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Cahokia: City of the Sun : Prehistoric Urban Center in the American Bottom

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This book is an excellent introduction to the history and archaeology of the Cahokia acropolis. Compact and readable, and accessible to both young and old, Cahokia: City of the Sun is the perfect book for those interested in getting started in the study of Cahokia, or for those who just want to know a little more about the ancient history of the American Midwest.

North America had medieval cities. Big ones. One enormous metropolis in particular dominated cultural and economic life up and down the Mississippi River between 800 AD and 1400 AD. The city now goes by the name Cahokia, after a tribe that occupied the area following the european influx. No known records reveal its original name, nor the names of its some 15,000 people. In fact, no written or verbal records about this place made it down to the present day. None whatsoever. Not even the purported ancestors of its inhabitants had or have anything to say about it. Somehow the city vanished from memory. But a ciy it was, at least according to archaeology. And it remained the largest North American city on record until 1800.

"Cahokia: City of the Sun" provides the best general introduction to this extremely important North American landmark and UNESCO World Heritage site. Filled with color photos and maps it helps bring the shadowy Cahokia to life. Eight chapters cover its culture, social hierarchy, origins, buildings, and life. And all in accessible nontechnical language. Not only that, it includes an introductory chapter on archaeology and the methods used to infer the past from artifacts. An important chapter, because most of what we know about the site comes from excavations or inferences from other native cultures.

No one knows why Cahokia collapsed. The dominant theories include political strife, climate change, and depletion of natural resources. Though the Cahokian's culture disappeared from memory, they nonetheless left impressive cultural artifacts in the form of earthen mounds. Many of these still stand near Collingsville, Illinois. The largest, Monks Mound, stands some 130 feet high and offers an impressive view of downtown St. Louis. Many smaller mounds surround this mammoth structure and present a good idea of Cahokia's previous size. The site deserves its reputation as a city. And, apart from the absence of writing, Cahokia also deserves to be called a civilization, or at least the center of one. Studies have unearthed an ancient North American network of cities, towns, and villages reaching from Minnesota all the way to Florida. Evidence suggests that Cahokia sat at the center of it all. But nearly everything vanished before europeans arrived in the area during the sixteenth century. So in Cahokia we not only possess a medieval North American city, but the former capitol of a lost nation. Anyone intrigued by this idea should read this small book and visit the extremely important Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

Over the past twenty years, archaeologists and historians have been reevaluating North American prehistory. Much remains unknown, but the land that became the United States saw far more action than previously believed. As the evidence slowly unfolds, Cahokia once again finds itself at the center of it all.

Short book easy to read. Doesn't go into a lot of detail but it's a good introduction to archeology and people of the Mississippian culture.

This well organized and compact text gives a good introduction to City of the Sun - Cahokia along the Mississippi. It was a metro with thousands of people and mysterious disappeared from history. However, this tribe left a good numbers of mounds and artifacts to check out for research.

This book described what was known in terms of time, culture, city, structures, the village, life and artifacts. With archaeology and research, more discoveries will lead to a better understanding on this ancient city. The Interpretive Center brings the story and full size setting alive so that visitors rides the time machine to understand and appreciate life on the Mississippi. Unfortunately, urbanization destroyed some of the sites. Only a few mounds were well protected and preserved as World Heritage Site. Climbing to the top in 234 steps on Monk Mound help visitor experience being a sun worshiper as Cahokia Indian Chief Priest. The Twin Mounds were visible with a wonderful view of the surrounding.

Cahokia has the largest collection of mounds north of Mexico. Reading this book helps understand the history of development of ancient American culture and civilization. Site visit is an interesting trip to appreciate this American heritage.