Moundville Archaeological Site, Native American archaeological park in Moundville, Alabama, United States
Moundville Archaeological Site is an archaeological site in Moundville, Alabama, covering roughly 185 acres with twenty-nine earthen platforms arranged around a rectangular central plaza near the Black Warrior River. The largest mounds rise up to 56 feet (17 meters) above the surrounding terrain and were once connected by ramps and staircases.
The site emerged around 1000 and grew into one of the most important political and ceremonial centers of Mississippian culture before being largely abandoned around 1450. The inhabitants likely left the area due to resource depletion and social changes affecting the entire Mississippian system.
The name Moundville refers directly to the earthen mounds that still shape the landscape, once serving as foundations for temples and elite residences. Visitors often see reconstructions of traditional building methods during tours and can attend demonstrations of ancient craft techniques.
The grounds are accessible via several paved paths suitable for a walk of roughly ninety minutes that wind between the individual mounds. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as some sections cross open grassland and can become slippery after rain.
Archaeologists found unusually large copper plates and finely worked shell ornaments in some graves, indicating long-distance trade connections reaching the Great Lakes and the Gulf Coast. These objects show that Moundville elites had access to materials sourced hundreds of miles away.
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