Name: __________________________ World History The Rise and Fall of States and Empires in the Americas 600 BCE- 600 CE Standard – 4.0 3.5 3.0 Less than 3.0 WH.HT2.1.d- Analyze cause and effect relationships in a historical context 60- 55 points 55 – 50.5 points 50 – 40 points Less than 40 points Part of assignment Your grade Mr. Wood’s grade Note Packet and graphic organizer /10 /10 Rise and Fall essay /44 /44 Multiple Choice Questions /6 /6 Total score and Standard Grade /60 /60 Essential Question : Assessment: 1
Transcript
Name: __________________________World History The Rise and Fall of States and Empires in the Americas 600 BCE- 600 CE
Standard – 4.0 3.5 3.0 Less than 3.0WH.HT2.1.d- Analyze cause and effect relationships in a historical context
60- 55 points55 – 50.5 points
50 – 40 points
Less than 40 points
Part of assignment Your grade Mr. Wood’s gradeNote Packet and graphic organizer /10 /10Rise and Fall essay /44 /44Multiple Choice Questions /6 /6Total score and Standard Grade /60 /60
Essential Question :
Assessment:
After having the context answer the question- Name one possible claim for each of the questions How did American Civilizations raise?
How did American Civilizations fall?
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Humans and The EnvironmentThe environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments
Cultural Developments and InteractionsThe development of ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrates how groups in society view themselves , and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social and cultural implications
GovernanceA variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
Economic SystemsAs societies develop, they affect ard are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services
Social Interactions and OrganizationsThe processes by which societies group their members and the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and individuals influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organizations.
Technology and InnovationHuman adaptation and innovation have resulted in increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and technological advances have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.
American Civilization #1 - TeotihuacanVocabulary
1. ObsidianDefinition Which theme of history and why
2. City-StateDefinition Which theme of history and why
3. ChinampasDefinition Which theme of history and why
Look at the following time and do the following:1. Circle the time period of the Classical era2. Write down which civilizations were in the Classical Era below
Read and take notes from the following reading- 2
Teotihuacan- http://www.ancient.eu/Teotihuacan/
by Mark Cartwright published on 17 February 2015
Teotihuacan, located in the Basin of Central Mexico, was the largest, most influential, and certainly most revered city in the history of the New World, and it flourished in Mesoamerica's Golden Age, the Classic Period of the first millennium CE. Dominated by two gigantic pyramids and a huge sacred avenue, the city, its architecture, art, and religion would influence all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures, and it remains today the most visited ancient site in Mexico.HISTORICAL OVERVIEWIn relation to other Mesoamerican cultures Teotihuacan was contemporary with the early Classic Maya (250 - 900 CE) but earlier than the Toltec civilization (900-1150 CE). Located in the valley of the same name, the city first formed between 150 BCE and 200 CE and benefitted from a plentiful supply of spring water which was channelled through irrigation. The largest structures at the site were completed before the 3rd century CE, and the city reached its peak in the 4th century CE with a population as high as 200,000. Teotihuacan is actually the Aztec name for the city, meaning "Place of the Gods"; unfortunately, the original name is yet to be deciphered from surviving name glyphs at the site.
The city's prosperity was in part based on the control of the valuable obsidian deposits at nearby Pachuca, which were used to manufacture vast quantities of spear and dart heads and which were also a basis of trade. Other goods flowing in and out of the city would have included cotton, salt, cacao to make chocolate, exotic feathers, and shells. Irrigation and the natural attributes of local soil and climate resulted in the cultivation of crops such as corn, beans, squash, tomato, amaranth, avocado, prickly pear cactus, and chili peppers. These crops were typically cultivated via the chinampa system of raised, flooded fields which would later be used so effectively by the Aztecs. Turkey and dogs were for food, and wild game included deer, rabbits, and peccaries, whilst wild plants, insects, frogs, and fish also supplemented a diverse diet. In addition, the city displays evidence of textile manufacturing and crafts production. Teotihuacan also had its own writing system which was similar to, but more rudimentary than, the Maya system and generally limited in use to dates and names, at least in terms of surviving examples.
