What was Cahokia civilization?

First established around AD 600 and inhabited by a unique indigenous people, Cahokia was a civilization comprised of about 50 communities over 2,200 acres. They built 120 earth mounds – some over ten stories tall – in the largest prehistoric earthen construction site north of Mexico.

When was ancient Cahokia founded?

Although some evidence exists of occupation during the Late Archaic period (around 1200 BCE) in and around the site, Cahokia as it is now defined was settled around 600 CE during the Late Woodland period. Mound building at this location began with the emergent Mississippian cultural period, about the 9th century CE.

When did the Cahokia civilization begin and end?

Cahokia grew from a small settlement established around 700 A.D. to a metropolis rivaling London and Paris by 1050. But just 200 years later, the once-thriving civilization had all but vanished, abandoning its patchwork collection of monumental earthworks for still-unknown reasons.

What happened to the Cahokia civilization?

In a matter of decades, it became the continent’s largest population center north of Mexico, with perhaps 15,000 people in the city proper and twice as many people in surrounding areas. A couple centuries after its birth it went into decline, and by 1400 it was deserted.

What caused the rise and fall of the Cahokia civilization?

1,000 Years Ago, Corn Made This Society Big. Then, A Changing Climate Destroyed It. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville, Ill. A thriving American Indian city that rose to prominence after A.D. 900 owing to successful maize farming, it may have collapsed because of changing climate.

Who named Cahokia?

Founded in 1699 by Quebec missionaries and named for a tribe of Illinois Indians (Cahokia, meaning “Wild Geese”), it was the first permanent European settlement in Illinois and became a centre of French influence in the upper Mississippi River valley. In 1769 the Ottawa chief Pontiac was killed at Cahokia.

Who built the mounds in America?

Mound Builders were prehistoric American Indians, named for their practice of burying their dead in large mounds. Beginning about three thousand years ago, they built extensive earthworks from the Great Lakes down through the Mississippi River Valley and into the Gulf of Mexico region.

Why did Cahokia fall?

Human Poop Reveals That Climate Change Caused The Fall Of Cahokia, A Medieval Native American City. Cahokia was abandoned during the 13th and 14th centuries. Although Cahokia’s demise has been attributed to flooding, a new study suggests that drought-like conditions may have been to blame.

How did Cahokia start?

Cahokia arose from this mini-breadbasket as its people hunted less and took up farming with gusto. By all evidence, they ate well. “Some people have referred to it as a Garden of Eden,” says archaeologist John E. Kelly, who has researched the area for 26 years.

What is Cahokia renowned for?

Covering more than 2,000 acres, Cahokia is the most sophisticated prehistoric Native civilization north of Mexico. Best known for large, man-made earthen structures, the city of Cahokia was inhabited from about A.D. 700 to 1400.

Who were the Cahokia people?

The Cahokia were an Algonquian -speaking Native American tribe and member of the Illinois Confederation . At the time of European contact with the Illini, they were located in what would become the states of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. The Cahokia, along with the Michigamea, were eventually absorbed by…

Where was Cahokia located?

Cahokia is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is located east of the Mississippi River in the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, 15,241 people lived in the village, a decline from 16,391 in 2000.

Who built the Cahokia Mounds?

Best known for large, man-made earthen structures, the city of Cahokia was inhabited from about A.D. 700 to 1400. Built by ancient peoples known as the Mound Builders, Cahokia’s original population was thought to have been only about 1,000 until about the 11th century when it expanded to tens of thousands.