Strings of the Past: Revisiting the Lapidary Industry of Poverty Point

Summary

This is an abstract from the "*SE Not Your Father’s Poverty Point: Rewriting Old Narratives through New Research" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Poverty Point culture has long been recognized for the abundance and variety of stone beads that can be found at both large mound centers, like Poverty Point and Jaketown, and smaller sites, like Slate. Tubular, barrel, disc, and effigy beads that depict owls and other birds are found at Poverty Point affiliated sites throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, and even as far away as Florida. Beyond simple admiration for the artistry evidenced by the beads, a close examination of the manufacturing wear suggests makers utilized different toolkits and processes to achieve their results. By documenting variation in bead production and mapping the distribution of bead styles across the landscape, we can begin to gain insight into cultural identity, exchange, and interaction among communities of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• *SE Not Your Father’s Poverty Point: Rewriting Old Narratives through New Research

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39276.0