DePrato Mounds
Encyclopedia
Deprato Mounds , also known as the Ferriday Mounds, is a multimound archaeological site
located in Concordia Parish, Louisiana
. The site shows occupation from the Troyville period
to the Middle Coles Creek period
(400 to 800 CE). The largest mound at the site has been radiocarbon and decorated pottery dated to about 600 CE. It was added to the NRHP
on October 22, 1998 as NRIS number 98001258.
s and a central plaza
area sitting on four acres of land to the east of the confluence of Black Bayou and Bayou Cocodrie. The mounds now appear smaller than they were in the past because extensive flooding since their construction has deposited 3 foot (0.9144 m) of sediment over the base of the mounds and the plaza. The largest remaining mound, Mound C, has a base measuring 82 feet (25 m) by 66 feet (20.1 m) and is about 6 feet (1.8 m) in height. Mound D has been used as fill for a highway construction project. Mound E is now the location of a house. During excavations human remains were found in three of the mounds. The site has been purchased by The Archaeological Conservancy
, a nonprofit organization that plans to protect the site from future degradation.
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,...
located in Concordia Parish, Louisiana
Concordia Parish, Louisiana
Concordia Parish borders the Mississippi River in eastern Louisiana. The parish seat is Vidalia. As of 2000, the population was 20,247. It is part of the Natchez, MS–LA Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Prehistory:...
. The site shows occupation from the Troyville period
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...
to the Middle 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 800 CE). The largest mound at the site has been radiocarbon and decorated pottery dated to about 600 CE. 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 October 22, 1998 as NRIS number 98001258.
Description
The site is a complex 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 a central 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...
area sitting on four acres of land to the east of the confluence of Black Bayou and Bayou Cocodrie. The mounds now appear smaller than they were in the past because extensive flooding since their construction has deposited 3 foot (0.9144 m) of sediment over the base of the mounds and the plaza. The largest remaining mound, Mound C, has a base measuring 82 feet (25 m) by 66 feet (20.1 m) and is about 6 feet (1.8 m) in height. Mound D has been used as fill for a highway construction project. Mound E is now the location of a house. During excavations human remains were found in three of the mounds. The site has been purchased by The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy is a 5013 non-profit organization that acquires and preserves archaeological sites in the United States. Whereas nearly every other nation protects all archaeological sites within its borders as part of its national patrimony, in the United States archaeological...
, a nonprofit organization that plans to protect the site from future degradation.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley