Mound 4 is the only burial mound at the site. Thirty-four people (and two dogs) were buried there, some laid to rest with fancy pots and other things. The few people buried in this mound, together with its position inside the enclosure, indicate this place and these people were important. The people buried in this mound may have been political, religious or other kinds of social leaders. A look at another nearby Hopewell site makes it clear that the people in Mound 4 were treated differently in death than most people.

     The Crooks site had only two mounds and no embankments. Yet, one of these mounds, which is the same size as Mound 4 at Marksville, had more than 1,100 burials! Many of these individuals were buried in a mass grave rather than in separate tombs. Archaeologists found a range of Hopewell objects buried in the mound, some of them lying next to bodies.

Some of the pots in Mound 4 were very ornate, while others were plain and tiny. The front row of cups in the photo below stand barely over two inches tall!

The special burial customs at the Marksville site were short-lived. All of the bodies in Mound 4 represent, at best, no more than a few generations. Even so, people still used the site for nearly 400 years.