Kings Crossing Site
Encyclopedia
Kings Crossing Site is an archaeological site
that is a type site
for the Kings Crossing Phase (950-1050 CE) of the Lower Yazoo Basin Coles Creek
chronology.
The site is located four miles north of the center of Vicksburg
, between Chickasaw Bayou and the Illinois Central railroad tracks.
, who visited the site in 1908, described Mound
A as being 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, although by the 1950s it had been significantly shortened. Mound B has been almost completely leveled, although a small rise can be discerned. Mound C is roughly 12 feet (3.7 m) tall. Mounds A and C are both roughly 120 feet (36.6 m) sq. Pottery sampling in the 1950s from Mound A gave the site a historical importance out of all proportion to its size. Test pits from a 1949 excavation of the Holly Bluff Site
produced an important glimpse of a late "transitional" Coles Creek to Plaquemine
assemblage featuring thin tapered rims of polished plain ware and carefully executed varieties of Coles Creek incised and associated types. Although intriguing as pottery
, it was not sufficiently integrated strategraphically to postulate a distinct phase. Site sampling from the Kings Crossing Site in 1954 supplied the integration and gave the phase a name. Since then, especially in the Tensas Basin
, it has become one of the firmest and most easily identifiable ceramic complexes in the Lower Mississippi area.
In 2005 the Kings Crossing Site was portrayed on the Vicksburg
Floodwall Mural project to represent the American Indian
heritage of the region.
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,...
that is a type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
for the Kings Crossing Phase (950-1050 CE) of the Lower Yazoo Basin 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...
chronology.
Location
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
, between Chickasaw Bayou and the Illinois Central railroad tracks.
Site importance
Clarence B. MooreClarence Bloomfield Moore
Clarence Bloomfield Moore was an American archaeologist and writer...
, who visited the site in 1908, described Mound
Platform 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...
A as being 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, although by the 1950s it had been significantly shortened. Mound B has been almost completely leveled, although a small rise can be discerned. Mound C is roughly 12 feet (3.7 m) tall. Mounds A and C are both roughly 120 feet (36.6 m) sq. Pottery sampling in the 1950s from Mound A gave the site a historical importance out of all proportion to its size. Test pits from a 1949 excavation of the Holly Bluff Site
Holly Bluff Site
The Holly Bluff Site , sometimes known as the Lake George Site, and locally as “The Mound Place,”) is an archaeological site that is a type site for the Lake George phase of the prehistoric Plaquemine culture period of the area...
produced an important glimpse of a late "transitional" Coles Creek to 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...
assemblage featuring thin tapered rims of polished plain ware and carefully executed varieties of Coles Creek incised and associated types. Although intriguing as pottery
Native American pottery
Native American pottery is an art form with at least a 7500-year history in the Americas. Pottery is fired ceramics with clay as a component. Ceramics are used for utilitarian cooking vessels, serving and storage vessels, pipes, funerary urns, censers, musical instruments, ceremonial items, masks,...
, it was not sufficiently integrated strategraphically to postulate a distinct phase. Site sampling from the Kings Crossing Site in 1954 supplied the integration and gave the phase a name. Since then, especially in the Tensas Basin
Tensas River
The Tensas River is a river in Louisiana in the United States. The river, known as Tensas Bayou in its upper reaches, begins in East Carroll Parish in the northeast corner of the state and runs roughly southwest for more or less in parallel with the Mississippi River...
, it has become one of the firmest and most easily identifiable ceramic complexes in the Lower Mississippi area.
In 2005 the Kings Crossing Site was portrayed on the Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
Floodwall Mural project to represent the American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
heritage of the region.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley