Poverty Point Artifacts

Poverty Point Artifacts. . , The artifacts found at Poverty Point and related sites are incredibly diverse and sophisticated. The majority of objects are of stone or fired earth (ceramic). This is because the acidic soils at the site do not preserve bone or wood, so very few of these artifacts remain. Through the trade network, the people of Poverty Point were able to acquire enough stone to produce a stunning array of utilitarian and decorative items. Our artifact collections include Late Archaic spear points, atlatl weights and gorgets, beads and pendants, Poverty Point Objects, plummets, and more. Below are just a few of the artifact types found here. , [Photo captions] , Left, top-to-bottom: , These look like arrowheads, but they are spear points. Many were repurposed as knives, scrapers, and drills. , Atlatl weights (part of a spear-throwing system) and gorgets (wearable ornaments) are found in a variety of shapes, sizes, and stone types. , Most beads are made of chert, but rare copper, steatite, and galena beads have been found at Poverty Point., Right, top-to-bottom: , Red jasper "pot-bellied" owl pendants are a classic Poverty Point artifact. Although few in number, they have been discovered across the South, from Louisiana to Florida., These fired-earth cooking balls, called Poverty Point Objects (PPOs), come in several forms. Here are melon-grooved, biconical, cylindrical-grooved, and cross-grooved PPOs. , These teardrop-shaped artifacts are called plummets. Most are made of heavy iron-ore, such as hematite or magnetite. They may have been used as weights for fishing nets or looms.