Thule 38-41 v2

37
THULE Riv. Ital. studi americanistici, nn. 38/39-40/41, aprile-ottobre 2015/2016 pp. 37-65
Toward an Understanding of Native American
Socio-Political Complexity: Italian
Archaeological Researches at Cahokia (Illinois,
USA)
Davide Domenici
Department of History and Cultures, University of Bologna (Italy)
Imma Valese
Department of History and Cultures, University of Bologna (Italy)
Abstract
The paper describes the research activities of The Cahokia Project, organized by the
Department of History and Cultures, University of Bologna (Italy), and the Department of
Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis (MO, USA). The archaeological project focuses
on the West Plaza of Cahokia, the Mississippian site that between the 11 th and 14 th century was
the center of the most complex Native American polity ever developed in pre-colonial North
America. Fieldwork in the West Plaza is aimed at clarifying the settlement dynamics that – over
a period of roughly four centuries – led to the creation, transformation, and demise of a
centrally located public space and its associated public buildings. The study of their function
and use will hopefully provide new insights into the religious and political practices at the core
of the Cahokian polity.
Introduction(1)
The Cahokia Project: An Effort Toward the Integration of Different Scientific
Traditions started its activities on April 2011 at the Cahokia Mounds State
Historic Site (IL, USA). The research project is jointly organized by the
Department of History and Cultures of the University of Bologna (Italy) and
the Department of Anthropology of the Washington University, St. Louis (MO,
USA) and is directed by Davide Domenici and John E. Kelly, while Imma