(ORDO NEWS) — Based on recent research, it can be assumed that the social organization of the first inhabitants of America is much more complex than previously thought.
The New World Natives, who inhabited the Poverty Point region in northeast Louisiana more than three thousand years ago, were previously thought to be hunter-gatherers. But a study by scientists from the universities of Washington and Colorado (USA) showed that their community, apparently, was more complex.
Poverty Point Archaeological Site
The Poverty Point Archaeological Site is an ancient earthwork and burial mound built by the locals between 1700 and 1000 BC, during the Late Archaic period of North American history.
Not so primitive
Scientists believe that this is the most ancient civilization in the region, but until recently it was believed that these ancient people were primitive.
This was evidenced by decorations and tools that were discovered in the past. However, the structures that this civilization left behind turned out to be extremely intricate and difficult to build, even taking into account the technologies of architecture of the 21st century.
Purpose of buildings
Their exact purpose is unknown: perhaps it was something like a trading platform or a ritual complex. Scientists suggest that this place could serve as a religious center, which was visited by pilgrims from different parts of the continent.
Construction methods
The construction required more than one and a half million cubic meters of land. These structures were erected without modern tools, equipment, and even without wheeled vehicles and draft animals. During this period of history in America, the natives had neither horses nor domesticated cattle. How they did it remains a mystery.
Three thousand years
And the most amazing thing is that earthworks existed for more than three thousand years without additional fortifications. What’s more, modern bridges or dams built with the latest technology break down much faster.
Suddenly abandoned
Turny Point, like many other similar monuments of antiquity, was suddenly abandoned at one time. This happened about two thousand years ago – probably due to floods in the Mississippi Valley and climate change.
Dating methods
Using modern dating methods, including radiocarbon dating, soil microscopic analysis and others, scientists have obtained evidence that the mounds were created in a short time. No signs of weathering were found between the levels.
Scale
This means that for construction of such a scale, a serious personnel reserve was required, which was not only well organized, but also had certain qualifications. Even more impressive is the fact that the structures are still intact, although due to the proximity to the Gulf of Mexico in these places there is a large amount of precipitation that erodes such embankments.
Various types of soil
As shown by microscopic analysis of the soil, the builders mixed different types – clay, silt and sand – in the right proportions in order to achieve the special strength of the structure. Thus, Native Americans discovered a recipe for “concrete” from the soil, which, according to researchers, simple hunter-gatherers were not capable of.
Harder than previously thought
Based on this, one can make an assumption about a more complex social organization of the first civilization of America.
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