The Riches of Poverty Point
Earthworks built around 3,700 years ago in Louisiana centered an exchange system that stretched up the Mississippi and into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.
Plant of the Month: Indigo
The cultivation of this plant for its cherished blue dye tells the story of exploitative agricultural practices—and, hopefully, its reversal.
How Archaeologists Use Parasites to Track Urbanization
Historical patterns of parasitic infection show up differently depending on the class status of a neighborhood.
Sewing Saved Us from a “Cold Snap” 13 Thousand Years Ago
Sewing a full winter outfit from animal hides took 105 hours. And we needed lots of them to survive the Younger Dryas Cold Event.
Ch’arki: The First Jerky
Ch'arki is made in the high-altitude Andes by alternately drying the meat in the hot sun and freezing it during the cold nights.
The River Basin Surveys Preserved American Prehistory
Between 1945 and 1969, archaeologists hurriedly surveyed over 20,000 prehistorical sites before the Mississippi River Basin was flooded by dams.
America’s Imperiled Freshwater Mussels
Freshwater mussels were once found in astonishing numbers and diversity in North America. Then came the button fanciers, and then the pearl-makers.
The Mysterious Pre-Columbian Settlement of Cahokia
Cahokia was the largest pre-columbian settlement north of Mexico. It collapsed centuries before Europeans arrived in the region. What happened?
Have Humans Been in the Americas Longer Than We Thought?
Humans may have inhabited the Americas much longer than initially suspected. But questions like who these people were remain unanswered.
A New Chapter to the Controversial Case of Kennewick Man
Kennewick Man is indeed most closely related to modern Native Americans. New results bolster the argument for repatriation and reburial.