Fort Walton Mound
Fort Walton Temple Mound
Mississippian Fort Walton 1100–1550 CE·Fort Walton (Mississippian Pensacola variant)·🇺🇸 Florida, United States
About
About Fort Walton Mound
Mississippian temple platform mound (1100–1550 CE) on Choctawhatchee Bay terrace, heart of Fort Walton culture (regional variant 1100–1550). Single truncated pyramid 7 m high (base 55×37 m) with eastern ramp, palisaded priest elite compound with plaza; underlying Woodland Deptford-Santa Rosa-Swift Creek midden. Artifact complex of Fort Walton Incised pottery, effigy vessels and shell.
Why it mattersType-site for Fort Walton culture defining SE US Gulf Mississippian coastal adaptation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Coastal vs interior Mississippian identity divergence
- 02Sea-level rise impacts on coastal occupation
Theories
- 01Coastal chiefdom controlling estuary shellfish and exchange
- 02Temple mound as storm-surge refuge model
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1100–1550 CE
- Period
- Mississippian Fort Walton 1100–1550 CE
- Culture
- Fort Walton (Mississippian Pensacola variant)
- Builders
- Fort Walton culture
- Purpose
- Coastal chiefdom temple platform and chief's residence
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1100–1550 CE
Initial construction
c. 1425 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
30.4083° N · 86.1286° W · 8 m · 2 mapped features
Fort Walton Mound central feature
featureMain architectural feature
30.4083° N · 86.1286° WFort Walton Mound secondary sector
sectorSecondary sector
30.4093° N · 86.1276° W
Gallery