Cahokia: Choices and Changes in the 13th Century in North America’s First City; the role of women Online
Join us for this virtual event sponsored by the Westchester Society of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and its President, Dr. Peter Feinman.
After more than a century of urban occupation, the city of Cahokia experienced a series of rapid material transformations that appear to be a deliberate attempt to change Cahokian politics. These changes transpired in locally unique yet regionally related ways at Cahokia and its surrounding settlements. There are two important aspects of change that took place during this mid-point of Cahokia’s existence: 1) the intentional termination of specific building and pottery types; and 2) the return to certain pre-Cahokian practices, including decentralized, local events.
Melissa Baltus, Associate Professor at the University of Toledo, will explore these transformations at the city in relation to excavations at a related mound site that was built and occupied subsequent to these major changes.
- Date:
- Sunday, March 13, 2022
- Time:
- 2:00pm - 3:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Online:
- This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.
- Categories:
- History & Local Interest Older Adults
About the presenter:
Melissa Baltus is Associate Professor at the University of Toledo. She holds degrees in Anthropology (Ph.D. and M.A.) from the University of Illinois; Anthropology (B.A.) from Minnesota State University. Her area of specialization is North American Archaeology, specifically the Cahokia/Mississippian period at the site where she excavates. In 2018, Professor Baltus received the University of Toledo Recognition for Outstanding Contributions to University Scholarship and Creative Activity. Her most recent publications include “Communities in Conflict” in Reconsidering Mississippian Households and Communities (A. Betzenhauser and E.W Malouchos, eds., 2021).
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