Cahokia was a trade superhighway: copper came from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Yellowstone and Mount Rainier obsidian from Washington State, shells from the Gulf Coast, amethyst from Ontario, and silver from Nova Scotia. Pumice arrived as a volcanic additive for pottery. Researchers call it 'the New York and Philadelphia of the time' — an enormous hub connecting cultures across North America between 1050-1350 CE. 🌍🛶
Cahokia trade network: Obsidian, copper, shells from hundreds to 800+ miles away
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Key facts
- Copper found at Cahokia was sourced from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 683 miles away, dating to 5,500-3,500 years ago
- Yellowstone obsidian and Mount Rainier obsidian from Washington State were found at the site
- Paleo scrapers and obsidian blades were found in Mound 72
- Small traces of silver ornamentation were sourced from Nova Scotia
- Large quantities of pumice were found at Cahokia - a volcanic byproduct used as a powdered additive to clay slips for pottery
- Shells from whelk and mollusks came from approximately 844 miles away and were carved into wampum beads
- Amethyst from Ontario's Thunder Bay (648 miles away) was found carved into bird effigies
- Fluorite (marketed as Forstner) was mined from Cave-in-Rock Quadrangle in Illinois and Kentucky
- Cahokia functioned as an enormous hub for trade goods and a cultural center described as 'the New York and LA of the time'
Sources
This Was the First Real North American Empire - HistoryNethistorynet.com
Cahokia manufactured ornaments and other trade objects crafted from stone, shell, bone and copper, as well as daggers, maces and other ...
Cahokia - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The Cahokia Mounds kəˈhoʊkiə/ (11 MS 2) is the site of a Native American city (which existed c. 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from ...
Cahokia | ORIASorias.berkeley.edu
Cahokia is an archaeological site in Illinois that was built and occupied by Native Americans from about 1000-1400 CE.
Cahokia Mounds | History, Location, Age, Map, Illinois, & Factsbritannica.com
The Cahokia Mounds are an archaeological site occupying some 5 square miles (13 square km) on the Mississippi River floodplain opposite St. Louis, Missouri, ...
Cahokia: A Pre-Columbian American Citygilderlehrman.org
Located opposite modern-day St. Louis, Missouri, this city is called Cahokia by archaeologists, and it was as large in its day as New York and Philadelphia ...
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