Ancient Cahokia and the Mississippians

Using a wealth of archaeological evidence, this book outlines the development of Mississippian civilization.

Timothy R. Pauketat (Author)

9780521520669, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 17 June 2004

236 pages, 49 b/w illus. 13 maps
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.388 kg

'… welcome and will prove valuable and stimulating to students.' Antiquity

The ancient capital of Cahokia and a series of lesser population centers developed in the Mississippi valley in North America between the eighth and fifteenth centuries AD, leaving behind an extraordinarily rich archaeological record. Cahokia's gigantic pyramids, finely crafted artifacts, and dense population mark it as the founding city of the Mississippian civilization, formerly known as the 'mound' builders. As Cahokian ideas and objects were widely sought, a cultural and religious ripple effect spread across the mid-continent and into the South. In its wake, population migrations and social upheavals transformed social life along the ancient Mississippi River. In this important new survey, Timothy Pauketat outlines the development of Mississippian civilization, presenting a wealth of archaeological evidence and advancing our understanding of the American Indians whose influence extended into the founding moments of the United States and lives on today in American archaeology.

1. Civilization in North America
2. Geography, resources, and the Mississippian ethnoscape
3. Villages along the Mississippi
4. Early Cahokia
5. Greater Cahokia
6. Mississippianization
7. The struggle for identity
8. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Prehistoric archaeology [HDDA], Archaeology by period / region [HDD]