Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Location	Illinois, United States
Nearest city	Collinsville, Illinois
Coordinates	38°39′14″N 90°3′52″W / 38.65389, -90.06444
Area	2,200 acres (8.9 km²)
Governing body	Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Cahokia is the site of an ancient Native American city near Collinsville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the American Bottom floodplain. The site is composed of a series of man-made earthen mounds. The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... A Natural Monument is a natural/cultural feature which is of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Collinsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois and partially in St. ... The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Collinsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois and partially in St. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... The American Bottom is a flood plain of the Mississippi River in southwestern Illinois, extending from Alton, Illinois, to the Kaskaskia River. ...

Cahokia is the largest archaeological site related to the Mississippian culture, and the term "Cahokian" is sometimes used to describe that culture. The Mississippians developed advanced societies in eastern North America before the arrival of Europeans. History is the study of the past using written records. ... The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 900 to 1500 CE, varying regionally. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

World Heritage Site

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	United States of America
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Reference	198
Region†	North America
Inscription History
Inscription	1982  (6th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Cahokia Mounds was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 19, 1964, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site was designated a World Heritage Site in 1982. The park protects 2200 acres (8.9 km²), and is the focus of ongoing archaeological research. This is one of only twenty World Heritage Sites in the United States designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Monks Mound at Cahokia. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ...

History

Cahokia was first settled around 650 during the Late Woodland period, but mound building did not begin there until about 1050 at the beginning of the Mississippian cultural period. The site was abandoned before 1400. The inhabitants left no written records, and the city's original name is unknown. The name "Cahokia" refers to an unrelated clan of Illiniwek people living in the area when the first French explorers arrived in the 1600s, long after Cahokia was abandoned. The living descendants of the Cahokia people are unknown, although many Native American groups are plausible contenders. The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures lasted roughly from 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. The term Woodland was coined in the 1930s and refers to prehistoric sites between the Archaic period and the Mississippian cultures. ... There was much conflict with a neigboring tribe of aliens!The Illiniwek (also known as the Illini, Illinois, Illinois Confederacy) were a group of six Native American tribes in the upper Mississippi River valley of North America. ...

Monk's Mound

Monk's Mound in July (view from plaza area)

Monk's Mound is the central focus of this great ceremonial center. A massive structure with four terraces, it is the largest man-made earthen mound in North America. Facing south, it stands about 100 feet (30.5 m) high with a base 1,037 feet long and 790 feet wide (316 by 241 m). The Travel Channel has referred to it as the "world's largest pyramid." Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 715 KB) Summary Taken by Derek Collins Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 715 KB) Summary Taken by Derek Collins Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in North America north of Mesoamerica. ... Look up mound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Travel Channel is a cable television network that features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. ...

Excavation on the top of Monk's Mound has revealed evidence of a large building — perhaps a temple or the residence of the paramount chief — that could be seen throughout the city. This building was about 105 feet long and 48 feet wide, and stood about 50 feet high. A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional (usually tribal) chief or political leader in a region or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. ...

Overhead view of the mound.

"Woodhenge," a circle of posts used to make astronomical sightings, stood to the west of Monk's Mound. The name is taken from Stonehenge, as this structure marked solstices, equinoxes and other astronomical cycles. Archaeologists discovered Woodhenge during excavation of the site. They found that the structure was rebuilt several times during the urban center's roughly 300-year history. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Stonehenge (disambiguation). ... “Summer solstice” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Equinox (disambiguation). ...

The east and northwest sides of Monk's Mound were subjected to two large backhoe excavations in August 2007 as an attempt to stabilize the threat of erosion [1]. There is controversy over whether this excavation caused in improper damage to the archaeological record[2]. August 2007 is the eighth month of that year. ...

Urban landscape

A 19 hectare (190,000 m²) plaza spreads out to the south of Monk's Mound. The flat, open terrain in this area was originally thought to reflect Cahokia's location on the Mississippi's alluvial flood plain, but soil studies showed that the landscape was originally undulating and had been expertly levelled by the city's inhabitants. The Grand Plaza of Cahokia is to this day the largest earthen city square in the world ^{[citation needed]}. Along with the Grand Plaza to the south, three other very large plazas surround Monks Mound to the east, west, and north. Plaza is a Spanish word related to field which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. ... Alluvium is soil land deposited by a river or other running water. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Floodplain. ...

A wooden stockade with a series of watchtowers at regular intervals formed a two-mile long enclosure around Monk's Mound and the Grand Plaza. Archaeologists found evidence of the stockade during excavation of the area and indications that it was rebuilt several times. The stockade seems to have separated Cahokia's main ceremonial precinct from other parts of the city. A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide some security. ...

