Cahokia, Mirror of the Cosmos by Sally Kitt Chappell, University of Chicago Press, $38, ISBN 0226101363
FIRST impressions are dangerous things, particularly in archaeology. The way we interpret the remains of ancient cities is especially prone to prejudice and intellectual fashion. To Sally Kitt Chappell’s credit, Cahokia, Mirror of the Cosmos steers a sensible and informed course through these hazardous waters.
Cahokia was the largest of the so-called Mississippian Culture’s centres with more than 100 mounds spread over 13 square kilometres near Collinsville, Illinois. The city’s heyday fell between 1050 and 1250, when its 30,000 inhabitants developed a distinctive style…
