Bayou Grande Cheniere Mounds
Encyclopedia
Bayou Grande Cheniere Mounds (16 PL 159) is an archaeological site
in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
built by the Coastal Coles Creek culture
. It was inhabited from 875 to 1200 CE, from the Early Coles Creek period to the Coles Creek/Plaquemine period.
s, eleven arranged around a central plaza
and one 75 metres (246.1 ft) to the south connected by a constructed landform. The site was connected by a causeway to Bayou Grande Cheniere. The elliptical plaza measures 100 feet (30.5 m) on its north-south axis by 75 feet (22.9 m) east-west. Mound 1, the largest, is a conical mound measuring 60 feet (18.3 m) and located on the eastern edge of the plaza. The southern edge of the plaza is bounded by Mound 10 and the northern edge by Mound 3, both are platform mound
s. The western edge of the plaza is a string of interconnected small mounds, Mounds 4 thru 9. The site is unusual in its size and number of mounds. Typically Coastal Coles Creek settlements had three mounds arranged around a plaza. The sites plan and large scale are most like the large Coles Creek settlement in Avoyelles Parish
, the Greenhouse Site
.
excavated the site in 1926. The mound site as mapped by McGimsey in 2000. Saunders, Timothy Schilling and seven students from Louisiana State University
conducted field excavations at the site in January 2003. Pottery
found during excavations was dated from 875 to 1200 CE during the Bayou Ramos (700-875 CE), Bayou Cutler (875-1000 CE) and St. Gabriel (1000-1200 CE) Phases, spanning the Early Coles Creek period to the Transitional Coles Creek/Plaquemine period for the eastern delta. No material from earlier the Troyville culture
were found, nor were materials from after the Plaquemine period. In the late 2000s NASA
s Stennis Space Center
, in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District
and Tulane University
, undertook an archaeological survey of the southeastern Louisiana marshes including the Bayou Grande Cheniere site. This survey discovered the existence of the causeway leading from the site to the bayou.
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 Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Plaquemines Parish is the parish with the most combined land and water area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Pointe à la Hache...
built by the Coastal 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 was inhabited from 875 to 1200 CE, from the Early Coles Creek period to the Coles Creek/Plaquemine period.
Description
The site is located on a natural levee of Bayou Grande Cheniere and has twelve moundMound
A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. The most common use is in reference to natural earthen formation such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. The term may also be applied to any rounded area of topographically...
s, eleven arranged around 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 one 75 metres (246.1 ft) to the south connected by a constructed landform. The site was connected by a causeway to Bayou Grande Cheniere. The elliptical plaza measures 100 feet (30.5 m) on its north-south axis by 75 feet (22.9 m) east-west. Mound 1, the largest, is a conical mound measuring 60 feet (18.3 m) and located on the eastern edge of the plaza. The southern edge of the plaza is bounded by Mound 10 and the northern edge by Mound 3, both are platform 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...
s. The western edge of the plaza is a string of interconnected small mounds, Mounds 4 thru 9. The site is unusual in its size and number of mounds. Typically Coastal Coles Creek settlements had three mounds arranged around a plaza. The sites plan and large scale are most like the large Coles Creek settlement in Avoyelles Parish
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.-History:...
, the Greenhouse Site
Greenhouse Site
The Greenhouse Site is an archaeological site of the Troyville-Coles Creek culture in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana.-Description:...
.
Excavations
Henry CollinsHenry Collins
Henry Collins may refer to:*Henry Collins , mayor of Vancouver*Henry Collins , U.S. citizen, government employee and Soviet spy*Henry Collins , boxer from Australia...
excavated the site in 1926. The mound site as mapped by McGimsey in 2000. Saunders, Timothy Schilling and seven students from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
conducted field excavations at the site in January 2003. Pottery
Mississippian 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...
found during excavations was dated from 875 to 1200 CE during the Bayou Ramos (700-875 CE), Bayou Cutler (875-1000 CE) and St. Gabriel (1000-1200 CE) Phases, spanning the Early Coles Creek period to the Transitional Coles Creek/Plaquemine period for the eastern delta. No material from earlier the Troyville culture
Troyville culture
The Troyville culture is an archaeological culture in areas of Louisiana and Arkansas in the Lower Mississippi valley in the southern United States. It was a Baytown Period culture and lasted from 400 to 700 CE during the Late Woodland period...
were found, nor were materials from after the Plaquemine period. In the late 2000s NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
s Stennis Space Center
John C. Stennis Space Center
The John C. Stennis Space Center , located in Hancock County, Mississippi, at the Mississippi-Louisiana border, is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility.- History :...
, in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
and Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, undertook an archaeological survey of the southeastern Louisiana marshes including the Bayou Grande Cheniere site. This survey discovered the existence of the causeway leading from the site to the bayou.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley