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(Re)Living History at Cahokia Mounds

It鈥檚 one thing to read about an ancient civilization in the history books, but it鈥檚 a completely different matter when you hold that history in your hands. 

Saint Louis University students, along with SLU faculty, volunteers and visiting students from universities across the country, got a chance to unearth history this summer at archaeological excavations at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville, Illinois.

For four weeks this summer, students traveled from campus to the western periphery of Cahokia Mounds, excavating multiple areas and making exciting discoveries. Cahokia Mounds is a prehistoric American Indian chiefdom dating from A.D. 1050 鈥� 1350. During its height, perhaps 10,000 - 20,000 people lived in the city, where approximately 120 mounds existed, the largest of which is known as Monk鈥檚 Mound. The site is the largest and most complex prehistoric chiefdom north of Mexico. 

鈥淭his area of the site is intriguing, because we think that it may be a civic ceremonial area attached to the chiefdom,鈥� said Mary Vermilion, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology and anthropology at Saint Louis University. 鈥淲hen we first came to the site, the first structure we found had quite a few microdrills. Then a few years later, we found a sweat lodge. So with each dig, whenever we answer one question, 20 more pop up. Cahokia is an incredible investigative tool for not just what happened in prehistory, but how that applies to today's world, and we鈥檙e happy to do our part to try and answer that question, even as more questions pop up along the way.鈥� 

Under the supervision of Vermilion, students plotted the excavation sites, ensuring an accurate record-keeping of anything discovered in the dirt. When an artifact is found, it is photographed and logged, and then placed in a container to later be cleaned and recorded in the lab. This year鈥檚 excavations found multiple drill bits, microdrills, pottery sherds, and more. The group also found differentiating soil types, possibly pointing to multiple structures being built in the same spot, one over another. 

Launch SlideshowStudents excavate the ground on the Cahokia Mounds Historic Site on June 11, 2024, during an archeology dig that discovered ancient pottery, micro drills, and structures. Photo by Sarah Conroy.

This year鈥檚 excavations continue a tradition of SLU students breathing life back into an ancient civilization more than 1,000 years old and just minutes away from campus.

Brittany Murray, an archaeological SLU student from the 2011 excavations, returned to visit this summer and was brought right back to her days as an undergraduate. 

鈥淓ver since I was here in 2011, I have just loved being in the dirt,鈥� Murray said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fascinating and fun, and you get to see so many cool things. SLU is always really good about providing research opportunities, community impact opportunities, they're all about servant leadership, which is amazing. So getting out to be here at an archaeological site that is so close to the university that you can go out and visit later in life is just amazing. And it's a really unique opportunity.鈥� 

Following each dig, the students return to the lab to spend two weeks carefully cleaning and cataloging each artifact recovered. The artifacts are analyzed and interpreted, and all records are complied, adding to the growing body of knowledge found throughout the years at the dig site. Each year, the results are also distributed to various research centers, for access by other researchers.  

鈥淚 always tell students, 鈥榃hen you dig it, you destroy it鈥�,鈥� Vermilion said. 鈥淲e have to keep very precise records, because once the dirt is disturbed and that artifact is removed, the context has been disturbed; it can never be the same again. So there are notebooks after notebooks after notebooks and all kinds of papers on their clipboards, all about what we鈥檝e found. They keep journals for everything that they do. It鈥檚 a huge learning curve, but usually, by the end of the first week, they're operating like professionals. And that鈥檚 the point, we want them to get experience and do real archaeological work, because just like these artifacts, that knowledge is invaluable.鈥� 

For those within the archaeological and greater St. Louis community, continuing to learn about Cahokia and the pre-colonial history of the country is vitally important. 

鈥淚t is very unique,鈥� Vermilion said. 鈥淭here are lots of archaeological digs that are done around the country. But Cahokia itself is such a unique site, and that presents unique opportunities and challenges for us all. We鈥檝e been coming out here for years, it鈥檚 hot, it鈥檚 humid, but we love it.鈥