—Poverty Point World Heritage Site —

Earthen mounds had been built before, during the Middle
Archaic period. Single ridges had, too. But, the six nested
ridges at Poverty Point are unique in both their formation
and their scale. The diameter of the outermost ridge, from
north to south, is about ¾ mile. The great size of the ridges
and their subtle topography combine to make them difficult
to recognize from the ground. (To help visitors identify the
ridges, the Office of State Parks allows the grass to grow
higher on the ridgetops than in the adjacent swales, or low
areas.) From the air, however, they are much more obvious.
That is how Dr. James Ford discovered the ridges in
1953—from an aerial photograph. Archaeologists have
concluded that people lived on the ridges.

Moundbuilding at Poverty Point began with Mound B sometime around
1650 BC. Mound E was probably built at about the same time. The age of
Mound C is not yet known, as inconsistent dates suggest it could have been
one of the earlier mounds or one of the later ones. The remarkable Mound
A, one of the largest mounds in North America, was created after 1400 BC.
Late Archaic mound construction at Poverty Point likely ended with
Mound F, sometime after 1250 BC.

The plaza, which appears today as just a large flat area, is also an earthwork.
Traces of large circles of
wooden posts are buried beneath two to three feet
or more of soil that effectively raised the level of the plaza in some places
This was probably accomplished between about 1400 and 1200 BC.

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Show me all markers in:  Pioneer, LA  |  West Carroll Parish  |  71266  |  Louisiana  |  United States of America

This is Poverty Point
Before Poverty Point
The Natural and Cultural Environment
Peopling of the Americas
Poverty Point Artifacts
Poverty Point World Heritage Site
After Poverty Point
Poverty Point Earthworks
Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point
Poverty Point State Historic Site

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