Mott Archaeological Preserve
Encyclopedia
The Mott Archaeological Preserve or Mott Mounds Site (16 FR 11) is an archaeological site
in Franklin Parish, Louisiana
on the west bank of Bayou Macon
. It originally had eleven mounds with components from the Marksville
, Troyville
, Coles Creek
, and Plaquemine
periods. It was at one time one of the largest mound centers in the Southeast and has one of the largest mounds in Louisiana with a base which cover more than two acres. It was purchased by the Archaeological Conservancy
in 2002. and is now used for research and educational purposes.
that is aligned on an east-west axis. The large plaza measures close to 280 metres (918.6 ft) east to west and 175 metres (574.1 ft) north to south. These measurements are about three quarters the size of the Grand Plaza at Cahokia
, which is the largest Mississippian culture
plaza known. Other large sites from the region during the same time period (such as the Raffman
, Winterville
, or Holly Bluff
) could easily fit their entire sites into the confines of Motts plaza. On the western edge of the plaza is Mound A, the largest at the site and one of the largest in the state and possibly the largest in the Tensas Basin region
during the time period it was constructed. It is a platform mound
about 90 metres (295.3 ft) by 100 metres (328.1 ft) at its base, 45 metres (147.6 ft) by 60 metres (196.9 ft) at its summit and over 8 metres (26.2 ft) in height. This produces a footprint that covers an area of over two acres. The eastern and southern borders of the plaza are bounded by two other large platform mounds, Mounds F and I respectively. The northern edge of the plaza has four small dome shaped mounds, aligned along a meander scar of Bayou Macon
. 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) south of the mound group is a large village site thought to be contemporaneous with the mounds.
in 1913. In the mid 1960s researchers from the Lower Mississippi Survey of Harvard University
led by Stephen Williams
sampled the site and fixed it into the local chronology. They found markers from the Marksville
, Coles Creek
, and Plaquemine culture
s, but with the most intensive habitation being during the Coles Creek period. Site surveys were also conducted in 1976 and in 1992, all of which confirmed this chronological placement. The site was purchased in two acquisitions in 2002 by the Archaeological Conservancy to preserve and protect the site which had been threatened by looting, land leveling, and timber harvesting. It is now known as the Mott Archaeological Preserve and is over 200 acres, making it one of the Conservancy’s largest acquisitions in the Southeastern United States to date. In 2005 Mott Project was begun by Timothy Schilling of Washington University in St. Louis
and Tristram R. Kidder of Tulane University
.
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 Franklin Parish, Louisiana
Franklin Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,263 people, 7,754 households, and 5,706 families residing in the parish. The population density was 34 people per square mile . There were 8,623 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
on the west bank of Bayou Macon
Bayou Macon
Bayou Macon is a river in Arkansas and Louisiana, United States. It begins in Desha County, Arkansas, and flows south, between the Boeuf River to its west and the Mississippi River to its east, before joining the Tensas River south of Delhi, Louisiana. Bayou Macon is about long.L. D...
. It originally had eleven mounds with components from the Marksville
Marksville culture
The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name...
, Troyville
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...
, 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...
, and 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...
periods. It was at one time one of the largest mound centers in the Southeast and has one of the largest mounds in Louisiana with a base which cover more than two acres. It was purchased by the Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy is a 5013 non-profit organization that acquires and preserves archaeological sites in the United States. Whereas nearly every other nation protects all archaeological sites within its borders as part of its national patrimony, in the United States archaeological...
in 2002. and is now used for research and educational purposes.
Description
The site formerly had as many as fourteen mounds, depending on the criteria used to describe a mound. Except for one small outlier to the south all are surrounding an exceptionally large central plazaPlaza
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...
that is aligned on an east-west axis. The large plaza measures close to 280 metres (918.6 ft) east to west and 175 metres (574.1 ft) north to south. These measurements are about three quarters the size of the Grand Plaza at Cahokia
Cahokia
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the area of an ancient indigenous city located in the American Bottom floodplain, between East Saint Louis and Collinsville in south-western Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The site included 120 human-built earthwork mounds...
, which is the largest 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....
plaza known. Other large sites from the region during the same time period (such as the Raffman
Raffman Site
The Raffman Site is an archaeological site located in Madison Parish, Louisiana and constructed between 700 and 1200 CE. It has components from the Tchefuncte culture and the Coles Creek culture, whose main period of occupation was during the Balmoral Phase of the Tensas Basin and Natchez Bluffs...
, Winterville
Winterville Site
The Winterville Site is an archaeological site consisting of platform substructure mounds and plazas that is the type site for the Winterville Phase of the Lower Yazoo Basin region...
, or Holly Bluff
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...
) could easily fit their entire sites into the confines of Motts plaza. On the western edge of the plaza is Mound A, the largest at the site and one of the largest in the state and possibly the largest in the Tensas Basin region
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...
during the time period it was constructed. It is a 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...
about 90 metres (295.3 ft) by 100 metres (328.1 ft) at its base, 45 metres (147.6 ft) by 60 metres (196.9 ft) at its summit and over 8 metres (26.2 ft) in height. This produces a footprint that covers an area of over two acres. The eastern and southern borders of the plaza are bounded by two other large platform mounds, Mounds F and I respectively. The northern edge of the plaza has four small dome shaped mounds, aligned along a meander scar of Bayou Macon
Bayou Macon
Bayou Macon is a river in Arkansas and Louisiana, United States. It begins in Desha County, Arkansas, and flows south, between the Boeuf River to its west and the Mississippi River to its east, before joining the Tensas River south of Delhi, Louisiana. Bayou Macon is about long.L. D...
. 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) south of the mound group is a large village site thought to be contemporaneous with the mounds.
Excavations
A number of archaeologists have undertaken excavations and investigations at the site. The earliest were George Beyer in 1900 and Clarence Bloomfield MooreClarence Bloomfield Moore
Clarence Bloomfield Moore was an American archaeologist and writer...
in 1913. In the mid 1960s researchers from the Lower Mississippi Survey of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
led by Stephen Williams
Stephen Williams (archeologist)
Stephen Williams is an archaeologist at Harvard University, currently holding the title of Peabody Professor of North American Archaeology and Ethnography, Emeritus....
sampled the site and fixed it into the local chronology. They found markers from the Marksville
Marksville culture
The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name...
, 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...
, and 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...
s, but with the most intensive habitation being during the Coles Creek period. Site surveys were also conducted in 1976 and in 1992, all of which confirmed this chronological placement. The site was purchased in two acquisitions in 2002 by the Archaeological Conservancy to preserve and protect the site which had been threatened by looting, land leveling, and timber harvesting. It is now known as the Mott Archaeological Preserve and is over 200 acres, making it one of the Conservancy’s largest acquisitions in the Southeastern United States to date. In 2005 Mott Project was begun by Timothy Schilling of Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
and Tristram R. Kidder of Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
.
See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley