Day Trip Idea: Poverty Point – A Site As Old As The Pyramids

There is a place a mere three hours drive from Shreveport that is as old as the Pyramids and is listed in the same class as The Great Sphinx and Stonehenge. I'm referring to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poverty Point.

According to Poverty Point's Wikipedia article:

Poverty Point comprises several earthworks and mounds built between 1650 and 700 BC, during the Archaic period in the Americas by a group of Native Americans of the Poverty Point culture. The culture extended 100 miles (160 km) across the Mississippi Delta. The original purposes of Poverty Point have not been determined by archaeologists, although they have proposed various possibilities including that it was: a settlement, a trading center, and/or a ceremonial religious complex.

The 910-acre (1.42 sq mi; 3.68 km2) site, which has been described as "the largest and most complex Late Archaic earthwork occupation and ceremonial site yet found in North America" is a registered National Monument.

Archaeologists have examined only about 3% of the entire site, but what they have found in the site boggles the mind. The onsite museum holds thousands of pieces showcasing the Poverty Point culture.

If you or your children are interested in ancient history in any way, you owe it to your family to take a short drive to visit.

Here is a video showing the sheer beauty of the site.

This video focuses on the history of the site.

Find out more, and plan your trip at http://povertypoint.us.