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The fascinating story of a lost city and an unprecedented American civilization

While Mayan and Aztec civilizations are widely known and documented, relatively few people are familiar with the largest prehistoric Native American city north of Mexico-a site that expert Timothy Pauketat brings vividly to life in this groundbreaking book. Almost a thousand years ago, a city flourished along the Mississippi River near what is now St. Louis. Built around a sprawling central plaza and known as Cahokia, the site has drawn the attention of generations of archaeologists, whose work produced evidence of complex celestial timepieces, feasts big enough to feed thousands, and disturbing signs of human sacrifice. Drawing on these fascinating finds, Cahokia presents a lively and astonishing narrative of prehistoric America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Excellent Insight
As an amateur Historian, I must say this book is a must have! I am fascinated with ancient history, yet my knowledge mainly revolves around Eurasian, Mesopotamian, and Asian bronze/iron age histories. As I am quite unfamiliar with the history of American Native cultures of North America, save for that which occurred post Western contact, this book was a great insight into the culture, technology, religion, and lifestyles of the predecessors to modern Native Americans. The author doesnt have the most engrossing writing style, and is a bit bland, so this book is more geared towards those who have a thirst for history in general, or love all things Native American history. The findings at Cahokia most certainly challenge the widely held beliefs of Native Americans of most contemporary Americans/Westerners. I couldnt put this down once I started, and it wont ever be out of my personal library.

Useful Introduction
Cahokia is the modern name for the remarkable prehistoric mid-Missisippi urban center that flourished from around 1050 and the subsequent 2 centuries.While population estimates vary, Cahokia proper and its immediate hinterland probably boasted a population in the 10,000s.Cahokia was unprecedented north of Mesoamerica and there were no comparably sized urban centers north of Mexico until the Colonial period.Remarkably, Cahokia appears to have emerged preciptiously in the mid-llth century without any clear precursors.The author is a leading expert on the archaeology of Cahokia and prehistoric America.Pauketat primarily focuses on the archaeology of Cahokia and how these archaeological findings can be interpreted to reconstruct crucial features of Cahokia.There is some discussion of changing perspectives in archaeology and the history of Cahokia archaeology. Pauketat makes strong efforts to place Cahokia in a very wide perspective, trying to link Cahokia to Mesoamerican civilizations and to explore the possible long-term consequences of Cahokian culture for subsequent cultures.Pauketat suggests that Cahokia arose as a "Big Bang," probably as a result of a major cultural-religous innovation that produced a major ceremonial center and a relatively complex and violent polity.Pauketat suggests that Cahokian culture and the fall of Cahokia resonated across eastern and central North America for subsequent centuries.A prominent feature is the fragmentary nature of the evidence about Cahokia and prehistoric North America.Beyond the intrinsic limitations of the archaeological record, knowledge of Cahokia is limited by the fact that much of Cahokia and related sites were destroyed prior to modern archaeological investigations.Like other books in this series, the bibliography is excellent and a nice guide to further reading.

While this book contains a lot of interesting information, there are some significant limitations.Pauketat's general approach is to mix descriptions of important excavations with discussions of Cahokian history and culture.Unfortunately, this method results in information about Cahokia emerging implicitly rather than explicitly.A more conventional narrative approach supplemented by analysis of archaeological findings would probably have been better.Pauketat also focuses too much on the history of Cahokia archaeology; its really not that interesting to know about the personal quirks of some of the archaeologists involved.Finally, Pauketat's efforts to place Cahokia in larger context are admirable and interesting but not always convincing because of the fragmentary nature of the evidence.

Boooring
I was originally excited about the subject, but became very disappointed in the result. The book is very dry and took an effort to finish. Also, how could there be only one illustration? This book is ripe for more sketches to aid the reader in visualizing the written commentary. Read only if you are very interested in the subject.

Some interesting pre-history
I had high hopes for this book.I heard about Cahokia from a couple different sources and was intrigued by the idea of this large pre-history society in America that rivaled the Aztecs and Mayans.And it remains true that this society was large and had a relatively high degree of complexity.However, the book probes what we know about Cahokia, and we know quite little.

I find the book grasping for a larger significance but falling short.I see very little lasting legacy of Cahokia.It doesn't seem that they contributed anything lasting to subsequent societies.I do still find it interesting that they comprised such an empire which essentially disintegrated and was virtually unknown for many years after white settlement.What caused them to fall apart?The book addresses this question, but comes off more pedantic than inquisitive.

America's Ancient Lost City
It's amazing how few people know much of anything about the ancient history of North America. Even less about the mound builders or the lost city of Cahokia. Most still think the natives were barbarians barely out of the caves. Finally, after years of destruction, Cahokia is getting the studies and preservation it deserves. Ancient sites are still subject to destruction, but now more people see the folly in this. Cahokia has many mysteries, but as the book describes, the mesoamerican influence in this ancient city seems likely. We may never know all of this lost city's secrets, but this book is a great step in informing the public. Only downside is its lack of illustrations. See also Mound Builders, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus and Advanced Civilizations of Prehistoric America: The Lost Kingdoms of the Adena, Hopewell, Mississippians, and Anasazi. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A "Must Have" for genealogists searching in Mississippi
If you are searching for Great Grandpa's land anywhere in Mississippi, "Mississippi Road Atlas" is worth obtaining.All 82 counties are clearly marked with Township, Range and Sections.Cemeteries are also marked on many counties.Some maps are several years old but that adds to the usefulness as land changes over time.
I have already dog-eared my copy and plan to use it until it falls apart. ... Read more

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on January 21, 2002. The length of the article is 1369 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Program recognizes quality corporations -- and one city.(Meridian Mississippi wins 2001 Quality Interest Award)
Author: Lynne Wilbanks Jeter
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 21, 2002
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 24Issue: 3Page: 18(2)

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This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on May 27, 2002. The length of the article is 1759 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: New Farm Bill spells good news for Mississippi farmers. (Focus Delta & River Cities).
Author: Lynne W. Jeter
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 27, 2002
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 24Issue: 21Page: 12(1)

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This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Thomson Gale on December 5, 2005. The length of the article is 1273 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Heidel aggressively marketing Mississippi's Capital City.(Focus Economic Development)(Jimmy Heidel of Mississippi Development Authority)(Interview)
Author: Lynne Jeter
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 5, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 27Issue: 49Page: 26(1)

Article Type: Interview

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This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on January 17, 2005. The length of the article is 2420 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Partnerships making strides improving city's economy.
Author: Becky Gillette
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 17, 2005
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 27Issue: 3Page: 14(2)

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A Great intro to tolerance in America
The photos are great, the information is concise and well balanced. Maps, statues, closeup photos of details of daily living in The New Zion all bring this past chapter of Mormon history to today's kids in an appealing and nonreligious volume. As a result of the splendid photography which has NO people in any of the shots, you get the feeling that the Nauvoo abandonment was at a great price. The exodus in February 1846 is well told, and the book's testimony to the well-built quality of Nauvoo make their exile even more poignant. ... Read more

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Where the Locals Eat Business Traveler West Edition isa handy and reliable restaurant guide that is indispensable when youwant to find good food on the road.More than 2,500 local-favoriterestaurants in the largest U.S. cities east of the Mississippi areincluded in the guide.Listings were compiled entirely from therecommendations of local business and professional people and fromlocal newspaper and magazine readers' polls -- none of the restaurantsin the guide paid to be included.Names, street addresses, and phonenumbers are given for every restaurant.And, each restaurant isclassified under one of 75 informative category headings to let youknow what sort of restaurant it is and what style of food it serves.Light and portable, Where the Locals Eat - Business Traveler WestEdition fits easily in a briefcase, knapsack, or purse, so you cantake it with you wherever you go! ... Read more

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Chapters: Buildings and Structures in Jackson, Mississippi, Beth Israel Congregation (Jackson, Mississippi), Mississippi Coliseum, Metrocenter Mall (Jackson, Mississippi), King Edward Hotel (Jackson, Mississippi), Mississippi Governor's Mansion, Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Woodrow Wilson Bridge (Jackson, Mississippi), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Pix Capri Theatre, List of Tallest Buildings in Jackson, Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 45. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt:Beth Israel Beth Israel Congregation (Hebrew : ) is a Reform Judaism congregation located at 5315 Old Canton Road in Jackson, Mississippi , United States . Organized in 1860 by Jews of German background , it has always been, and remains, the only synagogue in Jackson. Beth Israel built the first synagogue in Mississippi in 1867, and, after it burned down, its 1874 replacement was at one time the oldest building in Jackson. Originally Orthodox , the congregation joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1874. After going through a series of rabbis, and periods without one, the congregation hired Meyer Lovitt as rabbi in 1929; he would remain until 1954. The congregation moved to a new building in 1941. Dr. Perry Nussbaum, Beth Israel's rabbi from 1954 to 1973, was active in the Civil rights movement . In 1967 the congregation moved to a new synagogue building, (its current one), and both the new building and Nussbaum's house were bombed by the Ku Klux Klan that year. As of 2009, the congregation was led by Valerie Cohen, Beth Israel's first female rabbi. With a growing membership of 200 families, Beth Israel was the largest Jewish congregation in the state. Early years The congregation was originally established in 1860 by Jews of German background . Its primary purpose was to create a Jewish cemetery, ... ... Read more

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Publisher: St. Louis : Published and for sale by J.F. TorreyPublication date: 1869Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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This detailed map of Mississippi's Gulf Coast has complete coverage for the cities and surrounding areas, plus most major tourist and business districts. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on February 25, 2002. The length of the article is 558 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Natchez area hospitals give city economic shot in the arm. (Delta & River Cities).(Brief Article)
Author: Elizabeth Kirkland
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 25, 2002
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 24Issue: 8Page: 15(1)

Article Type: Brief Article

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Chapters: Schlater, Mississippi, Greenwood, Mississippi, Sidon, Mississippi, Morgan City, Mississippi, Itta Bena, Mississippi, National Register of Historic Places Listings in Leflore County, Mississippi, Greenwood-Leflore Airport, Leflore County School District, Greenwood Public School District, Viking Range, Greenwood, Mississippi Micropolitan Area, Florewood State Park, Money, Mississippi, Yalobusha River, Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge, Minter City, Mississippi. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 64. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Greenwood, Mississippi -The flood plain of the Mississippi River has long been an area rich in vegetation and wildlife, feeding off the Mississippi and its numerous tributaries. Long before Europeans migrated to America, the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian nations settled in the Delta's marsh and swampland. In 1830 the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed by Choctaw Chief Greenwood Leflore, opening the swampland to European settlers. The first settlement on the banks of the Yazoo River was a trading post founded by John Williams in 1830 and known as Williams Landing. The settlement quickly blossomed, and in 1844 was incorporated as "Greenwood," named after Chief Greenwood Leflore. Growing into a strong cotton market, the key to the city's success was based on its strategic location in the heart of the Delta; on the easternmost point of the alluvial plain and astride the Tallahatchie River and the Yazoo River. The city served as a shipping point to New Orleans, Louisiana, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri. Greenwood continued to prosper until the latter part of the American Civil War. The end of the Civil War in the mid-1860s and the following year of reconstruction severely diminished the cotton industry an...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=124692 ... Read more

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