Looting Spiro Mounds: An American King Tut’s Tomb

by David la Vere

How an ancient North American civilization was plundered in the twentieth century

When a group of relic hunters drove their picks into a lost Indian burial crypt in eastern Oklahoma in 1935, they unearthed a vast treasure trove of Mississippian art—considered by many at the time to be America’s answer to King Tut’s Tomb. They also ignited a controversy that continues to have repercussions throughout archaeological and American Indian communities.

The Spiro Mounds contained some of the most impressive pre-Columbian Indian art ever found. In Looting Spiro Mounds, David La Vere takes readers behind the scenes of this discovery to re-create a Great Depression–era archaeological adventure worthy of Indiana Jones.

The looting of the mounds is considered one of the major archaeological tragedies of all time. Today Spiro artifacts are scattered among the world’s museums, with some still circulating in the antiquities market and eagerly snatched up by collectors. La Vere weaves a compelling story of grave robbers and lost treasures as he pieces together the puzzle of the civilization that thrived at Spiro from A.D. 800 to 1450. He plumbs the mystery of why the people of Spiro abandoned the site, leaving behind their treasures but no forwarding address.

Looting Spiro Mounds explains what the continuing mystique of Spiro artifacts is all about as the book uncovers a controversy—and a mystery—that lives on to this day.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Indigenous

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ahdom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I picked this book up. There are a few books out there on the mound builders, but after reading America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization and The Lost City of the Monkey God I recalled several mentions of the prehistoric mound builders in America, mostly focused on Cahokia but many times the entire region was invoked. I have been to the Spiro mounds in Oklahoma and always wanted to learn more. I found the only book out there that is specifically about the Spiro mounds in Oklahoma. I am very happy I picked this up. This was an exciting history of the Spiro Mounds and the looting/excavations that happened throughout the years. My hope is that in my lifetime there are more discoveries of these Native peoples. It's hard for many to understand just what North America looked like before 1492 and we are still piecing that together. As an Oklahoman I have to recommend this to anyone who wants to know about prehistory in this state, to which there is very little knowledge. As a lover of history, I would recommend this to anyone who loves Archeology, Anthropology, History, or anyone who wants to know more about this very important culture that seems to remain in obscurity when we talk about American pre-history.

[Jim Collett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the primary takeaway I had from this book was profound sadness at what was lost. Yes, it was hard times. Yes, there was money to be made. Yes, there was greed everywhere--from the looters, from the poor landowners, from the collectors, especially the collectors. And, yes, to some degree from the museums and institutions. The underlying thing at the bottom of this story is the total lack of care for the Native cultures that produced this fascinating tomb/shrine/altar--whatever it was originally intended to be. The worst item was the way the human remains were tossed aside and crushed under the feet of the looters!
I already knew the basic story of this mound and even what is now thought it contained and perhaps some of its meaning. Still, this was a fascinating read. I enjoyed the way La Vere alternated the chapters. Telling the story of the people of Spiro and the story of the modern looting of the mound.

[Cheryl A.]

Looks like an excellent book. I picked it from the library just for the archaeological/ hsitorical chapters, especially 'The Founding' which is fascinating.

"Just to say that these people built earthen mounds glosses over the devotion and organizational ability American Indian peoples displayed. These mounds were not built by slaves. Rather, they were laborers of love, of religious devotion, done willingly by the people of Spiro who believed that what they were doing made their community stronger. Using only digging sticks, hoes made of stone or bone, and cane baskets, Spiroans hauled tons of earth to build Brown and the other mounds."

"The ring of temples and mounds around the great plaza were not placed haphazardly; the entire physical layout of Spiro was aligned to harness as much spiritual power as possible." (Like Stonehenge and other sites.)

February 2026

[Logan Guthrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched and well-written book. I didn't know a lot about Spiro or it's excavations and this was a good review of it. Sad to see that the archaeologists from the 1930s weren't exactly that much better than looters and pothunters. I'm not a fan of how human skeletal remains are referred to as "artifacts".

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read about looting vs. archeology and prehistoric society.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scholarly and interesting Univ of OK Press is always a good bet

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the alternation between the stories of how Spiro Mounds were looted during the Great Depression, and the much earlier rise and fall of Spiro as a great cultural center. The tragedy of the looting (which culminated in a shocking, spiteful act of vandalism) becomes more poignant by contrast with the power and influence of Spiroan civilization at its height in the thirteenth century. While the book maintains a fairly tight focus on Spiro and the dispersion of its artifacts, and so does not offer much discussion of the broader legal or institutional issues arising from early digs at the mounds, this is a fast-paced and thorough account of a fascinating place and its significance to American archaeology.

[Aaron W. Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the history of this book. I grew up in Hackett, AR on Backbone Mountain, and as a kid my family went to Poteau every other week to buy groceries. We always drove by many of the Spiro Mounds, and even visited some of the old dig sites. I've always been fascinated by the rich history, and this book really just enlightened and intrigued me further.

[Dorinda Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for someone that doesn't know much about the Spiro Mounds. Now I want to go back and visit again. Plus the many local museums that have artifacts.