Isotopic Confirmation of the Timing and Intensity of Maize Consumption in Greater Cahokia

New evidence confirms that maize consumption at Cahokia, a significant Mississippian polity in the American Bottom region of Illinois, surged abruptly around AD 900 and intensified rapidly over subsequent centuries. This shift in subsistence practices, supported by isotopic analysis of human and dog remains, directly dated archaeobotanical maize samples, and revised archaeological interpretations, suggests that maize cultivation played a pivotal role in facilitating population growth and nucleation at Cahokia. The findings indicate that the introduction of maize not only provided subsistence security but also contributed to broader social, political, and religious transformations that fueled the emergence of Cahokia as a major societal center by AD 1050.

Emerson, T. E., Hedman, K. M., Simon, M. L., Fort, M. A., & Witt, K. E. (2020). Isotopic Confirmation of the Timing and Intensity of Maize Consumption in Greater Cahokia. American Antiquity, 85(2), 241–262. https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.7