At its peak between 375 and 500 CE, the city controlled a large area of the central highlands of Mexico and probably exacted tribute from conquered territories via the threat of military attack. Teotihuacan's fearsome warriors, as depicted on murals, carry atlatl dart-throwers and rectangular shields, and they wear impressive costumes of feather headdresses, shell goggles, and mirrors on their backs. Evidence of cultural contact in the form of Teotihuacan pottery and luxury goods is found in elite burials across Mexico and even as far south as the contemporary Maya centres of Tikal and Copan.Mysteriously, around 600 CE, the major buildings of Teotihuacan were deliberately destroyed by fire, and artworks and religious sculptures were smashed in what must have been a complete changing of the ruling elite. The destroyers may have been from the rising city of Xochicalco or from within in an uprising motivated by a scarcity in resources.
ARCHITECTURAL LAYOUT & FEATURESThe city, covering over 20 square kilometres, has a precise grid layout oriented 15.5 degrees east of true north. The city is dominated by the wide Avenue of the Dead (or Miccaotli as the Aztecs called it) which is 40 metres wide and 3.2 km long. The avenue begins in agricultural fields and passes the Great Compound or market place, Citadel, the Pyramid of the Sun, many other lesser temples and ceremonial precincts, and, culminating at the Pyramid of the Moon, points towards the sacred mountain Cerro Gordo…
PYRAMIDS OF THE SUN & MOONThe five-level Pyramid of the Sun was actually built over a much earlier sacred tunnel-cave and natural spring. The structure, constructed c. 100 CE, has six platforms and measures 215 metres along the sides
and towers 60 metres high, which made it one of the biggest structures ever built in the ancient Americas. The present exterior, which would have once had a facing of smooth lime plaster, covers a slightly smaller earlier pyramid built over a massive mud-brick and rubble interior. The top once had a small temple structure, reached by a flight of stone stairs climbing the entire pyramid and which split and rejoined higher up. Inside the pyramid is a 100 metre-long tunnel which leads from beneath the outside staircase to a four-winged chamber, unfortunately, looted in antiquity but probably once a burial chamber or shrine.
The Pyramid of the Moon is very similar to, albeit slightly smaller than, it’s neighbour the Pyramid of the Sun. The present exterior covers six progressively smaller pyramids. Constructed c. 150 CE there is no inner chamber as in the Sun pyramid, but the foundations did contain many dedicatory offerings such as obsidian and greenstone felines and eagles and a single person. Offerings were also buried at each subsequent construction stage. And three males were buried just beneath the summit; the accompanying precious jade objects suggest they were important Maya nobles. There are also the remains of sacrificed animals including pumas, rattlesnakes, and birds of prey.
Take notes and Watch the following video linked to Mr. Wood’s website - Pyramids of Death: Teotihuacan, Mexico- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDue8OBuR_U&t=852s
Watch from 2:00 – 4:50, 5:30 – 6:05, 9:00 – 11:35, 12:40 – 13:55 Remember that Teotihuacan was built many years before the Aztecs had their empire! Teotihuacan was a city built in the Classical Era, The Aztecs had their empire in the Post-Classical and Early Modern Empire!
American Civilization #2- The MayaHumans and The EnvironmentThe environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments
Cultural Developments and InteractionsThe development of ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrates how groups in society view themselves , and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social and cultural implications
GovernanceA variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
Economic SystemsAs societies develop, they affect ard are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services
Social Interactions and OrganizationsThe processes by which societies group their members and the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and individuals influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organizations.
Technology and InnovationHuman adaptation and innovation have resulted in increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and technological advances have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.
2. CodicesDefinition Which theme of history and why
GO TO THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE LINKED TO MR. WOOD’S WEBSITE - Ancient Maya 101 | National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6eBJjdca14Step one- Watch the video and take notes – this is on top of the website
Step two- take notes on the reading from the same website above
MAYAThe Maya Empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, reached the peak of its power and influence around the sixth century A.D. The Maya excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-making and mathematics, and left behind an astonishing amount of impressive architecture and symbolic artwork. Most of the great stone cities of the Maya were abandoned by A.D. 900, however, and since the 19th century scholars have debated what might have caused this dramatic decline.
LOCATING THE MAYAThe Maya civilization was one of the most dominant indigenous societies of Mesoamerica (a term used to describe Mexico and Central America before the 16th century Spanish conquest). Unlike other scattered indigenous populations of Mesoamerica, the Maya were centered in one geographical block covering all of the Yucatan Peninsula and modern-day Guatemala; Belize and parts of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas; and the western part of Honduras and El Salvador. This concentration showed that the Maya remained relatively secure from invasion by other Mesoamerican peoples.
Among the earliest Maya a single language existed, but by the Preclassic Period a great linguistic diversity developed among the various Maya peoples. In modern-day Mexico and Central America, around 5 million people speak some 70 Maya languages; most of them are bilingual in Spanish.…the Maya of the southern lowland region reached their peak during the Classic Period of Maya civilization (A.D. 250 to 900), and built the great stone cities and monuments that have fascinated explorers and scholars of the region.
CITIES OF STONE: THE CLASSIC MAYA, A.D. 250-900The Classic Period, which began around A.D. 250, was the golden age of the Maya Empire. Classic Maya civilization grew to some 40 cities, including Tikal, Uaxactún, Copán, Bonampak, Dos Pilas, Calakmul, Palenque and Río Bec; each city held a population of between 5,000 and 50,000 people. At its peak, the Maya population may have reached 2,000,000.Excavations of Maya sites have unearthed plazas, palaces, temples and pyramids, as well as courts for playing the ball games that were ritually and politically significant to Maya culture. Maya cities were surrounded and supported by a large population of farmers. Though the Maya practiced a primitive type of “slash-and-burn” agriculture, they also displayed evidence of more advanced farming methods, such as irrigation and terracing.The Maya were deeply religious, and worshiped various gods related to nature, including the gods of the sun, the moon, rain and corn. At the top of Maya society were the kings, or “kuhul ajaw” (holy lords), who claimed to be related to gods and followed a hereditary succession. They were thought to serve as mediators between the gods and people on earth, and performed the elaborate religious ceremonies and rituals so important to the Maya culture.
The Classic Maya built many of their temples and palaces in a stepped pyramid shape, decorating them with elaborate reliefs and inscriptions. These structures have earned the Maya their reputation as the great artists of Mesoamerica. Guided by their religious ritual, the Maya also made significant advances in mathematics and astronomy, including the use of the zero and the development of a complex calendar system based on 365 days. Though early researchers concluded that the Maya were a peaceful society of priests and scribes, later evidence–including a thorough examination of the artwork and inscriptions on their temple walls–showed the less peaceful side of Maya culture, including the war between rival Mayan city-states and the importance of torture and human sacrifice to their religious ritual.
Serious exploration of Classic Maya sites began in the 1830s. By the early to mid-20th century, a small portion of their system of hieroglyph writing had been deciphered, and more about their history and culture became known. Most of what historians know about the Maya comes from what remains of their architecture and art, including stone carvings and inscriptions on their buildings and monuments. The Maya also made paper from tree bark and wrote in books made from this paper, known as codices; four of these codices are known to have survived.
LIFE IN THE RAINFORESTOne of the many intriguing things about the Maya was their ability to build a great civilization in a tropical rainforest climate. Traditionally, ancient peoples had flourished in drier climates, where the centralized management of water resources (through irrigation and other techniques) formed the basis of society. (This was the case for the Teotihuacan of highland Mexico, contemporaries of the Classic Maya.) In the southern Maya lowlands, however, there were few navigable rivers for trade and transport, as well as no obvious need for an irrigation system….
