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Toward an understanding of Native American socio-pol complexity: It. Arch. researches at Cahokia 47
spaced circular bastions projecting outward from the compounds’ walls.
Interestingly enough, most of the postholes of these compounds are clearly
distinguishable for their content of orange clayish soil that could derive from
some kind of plaster originally covering the walls, as originally suggested by W.
Wittry and P. Munson (see PAUKETAT T.R. 2013: 91).
Limited evidence of the northern Compound A were located in Tract 15B
suggesting that – as first proposed by W. Wittry in unpublished sketches – it
was circular building with a diameter of aprox. 25 meters, with bastions whose
diameter is less then 2 meters (VALESE I. 2010/11: 147; PAUKETAT T.R. 2013:
88-91); apparently, the building was rebuilt at least once. The incomplete
definition of Compound A by W. Wittry’s team was arguably due its
disturbance by the abovementioned, Moorehed-phase, borrowing activities. In
the northernmost profile of our excavation area, traces of a wall-trench, that
according to J. Kelly, could pertain to Compound A, were located below the
Moorehead refuse filling the borrowed areas that erased most of the
abovementioned wall-trench. Since the excavation was not expanded further
north, this point remains to be clarified in the future.
Evidences of the squared Compound B/C, actually two reconstructions of a
same building, were identified both by W. Wittry and by our excavation, the
definition of the southwestern corner and west wall of the compound being
among our main targets (fig. 6). On the base of our fieldwork results, we now
know that Compound B/C was a roughly squared building (with E and W
walls slightly skewing outward in the northern part of the building), each side
measuring approx. 30 meters, with four, rounded bastions (approx. 3 meters
in diameter) on each side, thus confirming previous hypotheses (see PAUKETAT
T.R. 2013: 91, fig. 4.29). Both W. Wittry and us have been unable to
recognize evidences of Compound B/C north wall, but we now know that it
had been completely erased, as well as the northern part of the West wall, by
later borrowing activities, thus solving the mystery of its apparent lack. The
huge dimensions of the inner walled space, as well as the lack of any structural
evidence of architectural coverings, suggest that Compound A and B/C were
actually non-roofed structures better described as walled enclosures; on the
other hand, according to J. Kelly, the depth of nearly a meter at the base of the
excavation of the wall trench for Compound A may indicate that this structure
was roofed.