How Ancient Poop Debunked Myth of Native American Lost Civilization

[Judi Lynn]

By UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY JANUARY 28, 2020



Modern picture of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville, Illinois, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri.

New study debunks myth of Cahokia’s Native American lost civilization: ancient poop levels point to repopulation of iconic pre-Columbian metropolis.


A University of California, Berkeley, archaeologist has dug up ancient human feces, among other demographic clues, to challenge the narrative around the legendary demise of Cahokia, North America’s most iconic pre-Columbian metropolis.

In its heyday in the 1100s, Cahokia — located in what is now southern Illinois — was the center for Mississippian culture and home to tens of thousands of Native Americans who farmed, fished, traded and built giant ritual mounds.

By the 1400s, Cahokia had been abandoned due to floods, droughts, resource scarcity and other drivers of depopulation. But contrary to romanticized notions of Cahokia’s lost civilization, the exodus was short-lived, according to a new UC Berkeley study.

The study takes on the “myth of the vanishing Indian” that favors decline and disappearance over Native American resilience and persistence, said lead author A.J. White, a UC Berkeley doctoral student in anthropology.

More:
https://scitechdaily.com/how-ancient-poop-debunked-myth-of-native-american-lost-civilization/