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Women in Mayan Society- https://www.historyonthenet.com/women-in-mayan-societyIn early Mayan studies, archeologists assumed that women were subordinate to men in Mayan society. Men were kings and rulers of the city-state, and men were rulers in their homes. Recent studies haven’t changed that notion, but new research shows that women were more central to Mayan society than previously believed. During the Classical era, certain women held power as rulers in their cities, either as regent for an underage son or as widow of a ruler who died without an heir. Women also served as oracular priestesses at various sacred sites. Women worked in the Mayan economy, in agriculture and especially in the textile industry. While most Mayan women led traditional lives of caring for their households, others held far more power.
Women as RulersWhile women in general were not involved in Mayan politics, occasionally circumstances would place a woman in the role of ruler. During the Classical era, women gained in political power as politics shifted and became more complex. Five noble women during this time became ruling queens of their city-states. These women were Muwaan Mat and Lady Yohl Ik’nal of Palenque, Lady Eveningstar of Yazchilan, the Lady of Tikal and Lady Six Sky of Naranjo.Another powerful woman ruler was Lady K’abel, whose tomb was discovered recently. Lady K’abel was the military ruler of El Peru-Waka between A.D. 672 and 692. One of the hieroglyphics found at the tomb describes her as Lady Snake Lord, revealing the Lady K’able was a member of the powerful Snake dynasty of Calakmul.
Women as PriestessesAlthough women were not usually considered part of the religious hierarchy, recent studies reveal that many women were priestesses at pilgrimage sites in the Post-Classical era in the Yucatan. Caves and cenotes—a natural pit containing groundwater—were sacred places to the Mayans where they would offer sacrifices. They were popular pilgrimage sites drawing elite Mayans as well as commoners, especially on the islands off the coast of the Yucatan. These sites were often dedicated to the moon goddess or to Ix Chel, the goddess of fertility, midwifery and medicine. Priestesses there guided pilgrims along the pilgrimage trail. They also served as diviners or fortune tellers for visitors.
Women in the EconomyWomen worked in agricultural roles as farmers and herders. They also produced all the textiles of the Mayan economy, for both local markets and trade networks. As spinners, weavers and dyers, women produced basic cloth for their families, but also produced elaborate textiles as works of art. While most food products were consumed locally, some were traded widely such as cacao and vanilla beans. In some Mayan areas, women raised deer herds, ensuring a sufficient deer population to feed the population. Women’s work in agriculture and textiles made significant contributions to the Mayan economy.
MYSTERIOUS DECLINE OF THE MAYAFrom the late eighth through the end of the ninth century, something unknown happened to shake the Maya civilization to its foundations. One by one, the Classic cities in the southern lowlands were abandoned, and by A.D. 900, Maya civilization in that region had collapsed. The reason for this mysterious decline is unknown, though scholars have developed several competing theories.
Some believe that by the ninth century the Maya had exhausted the environment around them to the point that it could no longer sustain a very large population. Other Maya scholars argue that constant warfare among competing city-states led the complicated military, family (by marriage) and trade alliances between them to break down, along with the traditional system of dynastic power. As the stature of the holy lords diminished, their complex traditions of rituals and ceremonies dissolved into chaos. Finally, some catastrophic environmental change–like an extremely long, intense period of drought–may have wiped out the Classic Maya civilization. Drought would have hit cities like Tikal–where rainwater was necessary for drinking as well as for crop irrigation–especially hard.
All three of these factors–overpopulation and overuse of the land, endemic warfare and drought–may have played a part in the downfall of the Maya in the southern lowlands. In the highlands of the Yucatan, a few Maya cities–such as Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and Mayapán–continued to flourish in the Post-Classic Period (A.D. 900-1500).
