Moundville is an archaeological site in the Black Warrior river valley of Alabama in the southeastern United States, which served as the political and ceremonial capital of a complex Mississippian chiefdom between AD 1050 and 1650. Scholars believe Moundville was the chiefdom called Apafalaya in 1540, when the conquistador Hernando de Soto passed through it.
One of the most elaborate Mississippian ceremonial centers, Moundville covered an area of approximately 75 hectares (~185 acres), with at least 29 earthen mounds, a central plaza, residential areas, and cemeteries all surrounded by a palisade with bastions. Its polity included a 40 kilometer (25 mile) stretch of the Black Warrior river valley, with dispersed farmsteads, hamlets, and single-mound communities within its political control during its heyday.
Chronology at Moundville
- Moundville Phase IV, 1550-1650, Moundville abandoned
- Moundville Phase III, 1400-1550, elite burials lavish, imported southern cult objects at their peak, outlier mounds abandoned
- Moundville Phase II, 1250-1400, population dispersal of non-elites from the palisade, consolidation of regional political power
- Moundville Phase I 1050-1250, initial Mississippian occupation, first mound built, plaza constructed, major mounds begun, population peak at 1,000
- Late Woodland West Jefferson Phase (before AD 1050)
The following photo essay takes a look at some of the features and findings of this important Mississippian community. A bibliography is provided at the end, for those who would go farther.
