Refortifying Cahokia, More Efficient Palisade Construction through Redesigned Bastions

A new analysis of Cahokia's Central Palisade reveals that its construction became significantly more efficient over time, with each reconstruction requiring up to 27.5% fewer posts and person-hours than previous ones. This efficiency likely resulted from architectural redesigns, including changes in bastions, which may have been a deliberate strategy by the Cahokians to conserve wood resources. The study recalculated post counts using precise measurements of postholes, bastion structures, and perimeter adjustments across multiple construction phases.

Krus, A. M. (2011). Refortifying Cahokia, More Efficient Palisade Construction through Redesigned Bastions. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, 36(2), 227–244. https://doi.org/10.1179/mca.2011.011