American Civilization #3- The MocheHumans and The EnvironmentThe environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments
Cultural Developments and InteractionsThe development of ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrates how groups in society view themselves , and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social and cultural implications
GovernanceA variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
Economic SystemsAs societies develop, they affect ard are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services
Social Interactions and OrganizationsThe processes by which societies group their members and the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and individuals influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organizations.
Technology and InnovationHuman adaptation and innovation have resulted in increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and technological advances have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.
1. QuipuDefinition Which theme of history and why
2. Huacas Definition Which theme of history and why
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3. El NinoDefinition Which theme of history and why
The Moche Culture - Beginner's Guide to History and Archaeology -http://archaeology.about.com/od/mterms/qt/moche.htm
by K. Kris HirstUpdated February 12, 2017The Moche culture (ca. AD 100-750) was a South American society, with cities, temples, canals and farmsteads located along the arid coast in a narrow strip between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains of Peru. The Moche or Mochica are perhaps best known for their ceramic art: their pots include life-sized portrait heads of individuals and three-dimensional representations of animals and people.
Moche art is also reflected in polychrome and/or three-dimensional murals made of plastered clay on their public buildings, some of which are open to visitors. These murals depict a wide range of figures and themes, including warriors and their prisoners, priests and supernatural beings. Studied in detail, the murals and decorated ceramics reveal much about the ritual behaviors of the Moche, such as the Warrior Narrative.
MOCHE POLITICS AND ECONOMY
The Moche were a stratified society with a powerful elite and an elaborate, well-codified ritual process.
The political economy was based on the presence of large civic-ceremonial centers that produced a wide range of goods which were marketed to rural agrarian villages. The villages, in turn, supported the city centers by producing a wide range of cultivated crops. Prestige goods created in the urban centers were distributed to rural leaders to support their power and control over those parts of society.
The ability to control water, particularly in the face of droughts and extreme rainfall and flooding resulting from the El Niño Southern Oscillation drove much of the Moche economics and political strategies. The Moche built an extensive network of canals to increase agricultural productivity in their regions. Corn, beans, squash, avocado, guavas, chili peppers, and beans were grown by the Moche people; they domesticated llamas, guinea pigs and ducks. They also fished and hunted plants and animals in the region, and traded lapis lazuli and spondylus shell objects from long distances.
The Moche were expert weavers, and metallurgists used lost wax casting and cold hammering techniques to work gold, silver, and copper.
In addition to the canals and aqueducts, architectural elements of Moche society included large monumental pyramid-shaped architecture called huacas which were apparently partly temples, palaces, administrative centers, and ritual meeting places. The huacas were large platform mounds, built of thousands of adobe bricks, and some of them towered hundreds of feet above the valley floor.
On top of the tallest platforms were large patios, rooms and corridors, and a high bench for the seat of the ruler.
Most of the Moche centers had two huacas, one larger than the other. Between the two huacas could be found the Moche cities, including cemeteries, residential compounds, storage facilities and craft workshops. Some planning of the centers is evident, since the layout of the Moche centers are very similar, and organized along streets.
Ordinary people at Moche sites lived in rectangular adobe-brick compounds, where several families resided. Within the compounds were rooms used for living and sleeping, craft workshops, and storage facilities. Houses at Moche sites are generally made of well-standardized adobe brick. Some case of shaped stone foundations are known in hill slope locations: these shaped stone structures may be of higher status individuals, although more work needs to be completed.
While the Moche did not leave a written record (they may have used the quipu recording technique that we have yet to decipher), the Moche ritual contexts and their daily lives are known because of excavations and detailed study of their ceramic, sculptural and mural art.
On the Trail of Moche Gold- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpOtlEQfcbU
Watch from 3:30 – 6:30Where was the Moche culture?
What can be learned about the Moche culture through their art?
Take notes on the Lecture below – The Fall of the Moche
American Civilizations #4- Cahokia in North America Humans and The EnvironmentThe environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments
Cultural Developments and InteractionsThe development of ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrates how groups in society view themselves , and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social and cultural implications
GovernanceA variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
Economic SystemsAs societies develop, they affect ard are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services
Social Interactions and OrganizationsThe processes by which societies group their members and the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and individuals influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organizations.
Technology and InnovationHuman adaptation and innovation have resulted in increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and technological advances have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.
Vocabulary1. Mesa
Definition Which theme of history and why
2. MoundsDefinition Which theme of history and why
Cahokia - City of the Sun - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAXBA2Pt9wE Watch from 1:05 – 8:15
Cahokia: North America's First City- By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | January 11, 2018
Cahokia was a city that, at its peak from A.D. 1050-1200, was larger than many European cities, including London. The city was spread out over six square miles (16 square kilometers) and encompassed at least 120 mounds and a population between 10,000 and 20,000 people.
Located across the Mississippi River from modern-day St. Louis, it was the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico. The inhabitants of Cahokia did not use a writing system, and researchers today rely heavily on archaeology to interpret it. The name "Cahokia" is from an aboriginal people who lived in the area during the 17th century.
Recent research shows that many of the people who lived at Cahokia were immigrants who came from across the Midwest, possibly traveling from as far away as the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast, a study of their teeth shows. To the south of Cahokia a settlement that archaeologists call Washausen became abandoned around the time Cahokia was at its peak around A.D. 1100, a study published recently in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports found. It's possible that some of the residents at Washausen, and other sites located near it, moved to Cahokia.
The city's growth may have been aided by warmer temperatures. At the time Cahokia flourished, temperatures across the Earth were unusually warm, resulting in increased rainfall in the American Midwest, wrote archaeologists Timothy Pauketat and Susan Alt in a paper published in the book "Medieval Mississippians: The Cahokian World" (School for Advanced Research Press, 2015). "An increase in average yearly precipitation accompanied the warmer weather, permitting maize farming to thrive," Pauketat and Alt wrote.
The city fell into decline after 1200, around the time that a flood occurred, becoming abandoned by 1400. Much of the city lies buried under 19th- and 20th-century developments, including a highway and the growth of the city of St. Louis. Over the past few decades, efforts have been made to preserve what remains, with Cahokia's core now part of a state historic site.
Metropolitan Life on the MississippiBy Nathan Seppa Special to The Washington Post Wednesday, March 12 1997; Page H01
Imagine an ancient Native American settlement where people built pyramids, designed solar observatories and, we must report, practiced human sacrifice. Welcome to the city of Cahokia, population 15,000….
First, some context. Before Cahokia's rise, people had been living in many parts of North America for thousands of years, making a living as gatherers of edible wild plants and hunters of animal meat. More than 4,000 years ago, Indians in much of the current United States cultivated squash, sunflower and other plants to supplement wild foods. Between 1,000 and 2,000 years ago, corn cultivation spread northward from Mexico, where the plant was domesticated.
As a corn-based economy grew in the fertile Mississippi Valley, providing a reliable food source all year, populations rose and villages grew. About 1000 A.D., Cahokia underwent a population explosion. Along with corn, Cahokians cultivated goosefoot, amaranth, canary grass and other starchy seeds. Preserved seeds of these species have been found in excavations at Cahokia.
Although the people farmed without the wheel or draft animals, corn production soared and surpluses may have been stored in communal granaries on the mounds.
To keep the growing populace orderly and, perhaps more important, to manage corn surpluses, Cahokia developed a ranked society with a chief and elite class controlling workers in lower classes. By the 1000s and 1100s, when mound-building began in earnest, Cahokia was a beehive of activity….
…Meanwhile, Cahokia sat conveniently at the center of the trade network. It harbored a minor hardware industry, manufacturing hoes with flint blades and axes with shaped stone heads. Trade was extensive, but it's not as though armadas of canoes were streaming into and out of Cahokia.
