Provides a theoretical explanation of how prehistoric Cahokia became
a stratified society
Considering Cahokia in terms of class struggle, Pauketat claims that the
political consolidation in this region of the Mississippi Valley
happened quite suddenly, around A.D. 1000, after which the lords of
Cahokia innovated strategies to preserve their power and ultimately
emerged as divine chiefs. The new ideas and new data in this volume will
invigorate the debate surrounding one of the most important developments
in North American prehistory.