READING: Academic Social Studies AA) Ancient Civilizations The Ancient City of Cahokia Cahokia began about ao. 700. The first people were mostly hunter-gatherers. Around a hundred years later, people began to practice agriculture. They farmed corn, squash, barley, and other seed crops. They hunted the plentiful animals in the woods and fish in the rivers. Cahokia became the center of a thriving region. Cahokians traded over a wide area that stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast and from the Atlantic Ocean to Oklahoma. There were no horses or wheeled carts, so people either walked or paddled boats on the rivers. : t : The Cahokians used copper and shells for jewelry and other objects. Pottery has been found, but ho glass. The people wove cloth from plant fibers and also wore furs and skins, They had a calendar system based on the sun. They set 48 tall wooden poles in a large circle with ‘one post in the center. People could tell the time ees of year from how the sun rose and lined up over the center and outer posts. i: By about 1400, Cahokia was deserted. No one knows exactly what happened. Probably the people had used up all the nearby wood for fuel and for building. Without trees to hold the soil, it would wash away. There would be fewer crops and maybe not enough food for the people. Disease and problems with neighboring Cities may have contributed to the downfall of Cahokia, Scientists may be able to answer some of the questions about Cahokia, but we'll never know the whole story. LO Reading Soe > (©The Content Pres, hc, DUPLICATING THIS MATERIAL IS ILLEGAL.READING: Academic Social Studies 8a Ancient Civilizations 1. Read the selection on page 74 again. Which statement about the Cahokians q is true? @® They had a solar calendar system. They traded for food because they didn’t farm. © They never left their own city. @® They used shells for money. 2. Read the selection on page 74 again. What is one reason the city of Cahokia probably became deserted? @® The people moved to larger cities for better jobs. The settlers from the East scared the people away. © The people had used up all the nearby trees. @® The city became polluted so the people left. LESSON 15 UNIT 2 ‘© he Continental ess loc. DUPLICATING THIS MATERIAL IS ILLEGAL.READING: Academic Social Studies izations 3. Look at the time line. It shows the major events in what we know of the history of Cahokia. Which statement below belongs with the date 4.0. 800? A.D. 800 AD. 700 a.v. 1400 Cahokia Cahokia was began deserted @® Cabokians learned to work with glass. Cahokians began to practice agriculture. Cahokians first visited the Atlantic Ocean Cahokians began using horses INIT 2 Reading Eee ©The Cost es. DUPUCATING TIS MATERIAL I LEGAL