Toward an Understanding of Native American Socio-Political Complexity: Italian Archaeological Researches at Cahokia (Illinois, USA)

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 11th and 14th 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.