Cahokia City: Ancient Urban Wonder! 1. Name: -Cahokia city 2. Date: Emerged circa approximately 1050 AD 3. Time Period: Mississippian culture 4. Century: 11th to 14th centuries 5. Location: Near present-day St. Louis, Illinois, USA 6. Founder: Unknown Native American chiefdoms 7. Established: ~1050 AD 8. Reign: Peaked over a period of about 300 years 9. Generations Ruled: Estimated 6–8 chiefdom generations 10. Last Ruler: Not applicable (no single known ruler) 11. End of Empire: Declined around 1350 AD 12. Reason for Collapse: Environmental degradation, resource depletion, and social upheaval 10 Facts About Cahokia City: - 1. Population Hub: At its peak, Cahokia’s population is estimated to have reached up to 15,000 residents. 2. Monks Mound: Largest pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas. 3. Woodhenge: Solar calendar aligned with equinoxes. 4. Trade Network: Imported copper from Great Lakes and shells from among various Native American groups. 5. Decline: Abandoned by 1400 CE due to environmental and social stress. 6. UNESCO Site: Designated in 1982 for its cultural significance. 7. Human Sacrifice?: Mass graves suggest ritualistic practices, but evidence is debated. 8. Agriculture: Grew maize, squash, and beans on terraced fields. 9. Urban Planning: Central plazas, residential zones, and defensive palisades. 10. Cultural Influence: Inspired later Mississippian mound-building societies. ________________________________________ 10 Myths About Cahokia City: - 1. Aliens Built It: No evidence of extra-terrestrial involvement—construction was entirely human. 2. Lost Civilization: Cahokians were ancestors of modern Indigenous groups, not a “lost” people. 3. Sudden Collapse: Decline occurred over centuries, not overnight. 4. European Contact: No proof of pre-Columbian European influence. 5. Human Sacrifice Dominance: Ritual killings were rare and context-specific. 6. Primitive Society: Advanced engineering and governance disprove this stereotype. 7. Treasure Troves: Most artifacts are everyday tools, not gold or jewels. 8. Isolated City: Thrived due to vast trade networks. 9. Mounds as Burial Sites: Only some mounds contained graves; others were ceremonial. 10. Complete Mystery: Ongoing research continues to reveal answers. ________________________________________ #Cahokia, #AncientCity, #History, #Archaeology, #PreColumbian, #NativeAmerican, #MississippianCulture, #LostCity, #UrbanWonder, #HistoricalFacts, #AncientMounds, #CulturalHeritage, #Mysteries, #ArchaeologicalSite, #AmericanHistory,
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