Poverty Point
| Poverty Point National Monument | ||
|---|---|---|
| IUCN category | V (landscape / Seascape) | |
| Country |  United States | |
| State |  Louisiana | |
| Nearest city | Epps | |
| Contact | 32 38 '12 "North 91 24 '41 "West / 32.636667, -91.411389 | |
| Area | 3.68 km 2 , near the town of Epps , in West Carroll Parish. The name "Poverty Point" is the plantation on which the archaeological site was discovered in 1873. By extension, the Poverty Point culture refers to the pre-Columbian culture of this region which is characterized by the creation of mounds of earth. Since 1962, the place is protected and welcomes visitors.
Pre-Columbian Era  The site was founded between 14-18 centuries BC . The vegetation has been burned to develop the site to 1450-1250 BC according to the analysis carbon 14. Then the area was covered with silt before undertaking any first berm. The site is reached peak around 1000 BC Archaeological excavations and protectionPoverty Point was abandoned long before the arrival of Europeans, perhaps around 700 BC , . It was partly damaged by U.S. farmers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The site was recognized in 1873 by the American archaeologist Samuel Lockett . Excavations are conducted by James Ford and Stuart Neitzel in the 1950s on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History . Aerial photographs provide insight into the nature and organization of the site. Poverty Point was classified a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior of the United States on 13 June 1962 , , then on the National Register of Historic Places on 15 October 1966. The Poverty Point State Historic Site also includes a museum which displays archaeological remains. The State of Louisiana is working with the Corps of Engineers Vicksburg to limit the erosion of the mounds and slopes . The excavations are continuing today. Some archaeologists believe that Poverty Point was used primarily as a ceremonial center for Native Americans, but was not a city . For them, it was a meeting place and regular meetings over a permanent settlement. However, several clues suggest that the site was occupied continuously as many balls of clay (or clay balls Poverty Point Objects) which were used to heat food. Currently, the site is open to visitors from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m., except Thanksgiving , Christmas and New Year's Day . His address is: 6859 Highway 577, Pioneer, Louisiana 71266. The entry fee is set at two dollars per person over the age of 62 and under 12 years are entitled to free .  Site description The archaeological site covers some 161.8 hectares . However, recent research shows that the lands occupied were spread over at least 4.8 km . Pover Point occupies the Bayou Macon to the west of the Mississippi River. The center of the site is occupied by a set of six concentric artificial slope in the semi-circle which form a large "C" . In the current state of the place, each measuring a levee to two meters in height and are open from 43 to 60 meters apart . The smallest has a diameter of 600 meters and defines an area of 14 hectares which opens on the Mississippi . The latter is also the largest since it extends about 1.2 km in diameter , . The site hosts several mounds of earth, perhaps seven in total. The largest, known as Mound A, is located to the west and outside the embankment. It measures 21 meters, 216 meters long and 195 meters wide , making it one of the largest earthen structures of North America . Recent excavations suggest that Mound A was built quickly, perhaps in three months . It is nonetheless a total volume of about 238 000 m 3 . From the sky, its shape resembles the letter "T" or a bird trying to fly, wings. It was perhaps the cosmological center of the site . Another mound is a conical shape and is 7.5 meters. His platform was to support a wooden building. Lower Jackson Mound is located in the south: it is probably the oldest of Poverty Point . To the north, the Motley Mound is 16 feet high. The people of Poverty Point Main article: Mound Builders.  The Indians who occupied the site of Poverty Point were hunter-gatherers, not farmers . They had to move some 750,000 to 1 million cubic meters of earth to develop the site , . Poverty Point was the center of a trade network that extended to 1600 km . For example, archaeologists have found the copper from the Great Lakes , the microliths and arrowheads in the valleys of the Ohio and Tennessee , the Ouachita Mountains and Ozark , finally, the soapstone of the Appalachians. Raw materials were already imported around 1730 BC . The craft was developed as shown by the figures in clay , jewelry stone . References
NotesRelated articlesExternal Links
Bibliography
| |
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5, rated)
Loading ...