Jordan Mounds
Encyclopedia
Jordan Mounds is a multimound archaeological site
in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
. It is the type site
for the Jordan Phase of the local chronology. The site was constructed during the protohistoric period between 1540 and 1685.
s surrounding a central plaza
and an associated village area. It was once located on the Arkansas River
, which has a relict channel nearby. The site was constructed during the protohistoric
period (1540 to 1685) after Native Americans in the area were first contacted by Europeans of the Hernando de Soto Expedition of the early 1540s. The builders were an intrusive group in the area, possibly from the Mississippi River
area to the east. By the late 1600s the site was abandoned, possibly due the collapse of their society brought about by the aftereffects of European contact. The site is depicted in E. G. Squier
and E. H. Davis
' Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
in 1848 as Plate XXXVIII Figure 4. In the early 1840s the site was purchased by Dr. Thomas P. Harrison and A.T. Hawkins Duvall. Clarence Bloomfield Moore
tried to visit the site in the early 1900s but was unable to do so because the site lacked riverine access for his steamboat the Gopher.
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 Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Bastrop. In 2000, the parish population was 31,021....
. 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 Jordan Phase of the local chronology. The site was constructed during the protohistoric period between 1540 and 1685.
Description
The site was once an impressive mound complex, with seven 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 surrounding 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...
and an associated village area. It was once located on the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
, which has a relict channel nearby. The site was constructed during the protohistoric
Protohistory
Protohistory refers to a period between prehistory and history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted its existence in their own writings...
period (1540 to 1685) after Native Americans in the area were first contacted by Europeans of the Hernando de Soto Expedition of the early 1540s. The builders were an intrusive group in the area, possibly from the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
area to the east. By the late 1600s the site was abandoned, possibly due the collapse of their society brought about by the aftereffects of European contact. The site is depicted in E. G. Squier
E. G. Squier
Ephraim George Squier was an American archaeologist and newspaper editor.-Biography:He was born in Bethlehem, New York, the son of a minister of English heritage and his Palatine German wife. In early youth he worked on a farm, attended and taught school, studied engineering, and became interested...
and E. H. Davis
Edwin Hamilton Davis
Edwin Hamilton Davis was an American archaeologist and physician who did pioneering investigations of the mound relics in the Mississippi Valley.-Medical career:...
' Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley by Americans Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis is a landmark in American scientific research, the study of the prehistoric Mound builders of North America, and the early development of archaeology...
in 1848 as Plate XXXVIII Figure 4. In the early 1840s the site was purchased by Dr. Thomas P. Harrison and A.T. Hawkins Duvall. Clarence Bloomfield Moore
Clarence Bloomfield Moore
Clarence Bloomfield Moore was an American archaeologist and writer...
tried to visit the site in the early 1900s but was unable to do so because the site lacked riverine access for his steamboat the Gopher.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley