OM

Ancient History

17,000 years along the Ocmulgee

Each era below carries maps, artwork, archaeological discoveries, historic photographs, audio narration, and video chapters.

  1. 1

    c. 15,000 – 8,000 BCE

    Paleo-Indian Period

    The earliest known peoples camped along the Ocmulgee River, hunting late Ice Age game and shaping Clovis-style spear points from local chert.

    • Clovis points found on site
    • Ice Age megafauna
    • Riverine campsites
  2. 2

    c. 8,000 – 1,000 BCE

    Archaic Period

    Seasonal camps grew into long-term settlements. Communities gathered river cane, nuts, and shellfish, and began working stone bowls and ground tools.

    • Ground stone tools
    • Seasonal round
    • Early trade networks
  3. 3

    c. 1,000 BCE – 900 CE

    Woodland Period

    Pottery, burial mounds, and cultivated plants transformed daily life. Villages became permanent and ceremonial life deepened.

    • Stamped pottery
    • First mound building
    • Agriculture begins
  4. 4

    c. 900 – 1,100 CE

    Mississippian Culture

    A major town rose on the plateau: the Great Temple Mound, the Funeral Mound, and the Earth Lodge with its bird-shaped clay floor and 47 molded seats.

    • Great Temple Mound built
    • Earth Lodge council chamber
    • Maize agriculture and chiefdoms
  5. 5

    1540 – 1717

    European Contact

    Spanish entradas, disease, and shifting alliances reshaped the region. The Ocmulgee Old Fields became a hub of the deerskin trade.

    • De Soto expedition era
    • Ocmulgee Trading Post
    • Creek Confederacy forms
  6. 6

    1821 – 1836

    Removal of the Muscogee Nation

    Treaties and forced removal drove the Muscogee (Creek) people from their homeland to Indian Territory. Ocmulgee remains their sacred ancestral home.

    • Treaty of Indian Springs
    • Trail of Tears
    • Enduring ancestral ties
  7. 7

    1933 – 1936

    Modern Archaeology & Preservation

    One of the largest archaeological digs in American history recovered more than 2.5 million artifacts and reconstructed the Earth Lodge.

    • 2.5M+ artifacts
    • New Deal era excavation
    • Earth Lodge restoration
  8. 8

    1936 – Today

    National Historical Park

    Designated a national monument in 1936 and redesignated a National Historical Park in 2019, with ongoing efforts toward national park and preserve status.

    • Redesignated in 2019
    • Ocmulgee Mounds Indigenous Celebration
    • Expanded park proposal