Cahokia Civilization
ASB Exam: Cahokia
When asked to consider why the mound builders of Cahokia chose their particular location, there has been a theory that stems from archeological research and evidence. One such theory is that they chose this location because of the Mississippi flood plain. The flood plain would be used as a major resource for not only food supply, but mainly transportation to other parts of the city. Likewise, researchers such as Joseph Saunders has found little to no evidence of extensive trade among the areas around the mounds, thus he suggests that the mounds actually were not part of a closely connected culture, but rather a feature that each group may have used and interpreted differently.
Though Cahokia is often times deemed as a city of a close-knit community that would be assumed not to extend their trade very far, there is evidence that supports the latter. An archaeological excavation of Mound 72 from 1967-1972 revealed three small mounds, covering complex mortuary activities, including mass sacrificial graves and artifact caches. These graves contained a few artifacts that were not native to Cahokia, such as copper, hematite, and basalt, thus insinuating long-distance contacts. Likewise, teeth of great white sharks, probably from the Atlantic coast, were found near Monk’s Mound. One of the most dramatic finds in East St. Louis is a pile of chips of pipestone from more than 500 kilometers away in Wisconsin, as well as unfinished ear spool, manufactured on the spot from this distinctive stone. Finished spools of the same design have been found in Aztalan, a town from the same era located 80 km west of Milwaukee. These appear to be imports of Cahokian finished goods, made with raw material from Wisconsin. (Emerson, pg. 5).
The physical health of the Cahokians was not particularly good, as some archeologists have revealed through excavation and digging further into the actual bones of the Cahokian people. Due to bone studies done on these people of the
When asked to consider why the mound builders of Cahokia chose their particular location, there has been a theory that stems from archeological research and evidence. One such theory is that they chose this location because of the Mississippi flood plain. The flood plain would be used as a major resource for not only food supply, but mainly transportation to other parts of the city. Likewise, researchers such as Joseph Saunders has found little to no evidence of extensive trade among the areas around the mounds, thus he suggests that the mounds actually were not part of a closely connected culture, but rather a feature that each group may have used and interpreted differently.
Though Cahokia is often times deemed as a city of a close-knit community that would be assumed not to extend their trade very far, there is evidence that supports the latter. An archaeological excavation of Mound 72 from 1967-1972 revealed three small mounds, covering complex mortuary activities, including mass sacrificial graves and artifact caches. These graves contained a few artifacts that were not native to Cahokia, such as copper, hematite, and basalt, thus insinuating long-distance contacts. Likewise, teeth of great white sharks, probably from the Atlantic coast, were found near Monk’s Mound. One of the most dramatic finds in East St. Louis is a pile of chips of pipestone from more than 500 kilometers away in Wisconsin, as well as unfinished ear spool, manufactured on the spot from this distinctive stone. Finished spools of the same design have been found in Aztalan, a town from the same era located 80 km west of Milwaukee. These appear to be imports of Cahokian finished goods, made with raw material from Wisconsin. (Emerson, pg. 5).
The physical health of the Cahokians was not particularly good, as some archeologists have revealed through excavation and digging further into the actual bones of the Cahokian people. Due to bone studies done on these people of the