Cahokia: America’s Forgotten Ancient Mega-City
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- Опубликовано: 1 сен 2021
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Source/Further reading:
World History Encyclopedia: www.worldhistory.org/cahokia/
Britannica, overview: www.britannica.com/place/Caho...
Guardian, Lost Cities: Cahokia: www.theguardian.com/cities/20...
Nat Geo, America’s Forgotten City: www.nationalgeographic.com/ma...
Nat Geo, why was Cahokia abandoned? www.nationalgeographic.com/en...
BBC, The US’s lost ancient megacity: www.bbc.com/travel/article/20...
NPR, Climactic effects on Cahokia: www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/...
Woodhenge: drloihjournal.blogspot.com/20...
Cahokia visitor numbers: www.chicagotribune.com/travel...
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A big pile of dirt? That's not impressive.
It really reinforces how primitive the Native Americans of North America were.
Considering how advanced the pyramid building was in Central and South America.
The builders of Cahokia look like amateurs.
Starved rock massacre... It's wasn't too far away from Cahokia mounds.
Hey that's where I live!!!
St Louis is in Missouri!
@@kevinfreeman3098 I worked on the site where the Mesqwakie went after Starved Rock. The French Crown wanted to commit genocide. The Mesqwakie still exist.
I live about 30 miles from Cahokia mounds. There are literally hundreds of mounds in this part of Illinois along the rivers and creeks. It should be noted that Cahokia mounds still hosts dozens of events ranging from equinox and solstice celebrations to Native American craft shows and drum circles.
Wisconsin also has hundreds of surviving burial mounds.
for me about 15 min in stl its beautiful, went there on field trips
@jedi_minion_bartender1434 also many effigy mounds. Many have been plowed into the fields, but many stil exist.
As someone who's walked up those mounds, you have no idea the feeling that comes over you. It goes from being a spot of dirt to *something* really fast. On the way up my group was chatting but gradually fell silent as we climbed. At the top, there were no words. We just took it in. Here, there had been people. Here, they built something amazing. Here, they left it almost like a gift for the world to rediscover someday. There's no describing it until you experience it for yourself.
It really is such a unique and interesting place that that flies under so many peoples’ radars
I was about to comment this myself.. it’s a feeling I can’t describe, and will never be able too. As if thousands of invisible ancient lives wander around you.. yet so very peaceful
I've been there a couple times in my deep, dark past. It feels almost serene, but not quite. Always beautiful though.
Besides the fact you should probably be one of Simon's script writers lol you are dead on, its a feeling that just washes over you and makes you silent, and you just think about it.
I've been to mounds similar to this one in Alabama and it truly is fascinating to summit one of these and think of what these cities must have looked like when bustling with people.
It isn’t just the architecture that’s impressive at Cahokia. The funerary and ritual objects unearthed there and in a chain of Mississippian settlements southward are fascinating. They had a rich iconography.
The gift shop has to scale reproductions of the "birdman tablet" for sale if you want a historically accurate reproduction for a few dollars. Also all the interstate overpasses around the flood plains have a concrete reproduction of the bird man tablet on their abutments
@@wbheightfive6760 saw those when I went a couple years ago. I spent almost as much time in the gift shop as I did at the site. LOL!!!
i pray people look into AZTALAN in wisconsin. made by the same ancient mayan
@@johnlenz420 Aztlan refers to the sw.
@@melanieortiz712 there is a step pyramid in aztalan wisconsin
I took a Native American Art class in college that made everyone swear that if they were in STL for any reason they would find the time to visit Cahokia. Being from STL myself, it’s an incredible place. A lot of people go there as kids and just see hills, but to go with the understanding that this is both the largest city of its time, and one of the only things in America that is from before European contact, it’s truly remarkable.
My dad is an archaeologist, and worked closely with the Cahokia Mounds Museum over the years. I've walked up that thing more times than I can count. Still, I heard a lot in this video that I never knew! Either dad never told me, or I just wasn't listening. Likely, the latter.
To be fair, your dad probably knows more about the mounds than almost anyone.
I've lived in St. Louis for 22 years. I can count on one hand how many times I've heard anyone talk about this place, and half of them are from my archeologist aunt that helped study it. Apparently, everyone takes a grade school field trip out there at some point and then just wipes the place from their memory
Is that, the town that's a stone's throw away from the mounds?
St. Louis, Illinois? 🤣
@@jamesoverholt878 well, st louis missouri is the proximal town that may or may not still be a dot on the map. Belleville is the jurisdiction i think. but the mounds are just across the river from st louis which has river frontage and thus the area is the bi-state area or "greater st louis region" encompassing the metro-east which is the illinois section of the "greater st louis region. st louis - also famous for ferguson. st louis! - a place to which i cant imagine a person would relocate these days but they keep coming.
LETS GO CARDS! Got a chance to make that wildcard this year. 💪😂
I have grown up in St. Louis county, MO and I have visited Cahokia quite often and taken my children there. The view from the top of monk's mound is spectacular and you get a unique view of the Arch from there as well. The first school field trip was for me in the late '70 s and they hadn't built the museum yet.
@@ralphpasquale8848 yeah with that performance in Milwaukee the Brewers had a blast with their Grand Slam !😪 pitching just fell apart!
Considering we are dealing with the flood-plain of the Mississippi, is it unreasonable to imagine the mound building began as a way of making residential sites permanent throughout the year, even during the flood season?
Sometimes being less visited is safer for the site. Look at the mess that happens at Yellowstone and Yosemite. I'm not saying it shouldn't be well known but there is a slight advantage to not being overcrowded.
The great wall has been so over visited I saw a pic showing how worn the stone stairs where in some areas
"Loved to death." Look at Joshua Tree NP, too.
I can relate to whats happened at Yosemite. In my youth (late 1970’s to early 1980’s) I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a lot of time there mainly backpacking the high country. We always spent a day or two in the valley before heading up and away from the crowds. In just the short span of 10 years I noticed how the hordes of people had ruined in one way or another the entire valley. It was no longer a place to contemplate the wonders created over the eons of time but instead had become nothing more than a passing “kodak” moment for so many people that spent less than a day there as part of some overzealous tour company. Wringing as much cash from their foreign visitors as they could. The park rangers that I had come to know who always had a smile and a story to share had been reduced to nothing more than parking attendants with cat herding skills. Just the sheer number of people breathing seemed to suck the oxygen and life from that beautiful place. Years later I returned for what would become my final visit to that valley of wonders and actually came to the point of wishing I had not returned at all. Whenever I think upon my time there I have to block out the memories from that last trip otherwise it shatters all of the good memories I have from my youth. There’s a part of me that would love to see that park close down for 5-10 years in an attempt to let the land heal to some degree. Then it could reopen on a limited basis restricting the number of people allowed in.
Maybe thru modern technology people could take a 3D virtual tour without ever leaving their homes. Imagine how wonderful it would be to be the only person in the entire park during that tour. One can hope
Yellowstone is a super volcano. For the life of me I will never understand why it is a busy tourist destination. Oh, and Yosemite is a volcanic area as well.
All you need to do is look at some sites that have been vandalized. Ireland is having trouble with a lot of sites. Sad.😿✌🏻
YO I’m from Australia and remember doing an assignment on the Cahokian Mound Builders through the Tournament of the Minds Competition. Each week we got clues and had to figure out information about the Cahokians. I remember it being really difficult to find information about them, so thank you for covering this topic! ❤️
So cool! I live near Cahokia, if you even need pics message away!
I'm an American and this wasn't ever covered in my history classes. And I love history. The only thing they ever really taught us about were all of the American wars. Year after year. Same exact history lesson from elementary till you get to high school. And then in four short years they try to cram everything else they forgot to teach you in a cliff notes version before you graduate high school. At least that's how my school was, I come from a rural area so was probably doomed from the start lol.
@@The_Mimewar sounds amazing! When travel is allowed again I’d love to come and visit 😍
@@AWindy94 "rural" defines about 90% of the United States... I grew up in rural Illinois and Wisconsin and I knew of this before it was covered in school, same as Starved Rock and I could go on and on. There are tons of native history all around, all you have to do is look, ask and expand your grasp on history, for it is bound to repeat, unless we learn from our mistakes
@@johnthomas2970 Id absolutely LOVE to see Australia! We need to coordinate an exchange program hahaha
Best Simonism ever" makes Burning Man look like a bunch of wankers in a sandpit"!
Wait, Burning Man isn't just a bunch of wankers in a sandpit?
Burning man makes burning man look like a bunch of wankers in a sandpit.
Didn’t realize this is just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri. I’ll have to take a road trip soon.
Did you catch them calling it St. Louis, Illinois?
@@tophers3756 I live on the opposite side of Missouri so I wasn’t sure if there was a St. Louis in Illinois other than East St. Louis 😂
Guess no one wants to claim East St. Louis. Lived in St. Louis, MO for 40 years. Never heard of STL, IL😀
@@tophers3756 yep. Simon is an arrogant prick, who only half researches his videos. Or just reads the half research that other lazy people do for him. The only reason I'm watching this is because I have an interest in Cahokia Mounds. I'll be counting the bits of misinformation as I go. He started off with a doozy.
They used to take children on these kinds of field trips. I was one of those children some 15 years ago. But with most curriculums taking away Critical Race Theory, they will sadly never know about this great landscape unless self taught.
Re: 1:20, Cahokia and the modern day city of EAST St. Louis are on the Illinois side of the river, but St. Louis itself is in Missouri
I caught that right away (St Louisan here!) and had a giggle over it.
@@CrazyCatMom11 LOL Originally from Cahokia and totally missed it! Had to go back to giggle :)
Love Simon, but whoever wrote this just made a lot of St. Louisans very upset lmao
Well you can literally see Downtown Saint Louis from the Mounds, the Arch is prominent on the Horizon.
Its roughly the same distance from the Arch as Forest Park.
So a lot of travel guides list it as one of the things to see while visiting St.Louis.
I caught that too. Where'd you go to high-school?
I have been to Cahokia twice and I can say from experience that the site is absolutely massive and all you can think about is how in the world they built it.
Hey I’ve read a fiction book about a Roman Empire that never fell and found North America and Cahokia instead. And it’s so cool I can finally put more of a visual to this book. It’s called “ Clash of eagles “
I mean, that’s kinda the plot of the Book of Mormon 🤣🤣🤣
@@robertanderson4602
The Book of Mormon is about Romans coming to America?
Nope.
@@JB-1138 Joseph Smith thought Jesus went to America
@@ryankiesow8440 Yeah he teaches that Jesus did and that the Native peoples are the cursed people's and that is why their skin is *not* white. Because he was a racist idiot. Obviously.
But not that the Romans had found America. So it is not really like the book ov mormon.
It’s so interesting how mounds have continued to be a Native American practice through so many different locations. The Cherokee’s practiced this and there are mounds like this in my hometown in WNC.
Really what town do you live in, I live near Asheville. Wouldn't mind seeing them
Near Dubuque, Iowa you have the Little Maquoketa River Mounds State Preserve. It is associated with the late woodland culture and has 32 ancient burial mounds protected by fencing. They range from 13 to 42 feet across and from 6.5 to 50 feet high.
There are mounds in Clarksville TN (on private land) and in Georgia.
Is it really that different from a pyramid? Even the Chinese make burial mounds.
I think i remember there being a mayan mound too, while also shaping it to look like a mayan glyph
I grew up just north of it, and it still amazes me that my schools never once mentioned it. As we have no idea why it was abandoned, I can't help thinking of so many contemporary Illinois towns that dried up and were abandoned. A highway must have bypassed it.
lols
Maybe you didn't pay attention in school. I'm 40 and we learned about Mississippi mound builders in school.
@@TheKStone1 I'm so old I can almost remember when they built the things, but my schools never did mention Cahokia. On the other hand, we did visit Dickson Mounds, which wasn't too far from it.
I grew up in East Alton and we had field trips there in the 90s. We had a whole week of studying it and discussion about it in 5th grade.
I pity you guys...
I had been requesting this in the comment section on most of your channels, Thanks!
I grew up on the Missouri side, and we still had a bunch of mounds, burial cairns, and cave drawings throughout the Ozarks. Always nice to hear we've learned more than when I was a kid in the 90's and they just barely touched on the subject in school, since it was local. The North American ancient civilizations are often left out of history lessons, despite their size and scope being on par with most of the others around the world.
That would be really neat to be able to experience. I live in the Pacific NW and we have a bunch ov tribal lands but nothing massive like that.
There is a Clovis site in the central part ov my state that I really want to check out tho.
I should go and see the mound works someday soon.
Wish it was more important to this country.
Be nice if some tribal archeologists and others could go in and dig around to see what they could find out.
Well, im guessing the reason north american civilizations are often being left out is because theyre not as ancient as say the egyptians or mesopotamians and in relation to their age the north american civilizations were generally less developed than the big names
The other problem being as noted the lack of beasts of burden as found in Asia and Europe, which seriously hindered the ability to construct buildings of significant size or construction with heavy solid materials.
I'm from northern Illinois and I think the civilization stretched much farther because we grew up hearing stories of farmers tearing down the mounds because they were made of the best soil.
Imagine how many mounds there were. They used to stretch across Illinois thru Indiana to Ohio
That's because the achievements of Cahokia and in general, the Mississippian cultures dwarfs the achievements of ancient China, the Middle East, Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. For goodness sake, it was a city of only 15,000 people sitting on 2-30 m high mounds. The ancient Egyptians crushed that feat in the year 2600 bc with the pyramid of Giza (138m tall).
What's crazy to me is: This was an urban area of a high culture. people lived there, loved, socialized, gossiped, partied, maybe they had neighbourly disputes, argued about politics, interacted with other cities/tribes, travelled etc. etc., just like us.
All of that - gone. Wiped out. Vanished. We will never know who they were, what made them tick. Were they a sympathic people? Were there certain stereotypes about them? Did other people groups laugh about their idiosyncracies? How did their language sound? Did they tell jokes or puns?
And what's craziest: They will never know who we are. They had no idea this world would come so far. They lived in the belief that the world was like they experienced it.
Sometimes I wish so desperately to look into the past, just for a short while, to see what this was all like.
And one day there may be people finding the ruins of our civilization, and wondering what our day-to-day life was like.
@@celticlass8573 I actually leave stuff intentionally buried so that someone may dig it up long after I am gone.
Journals, maps, news articles (laminated), and other little things. Sometimes I leave coins i have collected as well. So they will find various coins form many countries, most from before 1920-1985 (1986 is when I started my coin collection).
I hope it helps the next species or future humans to understand the past better. Or better than we are able too currently.
Just sad since for most ov history we have deconstructed our ancestors buildings and mega-works for our own purposes rather than use that to learn from first.
So we will most likely never know most ov what was before due to our own behavior.
And so I hope what I do helps. But I never bury trash or litter. We have landfills for them to go thru already.
I like the idea ov someone in the future finding a buried chest with coins and gems and note books inside.
I know i would love to find that!
That’s not true.
Spanish Explorer Hernando De Soto is the first European explorer to meet the Mound builders, in his expedition during 1539 to 1543.
I pondered the same things walking thru Machu Picchu. You put that statement so perfectly!!
Search the "Fall of Civilizations Podcast" on RUclips
It is absolutely phenomenal and you'll love it
"The world's worst houseguests" - I'll use that later, if you don't mind.
I'm American, and I can't say I'd ever heard of it. But it sounds like a fascinating place to visit.
Maybe Simon could do a video on the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings or Lascaux cave.
I think he has done a video on the Pueblos, allegedly.
Same. Heard about the trail of tears, but learned literally nothing about virtually ANY Native American civilizations.
Ah, North Carolina, all those years ago Family Guy had it right:
"First in flight, last in education."
Well most of the ancient mounds and such were destroyed in the 1800's. Lots of them survive. There are a couple of youtubers mapping them all.
Go search Sepent Mound
That one boggles the mind
I grew up going to Mesa Verde, I would love to see a video on that.
The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, located in Oklahoma City, recently put together the world's largest exhibit of Mississippian cultural artifacts. The largest portion of known pieces comes from Spiro Mounds, in Spiro, Oklahoma. This complex appears to be the farthest west of all settlements, with artifacts produced there from raw materials hauled in from the S.E. Gulf area (shells) and from the Great Lakes area (stone and copper), as well as some nearby areas, such as Kansas.
One of the most popular theories concerning the demise of the culture is that a mini ice age caused an inability for so many artisans to be fed while working solely on religious objects, such as stone tomahawks, shell gorgets, and copper-sheathed face masks.
Anything from Oklahoma is considered trash by the writers on this channel. Believe me, already went through it a year or two ago.
Cause Oklahoma is trash
I don't live far from Cahokia. It's truly amazing. The fact that they still finding more and more of Cahokia everyday is mind-boggling. Place is bigger than even was said in this video.
"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"
- Michelangelo
Ancient cities and sites give me such a chilling and divine feeling when I stand within them. As if the people who built it are reaching out to me through time and saying, “we were here.”
Thanks for doing this site and culture, Simon! I live about 20 miles from the Site and have been there probably a dozen times over 30 years or so. It's in Collinsville, Illinois, and is well worth the visit.
Drove through a tornado there once...
I’m born and raised in Cahokia. Small world
I'm in Champaign. My son and I spent the first day of 2019 at Cahokia.
I wish I could add a picture.
@@AmberWool hey, i’m also in champaign! go illini!
We went to Cahokia Mounds on a school field trip back in the late 70’s.
It looks totally different now. They have an amazing museum, from which most of Simon’s graphics originated. You can still see WoodHenge and climb Monks Mound.
Impossible. I have it on good authority that you forgot about such a place.
Too bad you couldn't go twenty or so years earlier. It was a great place until the "Phd wannabes" were able to get the general public kicked out.
Jerry I did too go to Monks Mound back in the 70's. Did you live in Granite City that the time? Read my comments from above. Rob...
Rob, no I went to school in Valmeyer. The small town that got flooded in 1993 and moved the whole town to the top of the bluffs.
St. Louis, Illinois? St. Louis, the city, is in Missouri. There's a smaller town directly opposite the Mississippi River from St. Louis, MO called East St Louis. It's in Illinois, but a separate entity.
@John Barber Not even close to the most dangerous city. It is not even in the top 10.
@@mikesmicroshop4385 it is a total shit hole however.
@@parisite99
That’s different than just making shit up
@@mikesmicroshop4385 I think at some point it was ranked 2 based on population vs murder rate
19:50 like the Scots and English taking stones from old castles and fences to make new castles and fences. Or Egyptians using pyramids for new builds. Or the Acropolis.
The archaeological site actually extends out several miles into East St. Louis. I am so glad you highlighted this! So many pre-Colombian cities get a lot of shine, and Cahokia really is a hidden gem. It is beautiful and expansive with a fun museum to boot!
Had heard about this for years. After recently moving to St. Louis, even with COVID this was the first place we visited. Completely worth it. The level of art and culture was absolutely amazing. And I say that as someone who's lived on 4 continents and traveled extensively. Can't wait to go back.
You’ve lived on 4 continents and live in the lou now?
I feel for you
While I have a love hate relationship with Stl
There are amazing things I miss
@@kodykindhart5644 I'll give you that it's an adjustment. But in my experience, every place has it's pros and cons. I've been focusing on the beautiful scenery and the changing of the seasons which has been a treat.
I am so jealous that you've lived on 4 continents. I'm sure St Louis has been an adjustment for you. I came from Chicago because I've been working on a book about Cahokia and it's still amazing that almost no one in this area know about this amazing place.
@@carolinec3811 It surprises me too. To have such a rich, dynamic civilization on your doorstep that is ignored strikes me as sad. Best of luck with your book, I'll look forward to reading it.
Nice to see someone cover Cahokia, a forgotten city indeed. I was fascinated with archaeology growing up, so when I learned as a teen of this site and that it was only 3 hrs away I told my dad we had to visit on our next trip to St. Louis. In all honestly, the site itself is actually rather underwhelming despite the richly detailed history behind it. That is partly why it only pulls a fraction of the visitors the Arch sees annually. Not trying to take away from it, I absolutely think it's worth seeing if you're visiting the St. Louis area, but it's physically not as captivating as other UNESCO sites, like Machu Picchu or Chaco Canyon.
As an STL native it’s beautiful to see Cahokia getting its deserved respect! Mound City!
Yeah I've visited a number of Adena and Hopewell burial grounds throughout the state of Ohio. There's a very large complex in Chillicothe Ohio as well as the Great Serpent Mound in southern Ohio.
Sorry but the name alone of this particular mound/burial ground will be why I remain a stranger to this portion of their civilization cuz simply hearing their name for the mound being named great serpent tells me all I need to know about exactly where their central focus was as a society. Does it have a secondary title or colloquial name such as lucifer, the morning star etc..?? Less is usually more
@@shoob7979 That's so dumb. They didn't even know what Christianity was at the time. Probably would have been better for them if they never encountered that toxic religion.
Hey, I live like 10 minutes away from here! It's cool seeing a Geographics video on somewhere I've been to since I was a child and pass by all the time as an adult. I really can't stress enough how magnificent the view from the top of Monks Mound is. I basically grew up in Collinsville and I had a friend who lived in almost the exact spot the picture near the end of the video showing the right side of the mound was taken. I've been chased off Monks Mound by cops when I was a teen smoking weed at night with my friends. I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area, it's an incredible place.
Edit: it's St. Louis, Missouri. Or East St. Louis, Illinois. Not St. Louis, Illinois. Just wanted to point that out.
Wood river here. A lot of us locals share that same late night/mound/cop experience. Lol
I also grew up there, within 10 minutes walking. It was great before all the trees were cuit down. Area schools used to have Easter Egg hunts acroww Route 40 from the big mound. Many picnics were held there by schools, familys, and religious groups. You will not see that now or ever again.
@@donaldchambers5863 why not?
Just out of curiosity, can you feel the spirits of the native people when you're on top of the mound smoking weed? I live on a former Cherokee village in S.C. and it has two old graveyards close by along with a slave graveyard and it's very quiet at night outside(minus all the wildlife).
You can hear a pin drop.
I was confused for a second to hear "Woodhenge" because till now I only knew of the Woodhenge in England, in conjunction with Stonehenge and Silbury Hill.
I live very close by Cahokia mounds and have walked up monk’s mound many times & the experience never gets old. It’s about 10 minutes driving time from downtown St. Louis and a world away from the vibe of city life. The higher you climb on monk’s mound, the more majestic it feels, and when you reach the top, you can see all the surrounding areas from all around: the St. Louis arch to the west, to Alton north of it, and metro St. Louis area. It’s a timeless feeling, and at any given time with the exception of snow in winter, there are people climbing the mound. The surrounding walking trails go around other mounds and if you go out there at the crack of dawn in fall/winter, you can see deer and sometimes bucks battling each other. The place is like a timeless, historical bubble around modern day life.
Twenty years ago I was able to travel to England to see Stonehenge, Mexico to see Teotechuan and Peru to see Machu Pichu. I've always wanted to do a road trip to America to see the giant red trees, Pueblo Indian sites and now this place!! It looks amazing! I'm sure there's other native sites to explore in the USA aswell as natural places. I hope I can do that road trip one day!! America looks glorious!
This is why St. Louis is called "Mound City."
Omg I've been here, I live about 35 mins away. Went on a fieldtrip there in 1996, and climbing the biggest mound was mind blowing. I had never seen views like that! The wind was so strong it was rippling the tall grass like a big green ocean, was kind of a magical experience to an 8 year old. 💙
I heard about this site in school in Wisconsin. You guys should look into the Native American mounds in and around Lake Mills, Wisconsin. It’s called Aztalan. Really cool area.
There’s a few mistakes to keep in mind for what it’s worth as someone from Collinsville (The city the mounds are currently within). St. Louis, Missouri was not Mound City. That was East St. Louis, Illinois. There’s also a few other oddities regarding the cite like that in addition to one of the largest mounds being destroyed for fill Woodhendge has actually been moved a handful of times as well and the current structure is a recreation. There’s a handful of other oddities, but you get the point. It’s something really cool to see in person and y’all should definitely check it out sometime.
Mound City was indeed St. Louis Missouri. There used to be mounds all over the Missouri side, but the were all dismantled except for one which still stands, Sugarloaf mound just south of Downtown on I-55.
I love you so much for making this so many people in America don’t understand how close they are to ancient mega city’s
I live near by. My school had field trips there and I've visited many times. My first time was very special. Growing up one of my favorite people in the world was my uncle Barry. He was always showing us great wonders around our area and he loved history. Cahokia mounds was his favorite place to be and he loved showing us around. He knew a lot of the people who worked there and was even able to help out on dig sites. It is definitely special and I can't wait to one day take my children to visit so they can count the 150 stairs to the top and look over the beautiful land.
I've always wanted to visit Cahokia. Pre-colonial American history is so fascinating and under covered so I appreciate this video.
Chek out for Olmecas, Aztecs and Mayans. If you wanna go deeper check the Incas, all of them Empires
Teotihuacán, the first and largest pre-Columbian city, was located forty kilometers northwest of present-day Mexico City. It was born two thousand years ago and, in its period of maximum development (around the year 500 of our era), it had more than 200 thousand inhabitants.
I’m in Illinois, and most people here aren’t aware of it
I'm from Illinois and I was not aware of this place until a few years ago (I'm in my 40's) It is on my list of places to visit. Yay internet, boo to my education.
@@snmworks1037 I’m 43! I only know about it because I’m a total history nerd. Illinois education is so bad I actually pulled my kids out.
i live just across the river. we have mounds here too. i live not far from "the mound house"
Same, but our history of Native American/racial education is poorly lacking, so, ehh don't blame yourself at least.
@Hoodolley Yeah here's the thing "racism exists" isn't a political opinion and based off my first interaction with you I don't want to even try to engage beyond this. Have a good day.
"Mound" seems such a minor word for those structures. Like "lake" for Lake Superior or Lake Victoria. Technically true, I suppose, but my mental picture is of something far, far, far smaller.
The Americas' native civilizations were/are every bit as serious and impressive as anything in Eurasia, and so stupidly dismissed for so freaking long.
I'd rather see Cahokia than the Arch.
I’m from St. Louis (which is in Missouri, not Illinois, it’s so weird to hear your own hometown named with the wrong state haha. The city across the Mississippi on the Illinois side is East Saint Louis). I visited Cahokia as a kid, but as I was a stupid 7-year-old, I failed to understand what was so important about a few big mounds. Like, somehow younger me couldn’t understand how amazing it is such a metropolis existed centuries before St. Louis ever did. Now that I’m older, I understand how impressive the site is, and I’d recommend any visitors to St. Louis see Cahokia (and consider not seeing the city’s main attraction, the Arch, a monument to westward expansion, something that lead to cultural genocide against Native Americans). Thank you for sharing this undeservedly little-known piece of our local history.