Beyond Monk's Mound, as many as 120 more mounds stood at varying distances from the city center. To date, 109 mounds have been located, 68 of which are in the park area. The mounds are divided into several different types — platform, conical, ridge-top, etc. — each of which may have had its own meaning and function. In general terms, the city center seems to have been laid out in a diamond-shaped pattern approximately a mile (1.6 km) from end to end, while the entire city is five miles across east to west. A Platform Mound is any earthwork intended to support a structure or activity. ... A cone is a basic geometrical shape: see cone (geometry). ... This article is about the use of the term in geography and physical geology. ... KM, Km, or km may stand for: Khmer language (ISO 639 alpha-2, km) Kilometre Kinemantra Meditation Knowledge management KM programming language KM Culture, Korean Movie Maker. ...

Ancient city

Cahokia was the most important center for the peoples known today as Mississippians whose settlements ranged across what is now the Midwest, Eastern, and Southeastern United States. Cahokia maintained trade links with communities as far away as the Great Lakes to the north and the Gulf Coast to the south. Pottery and stone tools in the Cahokian style were found at the Silvernail site near Red Wing, Minnesota. The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... Red shows states east of the Mississippi River, pink shows states not fully eastern or western The U.S. Eastern states are the states east of the Mississippi River. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... The Great Lakes from space The Laurentian Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... The Gulf of Mexico is a major body of water bordered and nearly landlocked by North America. ... Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. ...

At the high point of its development, Cahokia was the largest urban center north of the great Mesoamerican cities in Mexico. Although it was home to only about 1,000 people before ca. 1050, its population grew explosively after that date. Archaeologists estimate the city's population at between 8,000 and 40,000 at its peak, with more people living in outlying farming villages that supplied the main urban center. This article is about the culture area. ...

If the highest population estimates are correct, that would mean that Cahokia was larger than any city in the United States until about 1800 when Philadelphia's population grew beyond 40,000. For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ...

Prestige burial

During excavation of Mound 72, a ridge-top burial mound south of Monk's Mound, archaeologists found the remains of a man in his 40s who was probably an important Cahokian ruler. The man was buried on a bed of more than twenty thousand marine-shell disc beads arranged in the shape of a falcon, with the bird's head appearing beneath the man's head and its wings and tail beneath his arms and legs. The falcon warrior, or "birdman," is a common motif in Mississippian culture, and this burial clearly has powerful iconographic significance. Falcons eat humans. ... Look up Iconography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

A cache of arrowheads in a variety of different styles and materials was found near the grave of this important man. Separated into four types, each from a different geographical region, the arrowheads demonstrate Cahokia's extensive trade links in North America. Over 250 other skeletons were also recovered from Mound 72. Many were found in mass graves; some were missing their hands and heads, which seems to indicate human sacrifice. There were young female remains found in one of the mounds. Because of the young age and indications in the pelvic areas of the skeletons indicating that these women had not borne children, it has been suggested that they were virgins and may have been sacrificed at the death of a great ruler. The relationship of these other burials to the central burial is unclear, though, and it is unlikely that they were all deposited at the time. Wood in several parts of the mound has been radiocarbon-dated between 950 and 1000. Traditional target arrow and replica medieval arrow. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring isotope carbon-14 (14C) to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years. ...

Cahokia's decline

Cahokia was abandoned a century or more before Europeans arrived in North America, before 1400. Environmental factors such as over-hunting and deforestation have been proposed as explanations. Another possible cause is invasion by outside peoples, though the only evidence of warfare found so far is the wooden stockade and watchtowers that enclosed Cahokia's main ceremonial precinct.Due to the lack of other evidence for warfare, the palisade seems to have been more ritual than military. Diseases facilitated by the large, dense urban population are another possible cause of decline. However, many recent theories propose political collapse as the primary reason for Cahokia’s abandonment.^[1] This article is about the process of deforestation in the environment. ...

See also

• Mississippian culture
• Monk's Mound
• Mound builder (people)
• American Bottom
• Angel Mounds
• Moundville Archaeological Site
• Etowah Indian Mounds
• Spiro Mounds

The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 900 to 1500 CE, varying regionally. ... Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in North America north of Mesoamerica. ... Miamisburg Mound, the largest conical mound in Ohio, is attributed to the Adena archaeological culture. ... The American Bottom is a flood plain of the Mississippi River in southwestern Illinois, extending from Alton, Illinois, to the Kaskaskia River. ... Angel Mounds State Historic Site is located on the Ohio River in Vanderburgh County, Indiana adjacent to Evansville. ... Moundville was a Mississippian period society located in the Black Warrior Valley of west-central Alabama. ... The Etowah Indian Mounds is an archeological site in Bartow County, Georgia south of Cartersville, Georgia in the United States. ... 80. ...

References

• Unesco's World Heritage Sites: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.
• Illinois Historic Preservation Agency: Cahokia Mounds.
• Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Website, including Introductory Bibliography of Published Cahokia Archeology and Full Scholarly Bibliography, compiled by Mary Goodwin, Andy Martignoni Jr., Andy Martignoni III, Christy Wells, and Bill Woods. (Rev. July 2001).

