Abandoned ancient city larger than Paris, London in the US

Cahokia was larger than Paris and was abandoned in pristine condition.

Thousands of years ago, the great pyramids were built in southern Illinois. This modern structure stretched from the Mississippi River swamps to the small village inland. Prospering from the year 900, the city’s reputation began to spread. Many people came here to attend the festivals and decided to stay there.

Rebuild the city model.

At its peak in 1050, the city's population reached 30,000, making it the largest city in ancient times, far larger than Paris or London.

The most iconic structure is the Monk Tower, in the center of the city, 30m high with three floors. People's voices on the top floor can be heard throughout the whole area. In the far west is a circle of large wooden posts called Woodhenge (the stone equivalent of Stonehenge), used to measure the seasons of the year based on the position of the sun.

Downtown.

Despite its development, the city's name was quickly forgotten. Its culture was simply known as Mississippian.

When Europeans discovered Illinois in the 17th century, the city had been abandoned for hundreds of years. The area was occupied by the Cahokia tribe, and the Europeans decided to take the name, even though the Cahokia had no connection to the ancient civilization.

The modern monk temple area is just a small hill.

By 1400, Cahokia’s entire population had disappeared, leaving the city empty. To uncover the mystery, a team of archaeologists, including Dr. Sarah Baires from Eastern Connecticut State University and Melissa Baltus from the University of Toledo, peeled back layers of rock and soil, uncovering house foundations, trash pits, and dissecting graves.

Focusing on excavating the southwest of the Temple of the Priests, the archaeological team understood that this was no ordinary ruin. It was filled with objects and even remains used in rituals, along with evidence of the city's collapse in the final years of its existence.

Drinking cup used in ceremonies.

The 8.9 square kilometer area is of particular interest to scientists. Here, people have found a triangular ceramic container containing a cocoa drink containing caffeine to create hallucinations during rituals. The entire city is surrounded by small moats. The mound is built up with a path leading inside, where no less than two sacrifices were held.

Earth houses are an ancient tradition in North America, predating Cahokia by thousands of years. The first settlements to build them were in Louisiana 5,500 years ago, and traces of them can still be found. The Cahokians must have known about these sites and wanted to quickly create temples and homes of a similar style.

Only at Cahokia these houses were built over the old nomadic style. The reason for this change may have been due to an astronomical event in 1054, when a supernova exploded and lit up the sky for several days and nights. Religious leaders may have decided that it was time to change the structure of the city.

Objects gradually appeared under the soil.

In addition, the "government" system here was not one person holding the highest power but many people leading small groups, carrying out farming and plowing. Cahokia houses were colorfully decorated with carpets, plaster carvings, and accessories such as furs, feathers, and beads. People also began to tattoo themselves for beauty.

Later, the city faced many problems. First, a wall was built around the main square, making the people feel isolated. Rainwater was trapped in the enclosed area, causing many houses to fall into disrepair. People gradually rejected the once-prosperous symbol and began to move away. By 1300, few people remained and even dumped their trash in it. Woodhenge was also destroyed.

Human remains were sacrificed.

The reason for this change may have been human sacrifice. The leaders used human sacrifices, dozens at a time, dressing them in elaborate costumes to reenact the stories of the tribe's ancient gods and heroes.

However, the loss of so many lives made the residents feel uneasy, and they became disgusted with the ruling group, and as a result, they gradually left and migrated to other places, despite the fact that the economy and trade had no problems. Traces of grain and corn are still scattered along the Mississippi River.

This is all conjecture, really, because there is no way to know for sure what happened at Cahokia. Retrieving oral histories is also impossible because it is impossible to find their descendants.

The sacrifice of too many lives made the residents feel uneasy, and from there they grew disgusted with the ruling group.

But it can be concluded that during its heyday, the Cahokian community was faithful to its beliefs, but later it lost its freedom, leading to the dissolution of the society and the dispersion into small nomadic groups. "If the balance between cultural identity and reality was not ensured, the community would disintegrate," explains Melissa Baltus.

Other theories of drought and flooding have also been proposed, but none have been conclusively proven. Regardless, the Cahokia left behind a legacy that has endured through time, despite the subsequent European and Native American invasions.

According to Dan Viet