Hunter-gatherers at Poverty Point may have built its massive earthworks not under the command of chiefs, but as part of a vast, temporary gathering of egalitarian communities seeking spiritual harmony in a volatile world.
Between 4000 and 3000 cal BP, the Lower Mississippi Valley experienced significant climatic and environmental changes. Indigenous peoples responded by coming together at the Poverty Point site and performing elaborate rituals aimed at cosmological revitalization, reflecting a complex understanding of human-cosmos interdependence.
New archaeological research suggests Poverty Point in Louisiana was a temporary gathering place for spiritual rituals aimed at repairing perceived cosmic disorder, rather than a permanent settlement.
