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鈥檚 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鈥檚 centres with more than 100 mounds spread over 13 square kilometres near Collinsville, Illinois. The city鈥檚 heyday fell between 1050 and 1250, when its 30,000 inhabitants developed a distinctive style of art and engaged in impressive long-distance trade.
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In 1835, white explorers thought Cahokia too grand to have been built by Indians. Yet by 1977 Native Americans had reclaimed it by holding annual festivities at the site. International recognition arrived in 1982, when UNESCO gave the site World Heritage status.
It makes for a gripping story, but Chappell takes it beyond mere description of the site and its history. She succeeds not by simply recounting facts, but through using them creatively. Chappell captures the power of the present to create many pasts, exploring Cahokia and its many meanings from prehistory to the present. She takes us on a journey around its natural environment, and reveals in Cahokia鈥檚 sophisticated layout a sacred landscape of architecture, astronomy and spirituality.
Despite its fashionable New Age title, this is an engaging, comprehensive and thoughtful account of one of America鈥檚 most impressive ancient monuments.