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Cahokian Neighborhood Dynamics: New Geophysical Data from Rouch Mound Group and Rattlesnake West Neighborhoods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2025

Sarah E. Baires Open the ORCID record for Sarah E. Baires [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth Watts Malouchos ,
Melissa R. Baltus Open the ORCID record for Melissa R. Baltus [Opens in a new window]  and
B. Jacob Skousen
Sarah E. Baires*
Affiliation:
Illinois State Archaeological Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
Elizabeth Watts Malouchos
Affiliation:
Illinois State Archaeological Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
Melissa R. Baltus
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Toledo, OH, USA
B. Jacob Skousen
Affiliation:
Illinois State Archaeological Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL, USA
*
Corresponding author: Sarah E. Baires; Email: bairess@easternct.edu
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Abstract

In this article we present the results of two geophysical surveys conducted at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. The goal was to reveal neighborhood settlement patterns at two locales located on the periphery of “Downtown” Cahokia—the densely populated administrative core—and to further understand the type and chronological affiliation of these settlements. We compared structure length and width ratios from Rattlesnake West and the Rouch Mound Group with datasets from the Cahokia and East St. Louis precincts as a proxy for chronological affiliation to understand changes to neighborhood density over time. Using noninvasive techniques to illuminate population density and neighborhood configurations, we gained a more detailed understanding of how Cahokia's communities and neighborhoods chose to adopt the building style and infrastructure of Cahokia's Downtown Precinct.

Resumen

Resumen

En este documento presentamos los resultados de dos estudios geofísicos realizados en el Sitio Histórico Estatal de Cahokia Mounds. El objetivo de estos estudios fue revelar patrones de asentamiento vecinal en dos lugares ubicados en la periferia del “Downtown” de Cahokia—el núcleo administrativo densamente poblado—y comprender mejor el tipo y la afiliación cronológica de estos asentamientos. Comparamos las proporciones de longitud y anchura de las estructuras de Rattlesnake West y el Grupo de Montículos Rouch con conjuntos de datos de los recintos de Cahokia y East St. Louis como un indicador de afiliación cronológica para entender los cambios en la densidad del vecindario con el tiempo. Nuestro objetivo es iluminar aún más la densidad de población y las configuraciones de vecindario a través de técnicas no invasivas para obtener una comprensión más detallada de cómo las comunidades y vecindarios de Cahokia optaron por adoptar el estilo de construcción y la infraestructura del Recinto del Centro de Cahokia.

Keywords

CahokiaMississippiangeophysicsneighborhoodsCahokiaMississippiangeofísicabarrios
Type
Article
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 90 , Issue 2 , April 2025 , pp. 328 - 345
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for American Archaeology

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