Cahokia: Rediscovering Archaeology

March 12 - October 30, 2011

An American Indian metropolis settled between 600 and 1300 CE, Cahokia offers an incredible glimpse into Mississippian culture.  Characterized by agricultural economies, mound architecture, technological innovation, and artistry, Cahokia’s population of 40,000 in 1250 made the city larger than London at that time. Cahokians built one hundred twenty mounds, created a complex social and belief system, and had specialized professions.  However, for reasons still unknown, this thriving city was abandoned in 1300 with no traces of its inhabitants remaining.     

Located eight miles east of present day St. Louis, eighty of Cahokia’s mounds remain.  But with only one percent of Cahokia excavated by archaeologists, there is still much to learn about this vanished society.  As recently as 2010, a large copper workshop was discovered and changed what we know about tools at Cahokia.  Archaeologists, people who excavate sites and analyze artifacts they collect, discover more about Cahokian society with each dig. 

Exhibits are funded in part through a generous grant from the

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