Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Pilgrimage and the Rise of Cahokia

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

A question of concern to anthropology and of contemporary relevance involves the factors which bind individuals together into effective functioning social units. It is abundantly evident that in the world today religion can be one important factor. Archaeology has the ability to trace the development of such processes over time and this proposal focuses on one specific case study. Pilgrimage was an essential component in the rise of cities throughout the ancient world. However, it has never been seriously considered in the rise of Cahokia, the largest mound center north of Mexico and the only pre-Columbian city in North America. Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests that pilgrimage may have been associated with its rise. First, Cahokia rose in tandem with a new religion circa AD 1050, which involved a new suite of deities and mythical ancestors, new burial practices, and the intentional alignment of entire landscapes to celestial events. Second, Cahokia's population peaked at this time, stimulated in part by an influx of non-local groups from throughout the Midwest. Finally, several mound centers 20 km east of Cahokia were seemingly connected by a series of ancient roadways and exhibited specially aligned mounds and religious structures. Thus, identifying archaeological evidence of pilgrimage at the Emerald site, the largest of these sites, particularly dating to around AD 1050, will show that pilgrimage was indeed a critical part of Cahokia's rise. To this end, B. Jacob Skousen will perform magnetic surveys and targeted excavations on sections of a possible pre-Columbian roadway that stretches from the Emerald site to Cahokia. He will also perform limited excavations on Emerald's largest mound and analyze the artifacts from previously excavated houses and trash pits from the site. The goal of these activities is to identify archaeological evidence of pilgrimages and determine when they occurred. Specifically, the magnetic survey and excavations will verify the existence of the roadway and determine its material characteristics and chronology, as wide, overly-straight roads are often built to facilitate pilgrimages. Excavations will reveal the construction techniques and chronology of Emerald's largest mound, as pilgrimage centers often exhibit monumental architecture built in stages, representing the joint, periodic efforts of pilgrims. Finally, analyses of the houses, pottery vessels, and stone tool artifacts from previous excavations will verify the chronology, duration, and intensity of occupation, as pilgrimage centers are marked by ephemeral and short-term occupation. Furthermore, these analyses will determine if non-local pottery, lithic tools, and house construction styles were present, which will suggest whether non-local groups inhabited the site, again a characteristic of pilgrimage centers. The impacts of this research will extend far beyond the scope of this project. First, the findings will seek to shed light on the role of pilgrimage and religion in the rise of cities not only in ancient North American but throughout the world. Furthermore, the materials recovered from these excavations will be used to teach undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign standard archaeological analysis techniques under the supervision of Skousen. Perhaps most importantly, local talks and presentations of this project will stimulate more interest in and awareness of Illinois's pre-Columbian heritage. These presentations also seek to stimulate discussions with local individuals and groups on ways to better manage and preserve ancient sites and roadways, as these vital resources are actively being eradicated by construction projects, modern agricultural practices, and neglect.