Rowlandton Mound Site
Encyclopedia
The Rowlandton Mound Site (15MCN3) is a Mississippian culture
archaeological site
located in Paducah
in McCracken County, Kentucky
, on the edge of an old oxbow lake a little south of the Ohio River
.
The site was occupied from about 1100 to about 1350 CE. The 3 hectare site has a large platform mound
and an associated village area, being roughly similar in size to the Wickliffe Mounds
Site in far western Kentucky.
It was once thought that large civic sites in Western Kentucky such as Rowlandton Mound, the Twin Mounds Site
and the Tolu Site
were expansions of the Kincaid Mounds polity in nearby Southern Illinois in the 13th century, but archaeological excavations in 2006 by Dr. Kit Wesler of Murray State University
have shown that this was not the case. It is probable that these civic sites were established originally by local Late Woodland
peoples.
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....
archaeological site
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,...
located in Paducah
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
in McCracken County, Kentucky
McCracken County, Kentucky
McCracken County is a county located in the Jackson Purchase, the extreme western end of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 65,514. The county seat, largest city, and only incorporated community is Paducah....
, on the edge of an old oxbow lake a little south of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
.
The site was occupied from about 1100 to about 1350 CE. The 3 hectare site has a large 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...
and an associated village area, being roughly similar in size to the Wickliffe Mounds
Wickliffe Mounds
Wickliffe Mounds is a prehistoric, Mississippian culture archaeological site located in Ballard County, Kentucky, just outside the town of Wickliffe, about three miles from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Archaeology investigations have linked the site with others along the Ohio...
Site in far western Kentucky.
It was once thought that large civic sites in Western Kentucky such as Rowlandton Mound, the Twin Mounds Site
Twin Mounds Site
The Twin Mounds Site is a Mississippian culture archaeological site located near Barlow in Ballard County, Kentucky, just north of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.-Site:...
and the Tolu Site
Tolu Site
The Tolu Site is a prehistoric archeological site of the Mississippian culture near the unincorporated community of Tolu, Crittenden County, Kentucky, United States. It was built and occupied between 1200-1450 CE. No carbon dating has been performed at the site, but analysis of pottery styles...
were expansions of the Kincaid Mounds polity in nearby Southern Illinois in the 13th century, but archaeological excavations in 2006 by Dr. Kit Wesler of Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
have shown that this was not the case. It is probable that these civic sites were established originally by local Late Woodland
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
peoples.