cremated human burials in the mound. Otherwise, the structure has revealed very little about its intended purpose. The property was sold to the United States government during this time by Florence Scott. In association with the University of Georgia, the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA) constructed a

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

at the foot of the effigy. This made an "aerial" view of the site possible for visitors. In 1954 Kelly reported that both Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk showed indications of having been enclosed by a wall of material similar to the rocks used to construct the effigies. This, perhaps, associates them with the builders of similar walls at Stone Mountain (destroyed, 1923) and Fort Mountain (still standing). An extensive renovation was completed on this site, removing plants from the mound and replacing rocks that were scattered nearby. The mound rises 10 feet above ground level and consists of thousands of small to medium-size rocks. The stone tower built by the CCC workers in the 1930s provides views of the Rock Eagle. A paved pathway circles the effigy and there are interpretive panels to explain the significance of the site. The U.S. Department of the Interior listed Rock Eagle on the

in 1987. Access to the mound itself is strictly prohibited, and the site is surrounded by a tall fence. The University of Georgia administers the site. It uses much of the adjoining land for a

camp, with cottages and other buildings, and day and residential environmental education. Visitors are permitted to visit the mound free of charge. The site is located adjacent to State Route 441 between the cities of Madison and Eatonton. The park is 1500 acres in total.

Marker

In 1940 a state heritage society put a bronze marker near the head of the image. The text reads:

Legacy

The adjoining Rock Eagle 4-H Center is named after the effigy. It uses an image of the mound on the masthead of ''Wingspan'', the center's newsletter.

Gallery

RockEagle1.jpg, Mound viewed from adjacent observation tower RockEagleMarker.jpg,

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

marker at the effigy's head RockEagleMound&Tower.jpg, Mound and observation tower viewed through protective fence RockEagleTail.jpg, The effigy's tail, viewed from the foot of the observation tower 24-10-001-rock-eagle.jpg, Historical Marker

References

* *
Sunday Ride: Rock Hawk
* ttp://www.scenicbyway.org/site_11.htm Scenic Byway

External links