Understanding the Rise of Complexity at Cahokia: Evidence of Nonlocal Caddo Ceramic Specialists in the East St. Louis Precinct

Research at Cahokia Mounds reveals that Caddo ceramic specialists likely migrated to the East St. Louis Precinct, where they produced and crafted vessels identical in style to those found in their homeland. This discovery suggests that nonlocal potters played a pivotal role in Cahokia's social development, contributing to its rise as a multiethnic city. The study employed stylistic grammar analysis of early Caddo fine ware vessels to determine whether these artifacts were locally produced by copying, imported from the southern Caddo region, or crafted by Caddo specialists residing at Cahokia. The findings indicate that Caddo potters were integral to Cahokia's complexity, offering new insights into ancient social interactions and craft specialization.

Lambert, S. P., & Ford, P. A. (2023). Understanding the Rise of Complexity at Cahokia: Evidence of Nonlocal Caddo Ceramic Specialists in the East St. Louis Precinct. American Antiquity, 88(3), 361–385. https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2023.28