Thanks for showcasing Cahokia! I've been there several times, and remember making in grade school a cardboard, toothpick and clay diorama featuring what a game played with "chunkies" might look like.
Monk's Mound is still impressive, and standing atop that hill you can see another marvel, the Gateway Arch. (You might also spot the giant waste landfill a little further west on the north side of 55/70, but it's less impressive than the native mounds.)
One of the mound sites (Angel Mounds) is about a ten minute drive from my house. I haven't visited since a field trip as a kid. I should check it out sometime.
I went to angel mounds with my school too. Very cool
Love to see it. Recently listened to a lecture over ancient north American cultures and this came up. Inspired me to do more research on the cultures present before Colonialism took off. There's a site in, I believe, Northern Mississippi that is sadly being neglected due to lack of interest.
To anyone who loves this kind of history, please come visit Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville TN. It's part of the greater Mississippi Tribe location, plus, while here, you can also visit (sadly) the Trail of Tears location at Port Royal state park and talk to a tribe member at the Trail of Tears state park in Hopkinsville KY. (All three locations are only 45 minutes from beginning to end)
Do you mind sharing the lecture with me? I love this kind of education. Thank you!
@@amandajones661 its one of The Great Courses on Audible: Ancient Civilizations of North America by Edwin Barnhart
My older sister, an archeology major at Northwestern -- worked on the early site near Kampsville Illinois [Kamp Mound Site]
We visited her, on her 'dig'. Met Dr. Stuart Struever, her professor and excavation director.
I can appreciate now, what I didn't as a young teen.
American history didn't start on the Mayflower.
Cahokia wasn't the only city from the Moundbuilders. Aztalan is another of a multitude of sites. It is also possible that the culture didn't die out, but moved. The Aztecs are said to have come from the north and showed up in modern day Mexico around the time of the disappearance of the Moundbuilders.
"I'm not saying it was aliens. But it was aliens"
Hernando de Soto, 1540
Lmao
Or Shoggoths, as mentioned by Simon.
Lol
Best comment here.
Ahhh, the obligatory Ancient Aliens reference.
Also
m from northern Illinois and I think the civilization stretched much farther because we grew up hearing stories of farmers tearing down the mounds because they were made of the best soil.
Imagine how many mounds there were. They used to stretch across Illinois thru Indiana to Ohio
There are records of cotton planters in Mississippi doing much the same. My ancestors continued to build mounds right up till about the time of removal. Most of our mounds aren’t large ceremonial/religious centers, but smaller community or family graveyards. Knowing this, many planters intentionally destroyed mounds so that there would be no “incentive” for us to return from exile & threaten them (or their conscious) with a physical proof of our tie to the land.
@@Mockingbird_TaloaSorry but the cotton farmers didn't build mounds they destroyed them.
No the mounds weren't burial barrows like the Celts made
I meant cotton farmers destroying mounds like farmers did further up north. I know they did not build mounds, my people built the mounds and still do.
We did indeed build burial mounds. We still do, though unlike the barrows of the Celts, they aren’t dedicated to a single person or a few important people, but usually a family or clan and were/are added onto over time. The most common type of mound in Mississippian culture areas is (or at least, was) a burial mound. They are often smaller and were located within the villages which were plowed up during and after Removal. Most of the mounds that we have left today are the ones that were simply too large to get rid of conveniently, which were ceremonial Mounds, and not chiefly burial mounds.
@@Mockingbird_Taloa If you think about it, I bet a large portion of people just see a large mound of dirt and think nothing of it but it just being the geology of the land. You have to really know what you're looking at
I live in Illinois and I went to Cahokia 25 years ago and have been obsessed with Cahokia and the Mississippi Mound Builders ever since
You and your team have outdone yourself on this one Simon. Thank you so much for this superb presentation of an extraordinary place.
As someone from St. Louis
Please get our state right.
Cahokia is in IL, St. Louis is in MO. Theyre like 40 mins from each other but "St. Louis IL" doesnt exist
It takes a Brit living in Eastern Europe to teach an American about a world treasure just a few states away. RUclips can sometimes be the best.
Thanks. I'll be adding this to the stops for our next road trip.
Totally shameful on our part isn't it?
Yo stay in Florida homie we don’t want u here
@@walkmanthesavage4066 not very nice are you?
@@shirleyjeanpilger1394 How is it shameful on the part of all Americans because some people don't pay attention to the world around them?
We are taught about Mississippi Mound builders in school. People knew about them for decades.
What is shameful are people using their own lack of knowledge to mean Americans as a whole don't know either.
@@TheKStone1 I never learned shit about any of this history and I went to high school in Kansas City Missouri. No one I know was taught about any of this history either. I base my opinion on my experiences. So STFU.
I live about 20 minutes away from Monks mound and commute past it every day to work. I sometimes feel like we take it for granted that such an amazing piece of human history is right next to us. Excellent video!
As an American who never learned about this place in school, I thank you. How amazing that it takes a Brit to teach some of us about American history.
Well, the Biographics/Geographics/etc. team actually makes money off these videos. I doubt he knew anything about it until someone suggested it, his coworkers researched it, and he narrated it. Most Brits and Europeans know nothing about pre-Colombian culture, have you ever been to Europe? They will say things like, “You’re American, you’ve never seen anything this old!” If he wasn’t making money off it, he wouldn’t know either most likely.
I read a pretty good piece of historical fiction largely centering around Cahokia called "Clash of Eagles". It's a scenario where Rome never fell and eventually Roman's make their way to the America's. The series is a bit out there in terms of plausibility at times but still a good read.
"...or Canberra without the drunken Aussies."
Ha! Simon, you Legend.
Edit: Wow. Just.. Wow. This script is full of amazing references. Well done, Geographics.
Now it's full of Champagne-swilling elitists; our politicians and power-hingry bureacrats.
Wow this really hit me in nostalgia, hearing all these roads and highways and towns, I moved away about 11 years ago but I live there over 30 years, really takes me back, thank you for making this video
Thank you! Part of my undergraduate program included studying the Mississippi and Hopewell cultures! More folks should visit this awesome place! 🥰
You guys should do a video on the Beni culture from Bolivia. Absolutely fascinating.
They built mounds so they could easily escape flooding as well, It is a super volatile river valley around this point in the river because it is where the Mississippi and the Missouri meet. That also caused this to be a massive trade hub
2:47ish
“It’s not something you can knock up in an afternoon “.
I love that line.
Dickson Mounds located near Havana, IL on the IL River was my first interaction with mound building native ppl in grade school. It is approximately 3 hours north of Cahokia.
While not nearly as large, I think there are many settlements along this very fertile area of IL n Mississippi River valleys.
It's so cool seeing something that's down the road from where I live on this channel!
What's crazy to me is that as an American I can say they don't teach this in school (at least outside of Illinois) l. I'm a history buff, and it's easier to find information on the Vikings than it is to find history facts about my own country, such as this. Fantastic video.
They don’t teach it for the most part in Illinois either unless it’s the St. Louis metro area just because of the local cultural relevance.
It is taught in schools. I was taught about Mississippi Mound builders in school in New Jersey and my daughter was taught about them in Texas.
I had the pleasure of visiting Cahokia back in 2017. The view atop Monks Mound is amazing.
I love love Simon's videos because they tend to introduce me to more magazines I've never heard of and that I want to subscribe to. 🤗💙
Part of the reason not many people go there is because its basically in East St Louis. That is very much a no go area, especially for tourists.
How come ?
I'm particularly struck by the scale of urban planning that can be done without writing. What a remarkable feat
I've been to these mounds before. Photos don't do them justice. They're enormous and the whole site gives you chills.
Thank you for this. I JUST found out about this place last week in my college history class and I have never been more upset with the lack of information about my own continent as I am now. This stuff is SO important!
To all those planning a trip to Cahokia, make sure you go to Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site outside of Collinsville, Illinois and not the modern day town of Cahokia, Illinois a few miles down the road. Trust me, you'd be disappointed.
While in Collinsville you can also see the world's largest Catsup bottle!
@@ericstoverink6579 I can confirm this
I grew up close enough to have gone there on field trips during grade school! Great place.
American here - can attest, I didn't learn about Cahokia until about ten years ago when I went to the Field Museum in Chicago. Since then - the moundbuilders have fascinated me, and I'm glad to see this video on them!
Thanks for doing this video. I am from St Louis and I've been to cahokia. You really captured its essence and I hope this video prompts more people to go see it. The view from on top of Monks Mound is excellent.
Next door East St. Louis, Illinois is was one of the great industrial powerhouse cities that declined into one of the wildest and wickedest places in the US. And it deserves its own video on one of your channels.
These earthen mounds are not only beautiful but extremely historic in nature. Unfortunately, many Americans not only don’t know they exist, have never seen them or have no clue about their historical significance. I made a point of visiting the areas & learning about them. I like the Snake Mound in Ohio. Thanks for this documentary These mounds can be found along the Mississippi River to Louisiana, USA✨
“Most people are dumb and lazy and don’t know history taught in most university-level Native American History courses. However, I am not dumb because I have the ability and resources required to visit the site. I didn’t study Native American History in college, at all, but I’m an expert because I’ve been to an ‘earthen mound.” - There, I rephrased your comment with more honesty.
@@johnqpublic2718 wooooow rude and projecting much??? OP is literally just talking about something they're interested in and nothing they said was false, And they're in no way seeming pretentious about it.
But you on the other hand?
I would say you are behaving pretentiously.
Also reported your comment for bullying.
Sooooo happy you did this one!
I grew up in Granite City and visited the site often in the mid/late 70's. I can remember climbing up the mound way before there were any stairs and falling down the mound head over heels (luckily without any injuries). This was when the museum was a small green building next to the mound. I was surprised and curious to see this video. Thanks, it was great!
This isn't forgotten, it's literally only down the road a piece from me! And just think, this is only what's left... Imagine what was there before man and nature destroyed much of it.
When you find out what the first settlers done to all the mounds that covered the landscape you'll be angry. They destroyed a lot of them and their contents to make it into farmland. Practically bulldozed them over.
OKAY! so this video is driving me nuts~! A lot more is known about this city, but not in the mississippi area because it was spoken of in hushed tones. I live in North Western Ontario, (upper great lakes region) and I've heard stories of this city. Case of the wealthy becoming too greedy and those who worked the land just walked away. Leaving the upper cast to die. This one city had numerous cascading effects on the peoples of north America.
I am Chahta (one of the OG Mississippian peoples) and we do have some stories that hint at this also; “in hushed tones” is definitely a good description of the way they do so, tho!
Cahokia falling through greed and social strife is sometimes seen as a possible explanation for our pre-colonial social organization which emphasized individual equality (few or no hereditary offices, little to suggest that we even had clans responsible for certain knowledge or social offices as many Native nations do-emphasis was on natural talent). It also would have been difficult to amass political power ( as towns were generally autonomous) or wealth- there was/is deep suspicion of anyone who hoarded resources (one example of that is our word for Europeans-it means “those who love things” and it is emphatically not a compliment, and possibly was originally a direct reference to the fall of Cahokia, which wouldn’t have been terribly long before the Spanish and French showed up).
