Flowery Mound
Encyclopedia
Flowery Mound is an archaeological site
in Tensas Parish, Louisiana
with components from the Late Coles Creek
and Plaquemine
-Mississippian culture
which dates from approximately 950–1541.
measuring 10 feet (3 m) in height and 165 feet (50.3 m) by 130 feet (39.6 m) at its base and a summit measuring 50 feet (15.2 m) square. Core samples taken during investigations at the site have revealed the mound was built in a single stage and because the fill types can still be differentiated it suggests the mound is relatively young. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found in a midden
under the mound reveals that the site was occupied from 996–1162 during the Coles Creek period
. The mound was built over the midden between 1200–1541 during the Plaquemine/Mississippian period. This was further confirmed by stylistic analysis of pottery
found at the site.
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,...
in Tensas Parish, Louisiana
Tensas Parish, Louisiana
Tensas Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is St. Joseph. In 2010, the population of Tensas Parish was 5,252; it is the least-populous of all sixty-four parishes....
with components from the Late Coles Creek
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...
and Plaquemine
Plaquemine culture
The Plaquemine culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Mississippi River Valley in western Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. Good examples of this culture are the Medora Site in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, and the Anna, Emerald Mound, Winterville and Holly Bluff sites located...
-Mississippian culture
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
which dates from approximately 950–1541.
Description
The site is located on Andrews Bayou. The mound itself is a very well preserved 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...
measuring 10 feet (3 m) in height and 165 feet (50.3 m) by 130 feet (39.6 m) at its base and a summit measuring 50 feet (15.2 m) square. Core samples taken during investigations at the site have revealed the mound was built in a single stage and because the fill types can still be differentiated it suggests the mound is relatively young. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found in a midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
under the mound reveals that the site was occupied from 996–1162 during the 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...
. The mound was built over the midden between 1200–1541 during the Plaquemine/Mississippian period. This was further confirmed by stylistic analysis of pottery
Mississippian culture pottery
Mississippian culture pottery is the ceramic tradition of the Mississippian culture found as artifacts in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast. It is often characterized by the adoption and use of riverine shell-tempering agents in the clay paste. Shell tempering is one of...
found at the site.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley