Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point World Heritage Site

Official name

Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point | UNESCO

Country

United States | Map

Continent

North America

Location

32.6369° Lat, -91.4063° Lon | Map

Code

1435

Time Zone

America/New_York (EDT, -0400)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2014. Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point owes its name to a 19th-century plantation close to the site, which is in the Lower Mississippi Valley on a slightly elevated and narrow landform. The complex comprises five mounds, six concentric semi-elliptical ridges separated by shallow depressions and a central plaza. It was created and used for residential and ceremonial purposes by a society of hunter fisher-gatherers between 3700 and 3100 BP. It is a remarkable achievement in earthen construction in North America that was unsurpassed for at least 2,000 years.