
The Ancient Mounds of Poverty Point
Place of Rings
Jon L. Gibson(Author)
University Press of Florida
Published on 28. February 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
292 pages
978-0-8130-2551-3 (ISBN)
Description
Jon Gibson confronts the intriguing mystery of Poverty Point, the ruins of a large prehistoric Indian settlement that was home to one of the most fascinating ancient cultures in eastern North America. The 3,500-year-old site in northeastern Louisiana is known for its large, elaborate earthworks - a series of concentric, crescent-shaped dirt rings and bird-shaped mounds. With its imposing 25-mile core, it is one of the largest archaic constructions on American soil. It's also one of the most puzzling - perplexing questions haunt Poverty Point, and archaeologists still speculate about life and culture at the site, its age, how it was created, and if it was at the forefront of an emerging complex society. Gibson's engaging, well-illustrated account of Poverty Point brings to life one of the oldest earthworks of its size in the Western Hemisphere, the hub of a massive exchange network among native American peoples reaching a third of the way across the present-day United States.
Reviews / Votes
Gibson, the grand old man of Poverty Point archaeology, has presented his personal reflections on his and others' extensive work at this mysterious and awe-inspiring site. He recounts (in his equally mysterious Louisiana voice) the setting, meaning, and history of archaeological thought that surround the site. - Mike Russo, National Park ServiceMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Florida
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
64 photographs and illustrations, 7 maps, tables, glossary
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
429 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8130-2551-3 (9780813025513)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jon L. Gibson is professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Archaeological Studies at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. He is the author of Ancient Earthworks of the Ouachita Valley in Louisiana and the editor of Exchange in the Lower Mississippi Valley and Contiguous Areas at 1100 B.C.