Moundville Mound A Plaza Level
Moundville Mound A Plaza Level North Annex · Moundville Site
Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE)·Woodland–Mississippian·🇺🇸 Alabama, Moundville, United States
About
About Moundville Mound A Plaza Level
Moundville Mound A Plaza Level in Alabama, Moundville, United States is a Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE) earthwork attributed to Woodland–Mississippian. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal earthwork 350 m long and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 33.0050N -87.6310E controls access to Alabama resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey earthwork for Alabama, Moundville, illustrating Woodland–Mississippian construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
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. 1200 BCE–1200 CE
- Period
- Formative to Mississippian (1500 BCE–1500 CE)
- Culture
- Woodland–Mississippian
- Purpose
- Ceremonial earthwork centre for gathering and burial
- Rediscovered
- 1962 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 1200 BCE–1200 CE
Initial construction of Moundville Mound A Plaza Level main structure
c. 1902
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1962–2007
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Moundville Mound A Plaza Level) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
33.0050° N · 87.6310° W · 94 m · 4 mapped features
Moundville Mound A Plaza Level — Main Structure
structurePrincipal earthwork — Earthwork 350 m long with diagnostic masonry/panel
33.0058° N · 87.6301° WMoundville Mound A Plaza Level — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
33.0040° N · 87.6317° WMoundville Mound A Plaza Level — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial
33.0065° N · 87.6298° WMoundville Mound A Plaza Level — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
33.0034° N · 87.6321° W