One of the greatest modern archeological mysteries is why Cahokia was seemingly rapidly abandoned for inexplicable reasons. Everything from astrological signs to aliens and time travel, have been offered as possible answers. In this, we see our inability to be content with the unknown. However, this hunt for an explanation has been stunted once again, as one of the most plausible and formerly accepted theories, the “wood overuse” hypothesis, has recently received several massive blows to its validity (Ogilore 2021). 

The “wood overuse hypothesis” explains that due to the rapid development of Cahokia and population growth large-scale consumption of surrounding forestry would leave Cahokia vulnerable to erosion. This would cause “increasingly frequent and unpredictable floods of the local creek drainages in the floodplain where Cahokia Mounds was constructed” (Sherwood 2021). This matches our modern Western understanding of how overconsumption is bad and has led to an increase in natural disasters. Large-scale flooding would be a very forcing event that might spur the abandonment of Cahokia.

However, recent archeological studies have all but debunked this hypothesis. While it is true that, “with a growing population and more mouths to feed, overconsumption of all resources is a real risk”(Ogilore 2021), there is simply no real evidence that has been discovered that would prove the existence of dangerous levels of flooding. Recent excavations around a Mississippian Period (AD 1050–1400) Cahokia mound in a flood plain revealed the ground that the mound was built on was stable until industrial development (Ogilore 2021). This evidence debunks the idea that flooding was the cause of Cahokia’s collapse.

Still, ecocide, which is defined as when a society fails due to self-inflicted ecologic disaster, is one of the leading hypotheses about the cause of the fall of Cahokia. Archeologists have proven that Cahokians must have extracted around 10,000 trees in order to fuel many of their developments, so pointing at ecocide is not completely baseless, but in archeology, it has come to be somewhat of a cheap answer. Ecocide narratives are often accepted in archeological conversations, even in the face of a lack of direct evidence that the hypothesized environmental consequences are true (Sherwood 2021). We through our modern lens can not understand why they left, but we feel like we need to be able to explain. Thus ecocide has become a tempting all-encompassing tool to throw out without proper backing in order to find a missing explanation. As previously revealed, this safety net was also cast over Cahokia, despite lacking evidence.

References

Ogliore, Talia. “Study: Scant Evidence That ‘wood Overuse’ at Cahokia Caused Local Flooding, Subsequent Collapse – the Source – Washington University in St. Louis.” The Source, 27 Jan. 2022, source.wustl.edu/2021/04/study-scant-evidence-that-wood-overuse-at-cahokia-caused-local-flooding-subsequent-collapse/.

Sherwood, Sarah. Evaluating Narratives of Ecocide with the … – Wiley Online Library, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gea.21848. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.

Additional Links

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/science/cahokia-mounds-floods.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/why-was-ancient-city-of-cahokia-abandoned-new-clues-rule-out-one-theory

https://atmos.earth/ancient-ties-indigenous-people-and-the-extraterrestrial/

A mythical sense of linear progress illuminates human history, as the general public often views older civilizations as lesser and barbaric. However, the study of archeology provides insight into this falsehood, revealing how historic civilizations lived. Further inspection often reveals forgotten cultures as more cohesive and advanced than surface-level inspection would suggest. A recent example of this came in the form of a “fridge” that was unearthed by archaeologists at a Roman military camp over the course of the last year.

The “fridge” was discovered at the Novae Camp in Northern Bulgaria. This camp is an ancient Roman military camp that the 1st Italian Legion is heavily associated with. Archeologists studying the site believe that it was founded somewhere in the middle of the 1st Century AD. The camp is a little over 44 acres and due to the discovery and preservations of the Romans headquarters, barracks, baths, and hospital, it has become a hotspot for archeological discovery. It has also been discovered that the camp is surrounded by a settlement to its west and a necropolis that surrounds its eastern and southern borders.

However, amid these historic discoveries came something that resembles a popular modern household appliance, a refrigerator. The Roman “refrigerator” was discovered inside of the Roman military barracks. It was a rectangular container made of ceramic plates built into the foundation of the barracks. This location combined with the stone foundation ensured the box was relatively well insulated. Furthermore, the sight had a complex aqueduct system constructed with lead and ceramic pipes. These pipes bordered the Roman “fridge” on one of its long rectangular sides. This construction and cooling system is what draws comparisons to modern refrigerators. Bulgarian temperatures are also below freezing for five months of the year, so archaeologists speculate that it is likely the ceramic box was packed with snow and ice for cooling purposes.

Finally, an interesting part of this discovery is that the ceramic box was not empty. It was full of ceramic pieces and many baked bone fragments, which archeologists speculate are likely remains from cooked food. There was also a bowl containing charcoal which is believed to be a form of insect repellent. This Roman “fridge” was particularly rare because the fridges often did not survive building reconstruction. Luckily, this one survived and will continue to provide modern archeologists a window into the past of ancient Roman military camp life.

Work Cited:

Altuntaş, Leman. “Archaeologists Discovered How Wine Was Cooled in Roman Legions on the Danube.” Arkeonews, 15 Sept. 2023, arkeonews.net/archaeologists-discovered-how-wine-was-cooled-in-roman-legions-on-the-danube/.

Falde, Nathan. “Archaeologists Unearth First Century Roman Refrigerator in Bulgaria.” Ancient Origins Reconstructing the Story of Humanity’s Past, Ancient Origins, 1 Oct. 2022, www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/novae-roman-refrigerator-0017341.

Pflughoeft, Aspen. “Ancient ‘Fridge’ — with Meat Still inside – Miami Herald.” Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2022, www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article267117666.html.

Extra Links:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/09/roman-fridge-found-at-novae/148589

https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/discoveries/scientists-trying-to-recreate-roman-refrigerator/

https://arkeonews.net/an-ancient-fridge-have-uncovered-at-the-roman-legionary-fortress-of-novae-bulgaria/