@@Mockingbird_Taloa Plus, not to mention that I know up north here a lot of knowledge was lost due to residential schools. Also. To note for everyone. I'm white. I've just had privilege of working with Natives and being friends with people who still practice thier culture. Also. I know we don't call it Cahokia here, i can't remember what it's called right now but do you have a different name for it? (I think it's Kaligula?)
@@AreWeViral if we have a specific name for it, I’ve never heard it. I’m sure we did, but between the Trail of Tears and the residential schools it’s probably lost. We just call it Cahokia (which, coincidentally, sounds ‘natural’ in Chahta) because that’s what most people know it by, similar to how we have our own word for Chunkey that nobody uses because “Chunkey” is more broadly understood.
thank you simon, didnt know i lived so close to this place. definitely going to visit when i can hopefully sooner rather than later.
My dad grew up in St. Louis and spent quite a bit of time working at Cahokia Mounds when he was in his teens. He really loved this video!!
As a St. Louisan, nice to see some love going to the mound builders.
As a member of a tribe that just completed its first large-scale civic (non-burial) mound in 300 years, it is nice indeed! Over 1,000 years of culture still going strong.
I was born and raised in Saint Louis and it was never really talked about in the history of the region. I had no idea that the mounds was so vast and grand! Great documentary!
The site is within the New Madrid seismic zone that erupts regularly at around 500 year intervals with magnitude 7 or stronger earthquakes. It's possible one occurred and literally scared the people away. Earthquakes in that area seem stronger because the ground is more solid and shakes more violently. A magnitude 6 would have had a devastating effect, and temblors in that area have been known to reverse the direction of the Mississippi River.
@@waxjock Oral history and now archeology blame drought for the sudden abandonment of several major cities around this time, though an earthquake may have reinforced that decision for those remaining in Cahokia. It was normal to abandon a settlement if crops failed & head off to where fish were known to be or game could be found instead. Today we might say it’s best to have multiple streams of income, then it would be said it’s best to have multiple ways of obtaining food. People usually went back to their settlements once the drought was ended, but for a major drought that lasted years on end, people would typically move elsewhere entirely or decide to abandon a site for ceremonial reasons.
Great video, been to some of those mounds scattered across the eastern US, very impressive. I've been watching a lot of Megaprojects lately and seeing Simon all business again is a bit odd. I do like the varied approach though, more serious for Geographics, more casual for other channels. Great job at shifting gears.
Just because we haven't found writing, doesn't mean they didn't have a written language. It would be possible for them to have written on things which decomposed.
This tends to be my thoughts
FYI, it’s near “East St. Louis”, Illinois or across the Mississippi River from “St. Louis, Missouri”. There is no “St. Louis, Illinois”. I live about 20 minutes from St. Louis.
Interesting fact, St. Louis City and St. Louis County are separate entities. On August 22, 1876, St. Louis City and St. Louis County split into the two parts as they are now. It’s one of the only cities to not be in the same county as, at least, some of its metro area.
Thank you for shining some light on this ancient and mysterious place!
I am from Collinsville and go to the site often. My favorite memory was the 4th of July years ago.
I was at work and was worried I'd miss the fireworks, but the boss closed early and let me leave. I didn't know where to go since it was too late to drive anywhere else. I'd heard security allowed people up Monk's Mound after dark just to watch the fireworks. I parked as close as I could and ran across the plaza. As I was running I realized just how large the plaza alone was. And how people who'd lived there a thousand years ago must have been just as excited to celebrate whatever was important to them. When I got to the top to look around I noticed I couldn't just see St. Louis' firework display but at least 20 others. The sky lit up in all directions. Then, I looked around me. Cahokia is right next to towns with mostly immigrant families and many languages from all over the world were being spoken on top that mound taking in the same sights I was.
The site is very active with many events year round and is always in need of donations and volunteers. It means a lot to many people from the area.
Wait… he said a mound was used as fill to grow the “second worst condiment”…. So what’s the first?
That's exactly what I was wondering. Now, I'm fully expecting a TopTenz video ranking condiments from best to worst.
Native Americans were so much more civilized than anyone realizes
We Indigenous folk have been trying to get that point across for 500 years, lol. One of the best examples is the-US Constitution, from the three branches of government to the restrictions on the executive and guaranteed rights, it is based on the Haudenosuanee Great Law of Peace.
@@Mockingbird_Taloa Not to be argumentative, but unsurprisingly, a large part of American system of government and constitution are based on European systems.
There is a basis for much found in Roman and Greek systems, as well as English legal tradition, but a number of the Framers also wrote about taking inspiration from the Haudenosuanee Great Law very specifically, especially when considering what to replace the Articles of Confederation with. Much of the symbolism (such as the Pine Tree flag) used in the First and Second Continental Congress was actually borrowed from indigenous nations in that area, and the Founders chose their symbols because of what they represented.
Many of the European writers from the 18th century we associate with the ideas of personal liberty (Locke, Smith, and Voltaire specifically) were actually inspired by early accounts of the structure of indigenous societies, where individuals had considerably more liberty and were more equal than any European system had ever granted its citizens, and were yet prosperous and secure.
My hats off to you, Geographics, for touching on this subject. I've lived me entire life just a 7 hour drive away, and never once heard of it. Nor have my native friends that I've asked.