Mangum Mound Site
Encyclopedia
Mangum Mound Site is an archaeological site
of the Plaquemine culture
in Claiborne County, Mississippi
. It is located at milepost 45.7 on the Natchez Trace Parkway
. Two very rare Mississippian culture
repoussé copper plates have been discovered during excavations of the site. The site was used as a burial mound during the Foster Phase (1350 to 1500 CE) and is believed to have been abandoned before the 1540 expedition of Hernando de Soto.
fragments belonging to the Plaquemine culture
, chunkey
stones and three fragments of an repoussé copper plate with an avian design similar to other plates found throughout the American Midwest and Southeast. These portray the Birdman motif important to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
(SECC). The site underwent a series of test excavations in April 1951 as part of the Natchez Trace Park Survey. During these excavations, twelve extended burials and possibly one bundled burial were found.
The site was excavated in 1963 for the National Park Service
by archaeologist Charles F. Bohannon. Bohannon and his team found the burials of numerous individuals. One individual, believed to have been a woman in her late 30s, possessed markings on her bones which suggested to investigators that she suffered from multiple myeloma
. Bohannon excavated the remains of eighty-four individuals, of which more than half were bundled burials. Some of the bundles seemed little more than disarticulated piles of bones, and Bohannon came to believe they were earlier burials that had been moved to make way for new extended burials. Another copper plate was also found during these excavations.
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,...
of the Plaquemine culture
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...
in Claiborne County, Mississippi
Claiborne County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,831 people, 3,685 households, and 2,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 4,252 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
. It is located at milepost 45.7 on the Natchez Trace Parkway
Natchez Trace Parkway
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a National Park Service unit in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Old Natchez Trace and preserves sections of the original trail....
. Two very rare 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....
repoussé copper plates have been discovered during excavations of the site. The site was used as a burial mound during the Foster Phase (1350 to 1500 CE) and is believed to have been abandoned before the 1540 expedition of Hernando de Soto.
Description
The site has one burial mound. It was first investigated in 1936 by its owner Spurgeon C. Mangum, a farmer. Mangum found human remains, various potteryMississippian 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...
fragments belonging to the Plaquemine culture
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...
, chunkey
Chunkey
Chunkey is a game of Native American origin. It was played by rolling disc shaped stones across the ground and throwing spears at them in an attempt to place the spear as close to the stopped stone as possible...
stones and three fragments of an repoussé copper plate with an avian design similar to other plates found throughout the American Midwest and Southeast. These portray the Birdman motif important to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from...
(SECC). The site underwent a series of test excavations in April 1951 as part of the Natchez Trace Park Survey. During these excavations, twelve extended burials and possibly one bundled burial were found.
The site was excavated in 1963 for the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
by archaeologist Charles F. Bohannon. Bohannon and his team found the burials of numerous individuals. One individual, believed to have been a woman in her late 30s, possessed markings on her bones which suggested to investigators that she suffered from multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
. Bohannon excavated the remains of eighty-four individuals, of which more than half were bundled burials. Some of the bundles seemed little more than disarticulated piles of bones, and Bohannon came to believe they were earlier burials that had been moved to make way for new extended burials. Another copper plate was also found during these excavations.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley