Location: Missouri Length: 30 min.
Ancient history didn’t happen just in famous places like Rome, Tikal and Angkor Wat. It happened also in the heart of North America. Modern St. Louis residents may not realize that their city once hosted a complex Native American culture, represented by a cluster of mounds, possibly an actual city rivaling Cahokia across the Mississippi River. A small army of scientists, while uncovering thousands of prehistoric Native American archaeological sites around this fertile convergence of rivers, has some fascinating questions about what took place here.
Written and produced in 2009 by Mark Leach
Copyright 2009 by Triptone Productions
Web links:
Archaeological Institute of America, St. Louis Society (St. Louis Community College)
Cahokia (Wikipedia)
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Cave Archaeological Investigation Research Network
Mississippian and Late Prehistoric Period (National Park Service)
Mississippian culture (Wikipedia)
Missouri's Ancient Cultures Quest (MAC Quest Program)
Radio interview with Mark Leach (KMOX, St. Louis)