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Mapping Poverty Point

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Tristram R. Kidder
Tristram R. Kidder*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118
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Abstract

Even though the general configuration of the Poverty Point site has been known for over forty years, the entire site was mapped for the first time in 1999–2000. In this paper we examine how Poverty Point has been portrayed in the archaeological literature. Tracings of stereoscopic aerial photographs were used to construct previous maps of the site. Features that could not be traced because of tree cover were interpolated. Succeeding representations of the site show different features and emphasize the symmetrical form of the site, including the presence of ridges separated by aisles. The 1999–2000 map demonstrates that earlier images of the site overemphasize earthworm symmetry. Our data suggest that the northern aisle does not exist and may have been introduced into earlier maps in order to complete a hypothesized regular site plan. Images of a site like Poverty Point are powerful representations of a perceived reality. For example, existing maps of Poverty Point have been used to bolster claims that the site represents a "great town," with a large population and some kind of centralized leadership. Despite a considerable history of research at Poverty Point map data alone cannot and probably will never provide sufficient evidence to support or reject such a claim. While mapping alone cannot answer questions about the nature of site organization or social behavior, differences between existing images and the current topographic map underscore the need to view maps and pictures of Poverty Point as a means for generating testable hypotheses, rather than an end unto itself.

Résumé

Résumé

Aunque la configuración general del sitio de Poverty Point se conoce desde hace más de cuarenta años, el sitio completo fue mapeado por primera vez en 1999–2000. En este trabajo examinamos la forma en que Poverty Point ha sido representado en la literatura arqueológica. Se utilizaron trazos de fotografías aéreas estereoscópicas para construir los mapas previos del sitio, los rasgos que no pudieron ser trazados a causa de la cubierta boscosa fueron interpolados. Las sucesivas representaciones del sitio muestran diferentes rasgos y enfatizan su forma simétrica, incluyendo la presencia de elevaciones separadas porpasillos. El mapa de 1999–2000 muestra que las imágenes anteriores del sitio exageran la simétria de las modificaciones artificiales del terreno. Nuestros datos sugieren que el pasillo norte no existe y que fue incluido en mapas anteriores para completar un hipotetico piano regular del sitio. Las imágenes de un sitio como Poverty Point son representaciones poderosamente sugerentes de la realidad que se quiere percibir Por ejemplo, los mapas existentes de Poverty Point han sido utilizados para sustentar afirmaciones de que el sitio representa un "pueblo grande", con una poblacion amplia y alguna forma de autoridad centralizada. A pesar de una larga historia de investigation en Poverty Point, los datos provenientes de mapas no pueden y probablemente nunca podrdn proporcionar suficiente evidencia para apoyar o rechazar semejantes afirmaciones. Si bien es cierto que el mapeo por sí solo no puede resolver interrogantes sobre el tipo de organización del sitio o sobre su comportamiento social, las diferencias entre las imágenes existentes y el mapa topográfico actual subrayan la necesidad de ver los mapas y las imágenes de Poverty Point como una forma de generar hipótesis verificables, mas que como un fin en sí mismo.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 67 , Issue 1 , January 2002 , pp. 89 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2002

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