Marsden Mounds
Encyclopedia
Marsden Mounds is an archaeological site
with components from the Poverty Point culture
(1500 BCE) and the Troyville
-Coles Creek period
(400 to 1200 CE). It is located in Richland Parish, Louisiana
near Delhi
It was added to the NRHP
on August 4, 2004 as NRIS number 04000803. It is the type site
for the Marsden Phase (500-600 CE) of the Tensas Basin and Natchez Bluff regions local chronology.
s and two portions of an earthen embankment. Mounds A, B, C and D (which are between 3 foot (0.9144 m) and 5 feet (1.5 m) in height) are located along the eastern edge of Maçon Ridge with a section of the embankment connecting three of them. The largest mound at the site, Mound E, measures 13 feet (4 m) in height, with the base being 150 feet (45.7 m) by 150 feet (45.7 m) and a summit of 130 feet (39.6 m) by 130 feet (39.6 m). It and another portion of embankment are located across a large plaza
300 feet (91.4 m) to the southwest of the other mounds. During investigations at the site artifacts from the Poverty Point culture were found under some of the mounds showing that people occupied this are at least as early as 1500 BC during the Archaic period. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples from one of the smaller mounds have been dated 400 and 1200 CE during the Late Woodland Troyville-Coles Creek period. The site part of the Poverty Point Reservoir State Park
and is open to the public and accessible by foot.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
with components from the Poverty Point culture
Poverty Point culture
Poverty Point culture is an archaeological culture that corresponds to an ancient group of Indigenous peoples who inhabited the area of the lower Mississippi Valley and surrounding Gulf coast from about 2200 BCE - 700 BCE...
(1500 BCE) and the Troyville
Troyville culture
The Troyville culture is an archaeological culture in areas of Louisiana and Arkansas in the Lower Mississippi valley in the southern United States. It was a Baytown Period culture and lasted from 400 to 700 CE during the Late Woodland period...
-Coles Creek period
Coles Creek culture
Coles Creek culture is a Late Woodland archaeological culture in the Lower Mississippi valley in the southern United States. It followed the Troyville culture. The period marks a significant change in the cultural history of the area...
(400 to 1200 CE). It is located in Richland Parish, Louisiana
Richland Parish, Louisiana
Richland Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Rayville. As of 2010, the population was 20,725.-History:...
near Delhi
Delhi, Louisiana
Delhi, originally called Deerfield, is a town in Richland Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,066.-History:...
It was added to the NRHP
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on August 4, 2004 as NRIS number 04000803. It is the type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
for the Marsden Phase (500-600 CE) of the Tensas Basin and Natchez Bluff regions local chronology.
Site description
The earthworks at the site include a group of five platform moundPlatform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
s and two portions of an earthen embankment. Mounds A, B, C and D (which are between 3 foot (0.9144 m) and 5 feet (1.5 m) in height) are located along the eastern edge of Maçon Ridge with a section of the embankment connecting three of them. The largest mound at the site, Mound E, measures 13 feet (4 m) in height, with the base being 150 feet (45.7 m) by 150 feet (45.7 m) and a summit of 130 feet (39.6 m) by 130 feet (39.6 m). It and another portion of embankment are located across a large plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
300 feet (91.4 m) to the southwest of the other mounds. During investigations at the site artifacts from the Poverty Point culture were found under some of the mounds showing that people occupied this are at least as early as 1500 BC during the Archaic period. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples from one of the smaller mounds have been dated 400 and 1200 CE during the Late Woodland Troyville-Coles Creek period. The site part of the Poverty Point Reservoir State Park
Poverty Point Reservoir State Park
Poverty Point Reservoir State Park is a Louisiana State Park located in Richland Parish, Louisiana along a man-made reservoir offering watersport activities, camping, swimming, hiking, and fishing. The reservoir is named after nearby Poverty Point, an archeological site settled between 1,400 and...
and is open to the public and accessible by foot.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley