Sundown Mounds
Encyclopedia
Sundown Mounds is an multimound archaeological site
in Tensas Parish, Louisiana
from the Early Coles Creek culture
.
It is the type site
for the Sundown Phase (600-800 CE) of the Tensas Basin and Natchez Bluff Coles Creek chronology.
s that form a triangle surrounding a plaza
, a typical Coles Creek arrangement. Mound A, the largest mound, is a 11 feet (3.4 m) in height and its base measures 190 feet (57.9 m) by 180 feet (54.9 m) and a summit measuring 60 feet (18.3 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m). Mound B, the second largest, is located 400 feet (121.9 m) to the northwest of Mound A. It is 8 feet (2.4 m) in height with base measurements of 130 feet (39.6 m) by 100 feet (30.5 m) and its summit 65 feet (19.8 m) by 33 feet (10.1 m). Mound C is 7 feet (2.1 m) with base measurements of 100 feet (30.5 m) by 80 feet (24.4 m) with a dome-shaped summit. Mounds A and B had ramps from their summits down to the plaza. The mounds were constructed sometime between 750-800 CE, but the site was occupied during most of the Coles Creek period from 700 to 1200.
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....
from the Early Coles Creek culture
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...
.
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 Sundown Phase (600-800 CE) of the Tensas Basin and Natchez Bluff Coles Creek chronology.
Description
The site is located on the western bank of Little Choctaw Bayou and has three 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 that form a triangle surrounding a 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...
, a typical Coles Creek arrangement. Mound A, the largest mound, is a 11 feet (3.4 m) in height and its base measures 190 feet (57.9 m) by 180 feet (54.9 m) and a summit measuring 60 feet (18.3 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m). Mound B, the second largest, is located 400 feet (121.9 m) to the northwest of Mound A. It is 8 feet (2.4 m) in height with base measurements of 130 feet (39.6 m) by 100 feet (30.5 m) and its summit 65 feet (19.8 m) by 33 feet (10.1 m). Mound C is 7 feet (2.1 m) with base measurements of 100 feet (30.5 m) by 80 feet (24.4 m) with a dome-shaped summit. Mounds A and B had ramps from their summits down to the plaza. The mounds were constructed sometime between 750-800 CE, but the site was occupied during most of the Coles Creek period from 700 to 1200.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley