The Remarkable Earthworks and People of Poverty Point

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Over 3,000 years ago, a community of people who lived off the land constructed a remarkable group of earthworks that includes mounds, a plaza, and a series of C-shaped rings where they probably built houses. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Diana Greenlee about this amazing place, Poverty Point World Heritage Site. We talk about the various earthworks that make up the site, how they were built, and what we know about the people who built them. Dr. Greenlee patiently corrects my misunderstandings about the site, and clearly explains what we know about it. In the Mississippi Minute, I’m reminded about a piece of river history that can give us hope today.