A new study done on one mound in particular at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville shows that human remains interred there, which are around 900 years old, belong to both men and women. It was previously thought the mound was for elite warrior men. That means there are new implications to be explored.
Overall, the complex including mounds rising from the ground, which is about 5 square miles in all, represents North America's "first city", an ancient American Indian civilization. There is still a lot to learn from the ruins and relics, much of which lie deep underground and under new development and construction. NPR Illinois spoke with Thomas Emerson who directs the Illinois State Archeological Survey to learn more about the recent findings.
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