Cahokia remains a great mystery to historians and archaeologists. It is an ancient Native American city that was located in the southwest of the current US state of Illinois. It seems that in the middle of the XIand century, the city of Cahokia was a stronghold of Mississippian culture. Indeed, at that time, it had more than 15,000 inhabitants. However, from the fourteenthand century, the city was deserted by all its inhabitants and no one knows the reasons. However, several hypotheses have been put forward by historians.
Overexploitation of the land is the cause of this desertification
When researchers studied the Lost City, they speculated that deforestation and over-harvesting of the surrounding land caused excessive erosion. Thus, it became less habitable for Native Americans.
In order to confirm this hypothesis, a study was made last year by other researchers and published in Geoarchaeology. To do this, they analyzed sediment cores collected near Cahokia’s earthen mounds. They were able to see that the ground remained stable from the golden age of the city until the period of the industrial revolution. In other words, Cahokia has not been the victim of deforestation and even less of erosion.
Did local flooding in the Cahokia region cause this desertification?
When we look closer, we can see that Cahokia was located in a low area, next to the confluence of three streams. This implies that the Lost City is a place prone to flooding. The researchers therefore assume that excessive flooding has occurred there. Nevertheless, it is possible that very common land use practices lead to erosion, sedimentation and contribute to all these environmental consequences.
After finding, there was no sign of sediments left by the floods in the layers of the ground of Cahokia. That is, the researchers found no evidence of flooding. The city has not been ravaged by natural disasters and even less by floods, reports Science Alert. So, these two hypotheses have been ruled out and researchers will be able to turn to other avenues in order to discover the true origin(s) of this desertification.
To go further, also discover 8 ruined cities that still remain a mystery to scientists.
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