Further reading

• Emerson, Thomas (1997). Cahokia and the Archaeology of Power. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama. ISBN 0-8173-0888-1. 

• Emerson, Iseminger; L. Michael Nance, Madeline Winslow, and Marilyn Gass (2001). Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site Nature/Culture Hike Guidebook, 4th revised edition. Collinsville, Illinois: Cahokia Mounds Museum Society, 79 pp. 

• Emerson, Thomas; Barry Lewis (1991). Cahokia and the Hinterlands: Middle Mississipian Cultures of the Midwest. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois. ISBN 0-252-06878-5. 

• Miner, George R. (2004). THE MOUNDBUILDERS: ANCIENT PEOPLES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.. London: Thames and Hudson, Ltd.. 

• Mink, Claudia Gellman (1992). Cahokia, City of the Sun: Prehistoric Urban Center in the American Bottom. Collinsville, IL: Cahokia Mounds Museum Society. ISBN 1-881563-00-6. 

• Pauketat, Timothy (1994). The Ascent of Chiefs: Cahokia and Mississippian Politics in Native North America. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama. ISBN 0-8173-0728-1. 

• Young, Biloine; Melvin Fowler (2000). Cahokia: The Great Native American Metropolis. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois. ISBN 0-252-06821-1. 

For the band, see 1997 (band). ... // Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. ... The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA or colloquially as Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship campus of the University of Alabama System. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Collinsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois and partially in St. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... A snowy day in Carle Park west of the Urbana High School Urbana (pronounced [ɝbænə]) is a city located in Champaign County, Illinois. ... A Corner of Main Quad The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, or simply Illinois), is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious campus in the University of Illinois system. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Collinsville is a city located in Madison County, Illinois. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... // Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. ... The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA or colloquially as Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship campus of the University of Alabama System. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... A snowy day in Carle Park west of the Urbana High School Urbana (pronounced [ɝbænə]) is a city located in Champaign County, Illinois. ... A Corner of Main Quad The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, or simply Illinois), is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious campus in the University of Illinois system. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Cahokia

• Cahokia Mounds Homepage and Map of the Site.
• Cahokia: World Heritage Site
• Cahokia summary
• Metropolitan Life on the Mississippi, Washington Post, March 12, 1997.
• Mississippian Art and Artifacts
• Visitors' perspectives
• Woodhenge and the Cahokia Mounds
• Monks mound backhoe excavation photos

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

Maps and aerial photos

• Maps and aerial photos for 38°39′31″N 90°03′41″W / 38.658611, -90.06138Coordinates: 38°39′31″N 90°03′41″W / 38.658611, -90.06138
  • Maps from WikiMapia, Google Maps, Live Search Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
  • Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA

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Cahokia · Carlsbad Caverns · Chaco Culture · Everglades · Grand Canyon · Great Smoky Mountains · Hawaii Volcanoes · Independence Hall · Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek (with Canada) · La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site · Mammoth Cave · Mesa Verde · Monticello and the University of Virginia · Olympic National Park · Pueblo de Taos · Redwood · Statue of Liberty · Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (with Canada) · Yellowstone · Yosemite Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a United States National Park located in the Guadalupe Mountains of the southeastern corner of New Mexico (Eddy County). ... Kiva at Pueblo Del Arroyo Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park and World Heritage Site which contains the densest and most exceptional concentration of large pueblos in the American Southwest. ... Everglades National Park preserves the southern portion of the Everglades (all south of Tamiami Trail), but represents only 20 % of the original wetland area. ... Grand Canyon National Park is one of the United States oldest national parks and is located in Arizona. ... Cades Cove panorama The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. ... HawaiÊ»i Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, displays the results of hundreds of thousands of years of volcanism, migration, and evolution—processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems and a distinct human culture. ... Independence Hall is a U.S. national landmark located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets. ... Kluane-Wrangell-St. ... La Fortaleza (or The Fortress in English) is the current residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. ... San Juan National Historic Site in San Juan, Puerto Rico includes colonial-era forts, bastions, powder houses, and three fourths of the old city wall. ... Mammoth Cave National Park is a U.S. National Park in central Kentucky, encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the most elongated cave system known in the world. ... Mesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. ... Monticello, located near Charlottesville, Virginia, was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, the third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia. ... The University of Virginia (also called U.Va. ... Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the far northwestern part of the state known as the Olympic Peninsula. ... Taos Pueblo, circa 1920 Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos), continuously inhabited for over 1000 years, is the ancient town of the Northern Tiwa speaking tribe of Pueblo people, Native Americans. ... The Coastal redwood is the tallest tree species on Earth. ... For other monuments to freedom, see Monument of Liberty. ... The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is the name of the union of the Glacier National Park in the United States and the Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. ... “Yellowstone” redirects here. ... Yosemite National Park (pronounced Yo-SEM-it-ee, IPA: ) is a national park located largely in Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties, California, United States. ...