Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site

Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site (16 AV 1) is a Marksville culture archaeological site located 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. The site features numerous earthworks built by the prehistoric indigenous peoples of southeastern North America.

Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site
16 AV 1
Artists conception of the site layout.
Location in Louisiana today
LocationMarksville, Louisiana, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana,  USA
RegionAvoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Coordinates31°7′29″N 92°2′52″W
History
CulturesMarksville culture, Avoyel and Natchez peoples
Site notes
ManagementMunicipal
Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site
NRHP reference No.66000372
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHLJuly 19, 1964[2]

Description
Burial mound at the site

Marksville is the type site for the Marksville culture (a local variation of the Hopewell tradition) and was the first scientifically excavated site for the culture. Centuries later the Avoyel and Natchez peoples lived in the vicinity of the site until 1700.[3] Burial mounds at the site are surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped earthen embankment about 3,000 feet (910 m) long. The site is also one of the largest of the period in the southeastern United States, with large and distinctive ring features not found elsewhere. The site's importance has been known since the 1920s, when it was first formally investigated, and it is regularly the subject of further investigation. Radiometric dating of the sites features have yielded occupancy dates from 0-400 CE.[4]

Landmark and access

The archaeological site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[2][5]

The site was formerly operated by the State of Louisiana as a Louisiana State Park, however, in August 2020, the ownership and operations of the site transferred to the City of Marksville. As of December 2020, the site is closed to public access.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2005-05-02. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  3. Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Marksville Indian Museum Historical Marker".
  4. McGimsey, Chip (Summer 2003). "The Rings of Marksville". Southeastern Archaeology (Volume 22, No. 1): 47–62. JSTOR 40713264.
  5. Griffin, John W. (February 28, 1964). "National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings: Marksville" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 19. (32 KB)
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