{"id":1767,"date":"2014-01-01T11:05:20","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T17:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=1767"},"modified":"2014-01-01T11:05:20","modified_gmt":"2014-01-01T17:05:20","slug":"poverty-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2014\/01\/poverty-point.html","title":{"rendered":"Poverty Point"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>
map of Poverty Point from Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Stonehenge, the Pyramids, Newgrange \u2013 these are some of the many memorable constructions of the ancient world.\u00a0 Why did the ancient people of North America not build anything similarly massive?\u00a0 Actually, they did.\u00a0 But instead of building with stone, they built with what they had: dirt.<\/p>\n

Last week Cathy and I visited the Poverty Point archeological site<\/a> in northeastern Louisiana.\u00a0 At first glance it\u2019s unimpressive: a series of low ridges that could be overlooked if not for the mowing patterns, and a couple of earth mounds that are out of place on the flat land but not so obvious as to scream \u201cmonument!\u201d\u00a0 Once human activity ceases Nature begins reclaiming the land, and Nature has had 3000 years to reclaim these works.<\/p>\n

But between 1600 and 1100 BCE, hundreds of people lived here, part of a culture that stretched for a hundred miles<\/a> up and down the Mississippi River.\u00a0 They had no earthmoving equipment, no pack animals and no wheeled carts.\u00a0 They had only baskets and people.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
the ridges at Poverty Point<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The primary feature is a series of six concentric ridges separated by four aisles.\u00a0 Were they used as living sites?\u00a0 Probably, but why go to the trouble of such geometric precision?\u00a0 There is speculation about their astronomical alignment and that\u2019s a real possibility, but we can\u2019t say with any degree of certainty.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Poverty Point Mound A<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The mounds \u2013 particularly the largest, Mound A \u2013 would have taken years to build.\u00a0 Why the investment of time and effort?\u00a0 They weren\u2019t used for burials and there is no evidence they were used for rituals similar to the pyramids of Central America.\u00a0 An interpretive sign suggests \u201cbuilding Mound A may have served to bring together, and reinforce social relationships within the Poverty Point community, or to demonstrate the power and wealth of the community to outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m reminded of similar speculation about the ancient temples of the Mediterranean world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Large ornate buildings are never a physical necessity. They are tangible statements about the values and priorities of those who build them. They are symbols of identity and pride. They can also be symbols of vanity. And they can be all of that at the same time. Look at examples from mainstream American culture: government buildings, corporate headquarters, shopping malls, football stadiums\u2026<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know why the Ephesians built their grand temple over and over again, whether it was gratitude or pride or vanity or some combination of all three. But I do know this \u2013 temples are a concrete expression of multi-generational thinking.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So are massive earthworks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
a circular site marked for study<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a cold rainy day when we visited.\u00a0 We stopped in the visitor center, looked over the exhibits and picked up a guide for the two-mile driving tour.\u00a0 As we began, we passed what looked like a stone circle, but in fact was plastic barrels marking the study area of what was once a circular structure of some sort.\u00a0 We passed through the ridges, and at Mound A we pulled off into a parking area.\u00a0 I got out.<\/p>\n

I began with a brief prayer of remembrance for the people who built this place, followed by a prayer to the spirits of the land.\u00a0 I climbed the steps to the top of the mound, looked around and shot some pictures.\u00a0 Then I listened<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
the view from the top of Mound A, looking East<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m not the most sensitive person and it has been so very long since this site was active.\u00a0 I heard\/felt\/sensed nothing dramatic.\u00a0 But I was left with the overwhelming impression that this is a place of natural power, and that power had been amplified by human activity.<\/p>\n

I said a prayer of thanksgiving, then went carefully down the wet steps and continued the tour. I took a few more pictures, then Cathy and I headed toward Texas and home.<\/p>\n

I still don\u2019t know why the ancient people built this<\/em>, here<\/em>.\u00a0 I just know I\u2019m glad I had the chance to visit.<\/p>\n

A note on the name:\u00a0 the area was known as Poverty Point prior to the rediscovery of its original use.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen one explanation saying life was so hard for the farmers of the mid 19th<\/sup> century they called it Poverty Point, and another saying Mississippi River ferry operators charged so much to take settlers across the river that by the time they got to the other side they were already in poverty.\u00a0 In any case, the name has no direct connection to the ancient people who lived and built there.<\/p>\n

And a warning for those coming from the East:\u00a0 LA 580 is the worst state road I\u2019ve encountered in my entire life.\u00a0 The speed limit is 45 \u2013 I was doing 30 at most, and that\u2019s when I was able to straddle both lanes and drive down the middle of the road.\u00a0 The roads coming from the West (LA 17, 134 and 577) are fine, although there is currently construction at the intersection of 134 and 577.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
the view from the top of Mound A, looking South<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3500 years ago there was a thriving culture in what is now called Poverty Point in northeast Louisiana. Using only baskets and human muscles, they moved over a million tons of earth to build a series of mounds and ridges. Why? I don\u2019t know \u2013 I\u2019m just glad I got to visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":1772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[245,244,4,5,246,243,36],"class_list":["post-1767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-earthworks","tag-native-americans","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-places-of-power","tag-poverty-point","tag-travel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nPoverty Point<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"3500 years ago there was a thriving culture in what is now called Poverty Point in northeast Louisiana. 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