Three Archaeological Excavations

Three Archaeological Excavations. . , The Mississippi Department of Archives and History sponsored digs at the Grand Village in 1930, 1960 and 1972., The 1930 excavations employed WPA laborers to investigate mounds B and C. The archaeologists discovered that the Natchez built these mounds by layers. After using an earthen platform for an undetermined length of time, the Indians added dirt to form new platforms over the old ones, increasing the height of the mounds.

In 1962, archaeologists once again examined mounds B and C. In 1972, an archaeological crew studied the plazas between the mounds.

Mound A, called the “Abandoned Mound,” was not used by the Natchez during the French colonial era. For this reason, archaeologists did very little work at this mound. Today, Mound A remains mostly intact and undisturbed., Captions: , Excavating Mound B in 1962., Exploring the plaza between mounds B and C in 1972., Mound B profile showing layered building levels., Depression era archaeology at the Grand Village., Moreau B.C. Chambers led the 1930 excavations at the Grand Village., James A. Ford (left foreground), one of the founding fathers of Southeastern archaeology, at the Grand Village during the 1962 excavations., Robert S. Neitzel directed the 1962 and 1972 excavations. Neitzel's archaeological reports from these investigations have become classics in North American archaeology.