Cahokia
Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
February 22, 2010 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781461814726
- File size: 200250 KB
- Duration: 06:57:11
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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This examination of the civilization of the Native American "mound-builders" of the Mississippi region is a bit uneven: Sometimes it lacks hard information (much of the archaeological evidence was destroyed or remains buried), and sometimes it gives copious detail about what's known and how it was discovered. The combination makes for a production that can be hard to follow. George Wilson's voice is rather astringent but still expressive and likable, and his precision serves the complex material well. Some scenarios of what Cahokian life might have been like, as well as the gruesome descriptions of mass burials, are intriguing, and Wilson does them justice. Neither book nor reader is flashy, but those interested in the topic will find this brief exposition worthwhile. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from August 3, 2009
Author and anthropologist Pauketat (Chiefdoms and Other Archaeological Delusions) locates a civilizational "big bang" in the Mississippi River valley of 1050 CE, where "social life, political organization, religious belief, art, and culture were radically transformed" by a highly ambitious group of American Indians and their capital city, Cahokia, located east of what is now St. Louis. In this illuminating text, Pauketat examines the life, death, and rediscovery of this vast urban population and their game-changing cultural innovations (ranging from innocuous but influential sports like "chunkey" to large-scale reenactments of mythical stories, featuring bloody human sacrifice). Page by page, Pauketat compiles the fascinating details of a complex archeological puzzle; explaining the study of cross-cultural goddess worship, cave art, hand tools and games, this volume doubles as a crash-course in the archeological method. Pauketat's academic approach responsibly invites opposing viewpoints, and his writing is rich in you-are-there detail, making this an archeological adventure suitable for pre-Columbian enthusiasts as well as inquisitive laymen.
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