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Poverty Point Historic Site

This Guide was developed by Christian Beauchamp, Library Intern - Summer 2018, for Additional Information Contact Subject Librarian:

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Rudolph Clay
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Introduction

Poverty Point Historic Site is a collection of prehistoric earthworks made by members of the Poverty Point Culture located in present-day Northeastern Louisiana. The site contains a collection of ridges and mounds constructed from around 1700 B.C.E. to 750 B.C.E. during the Archaic Period. At its height, Poverty Point was the most complex and most populous settlement in North America. The site is significant because of its complexity as well as the lingering mystery of the site's original purpose. 

Poverty Point Historic Site is a prehistoric site of the Poverty Point Culture, located in Northeastern Louisiana.

An aerial view of the site's six crscent-shaped ridges.

An artist's rendering of the six ridges.