Excavations at surrounding sites shows that the amount of Cahokian hardware dwindles steadily as one moves farther from the city, suggesting a fairly small radius of trade and few large trade missions to faraway places, Milner says. Still, Cahokia attracted copper from mines near Lake Superior; salt from nearby mines; shells from the Gulf of Mexico; chert, a flintlike rock, from quarries as far as Oklahoma, and mica, a sparkling mineral, from the Carolinas….
…Unfortunately, Cahokians' clever ways did not extend to wise environmental management.
As population grew, the ratio of people to arable land also rose. In the American Bottom, a small increase in water levels could have rendered much farmland useless. Wanton tree cutting along nearby bluffs caused unchecked erosion, making cropland too marshy for corn, Milner says. Worse, a global cooling trend about 1250, called the "Little Ice Age," may have hurt the growing season.
Deforestation required longer walks for firewood. Charred remains show that Cahokians burned oak and hickory in the early years but used energy-poorer soft woods later, a sign of problems, Iseminger says. The stockade alone required as many as 20,000 poles. Tree cutting certainly destroyed wildlife habitat. And how many deer would live near a concentration of 15,000 people, many armed with bows and arrows?
Quite possibly, dysentery and tuberculosis rose to epidemic proportions, since Cahokians apparently had no sanitary systems for disposing of garbage and human waste, Peter Nabokov and Dean Snow suggest in their book, America in 1492.
Meanwhile, city life could have grown tiresome, archaeologists say. People resent having their lives managed by others. Other Mississippian cultures developed ranked societies similar to that of Cahokia. None stayed together more than 150 years, Pauketat says….
…Their society "devolved" and gradually returned to small-village life, becoming archaeologically invisible because they left too little evidence to be traced 700 years later.
By the 1200s, as the city's population and influence dwindled, chiefdoms downriver began to grow. Their threat may have been
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what spurred Cahokians to build the stockade, and they may have competed for trade goods that had been flowing into Cahokia
- Use the OPTIC steps to analyze the stimulus below
Source: DROUGHT AND THE MAYA COLLAPSE Richardson B. Gill, Paul A. Mayewski, Johan Nyberg, Gerald H. Haug and Larry C. Peterson Ancient Mesoamerica Vol. 18, No. 2 (Fall 2007), pp. 283-302
Overview Look at the entire visual image- write 1-2 details that explains what is in this image. This is “big picture,” and not a small detail in part of the image.
Parts What are two small details you can see in this chart? 1-2 details
Title Turn the title into a question
I learned What did you learn from this chart? 1-2 details
Context Look at the context of the Era from lecture of the beginning of the packet
How does this picture fit into the context?
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For each question, you will earn 1 point for your evidence that has to come from the stimulus and/or your packet (at least 2-3 details and 1 point for having the correct answer.
1. From looking at the chart it is most likely thata. The Maya were not affected by the temperature of the environmentb. The Maya civilization began to fall because of the increase in the amount of rainc. The Maya civilization fell in large part due to the drier conditions d. The Maya would still be a strong civilization today if there was more rain
Your answer Your reason- using evidence for the stimulus or from our chapter packet
Your groups answer Your groups reason
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2. The information in the chart from one thousand years ago most directly connects to what other civilization a. The fall of Teotihuacan b. The fall of the Mochec. The rise of Moche d. The rise of Teotihuacan
Your answer Your reason- using evidence for the stimulus or from our chapter
Your groups answer Your groups reason
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3. What can be concluded about the fall of American Civilizations in the era of 600 BCE- 600 CEa. Weather and precipitation played little to no factor in the fall of these civilizationsb. Many civilizations rose because they had great weather free of natural disasters c. There were many reasons for them to fall, but weather was likely a major factord. These civilizations fell because of lack of education and advanced technology
Your answer Your reason- using evidence for the stimulus or from our chapter
