—Poverty Point World Heritage Site —
The Poverty Point earthwork complex is a
monumental achievement worthy of celebration.
It was built and occupied from about 1700 BC to
1100 BC. This site is often considered to be the
"New York City" of its day because it appears to
have been so much more elaborate and
sophisticated than anything else that was
happening in North America at that time.
This created landscape is unique in the world—there is
no other site quite like it. The original design included
five earthen mounds (another culture added a sixth
mound, Mound D, about 1,800 years after Poverty
Point was abandoned), six concentric C-shaped ridges,
and a huge inner plaza. Archaeologists estimate that
preparing the landscape and building the earthworks
may have required moving, basketload by basketload,
about 100 million 50-1b. basketloads of soil.
To experience the earthworks, you can enjoy a
ranger-guided tram tour, a self-guided driving tour, or
a self-guided hiking trail that winds through the
earthworks. The on-site archaeologist recommends
taking a hike!
Part of what makes Poverty Point so special is the fact that people
who made their living through hunting, fishing, and gathering wild
foods built these earthworks. For many years, archaeologists did not
think that hunter-gatherers could achieve such an
amazing
accomplishment.The diverse habitats of the Mississippi River
floodplain and Macon Ridge provided a variety of foods and other
necessary resources. The only material that was not readily available
here was stone, a critical resource for people who relied on stone
tools. They developed a vast trading network to fulfill that need.
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