Agricultural Row Features: Evidence for Intensive Swale Area Agriculture at the East St. Louis Mound Complex

Excavations over the last few years at the east St. Louis Mound Complex have exposed a unique and unusual type of prehistoric feature found within low-lying areas characterized by heavy clay subsoils. These features consist of sets of regularly spaced, linear arrangements of double rows of small pits. We propose that these late Terminal Late Woodland/early Mississippian features represent a type of field/garden system used to intensify crop production within marginal lands directly adjacent to densely settled occupation areas, benefiting from the fertile topsoil and moisture characteristics of the swale areas.