A little more about Cahokia. As noted previously, my archaeologist sister Linda and I walked around the site in 1982. Also noted previously, in 1991 I had the good fortune to live in London and work for English Heritage thanks to a paid ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) internship program. Turns out that in 1982, after ICOMOS had nominated Cahokia to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO,* it was.
This means that Cahokia's importance transcends the territorial boundaries of the present-day United States; even today, it is one of fewer than 1,000 such designated-sites around the globe.
Here's why, straight from the 1982 UNESCO description:
Cahokia Mounds, some 13 km north-east of St Louis, Missouri, is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. It was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800–1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 ha and included some 120 mounds. It is a striking example of a complex chiefdom society, with many satellite mound centres and numerous outlying hamlets and villages. This agricultural society may have had a population of 10–20,000 at its peak between 1050 and 1150. Primary features at the site include Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, covering over 5 ha and standing 30 m high.
Statement of Significance
Cahokia Mounds is the largest and earliest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. It was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800–1350), when it covered over 1,600 hectares (3,950 acres) and included some 120 mounds. It is the pre-eminent example of a cultural, religious, and economic center of the Mississippian cultural tradition, which extended throughout the Mississippi Valley and the south-eastern United States. This agricultural society may have had a population of 10,000–20,000 at its peak between 1050 and 1150. Cahokia is an early and exceptional example of pre-urban structuring. (Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/198)
Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.
*The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
2 comments:
In French: "Site historique d'Etat des Cahokia Mounds
Le site des Cahokia Mounds, à environ 13 km au nord de Saint Louis, Missouri, représente le plus grand foyer de peuplement précolombien au nord du Mexique. Il a été occupé essentiellement pendant le mississippien (800-1400), période où il couvrait 1 600 ha et comptait quelque 120 tumulus. C'est un remarquable exemple de société complexe fondée sur la chefferie et comprenant beaucoup de tumulus satellites et de nombreux hameaux et villages excentrés."
Spanish:
"Sitio histórico estatal de Cahokia Mounds
Ubicado a unos 13 kilómetros al norte de San Luis (Misuri), el sitio de Cahokia Mounds es el mayor asentamiento humano precolombino encontrado al norte de México. Este lugar fue habitado en el Período Misisipiano (800-1400 d.C.), época en la que se extendía por unas 1.600 hectáreas y contaba con unos 120 túmulos. Los vestigios del sitio muestran la existencia de una sociedad compleja gobernada por caciques, así como la presencia de numerosos túmulos satélites y aldeas y pueblos periféricos. Esta sociedad agrícola llegó a tener probablemente unos 10.000 a 20.000 habitantes en el momento de su apogeo (1050-1150 d.C.). Otro elemento importante de este sitio es Monks Mound, el mayor túmulo prehistórico de las Américas, que tiene cinco hectáreas de superficie y treinta metros de altura.
Source: UNESCO/BPI"
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