Feeding Cahokia

"Feeding Cahokia is an excellent summation of cultivated plant subsistence practices as evidenced by the material record from the interior Midwest. Because it is written in an accessible manner, it will appeal to anyone interested in the native cultivated crop complex; first in documenting its very existence and secondly for setting the record straight on its importance. As such, it is a good introduction to those topics for archaeologists wanting to understand and incorporate the archaeobotanical record into their research."
—Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology

"This is an excellent book that examines a topic with deep roots in American archaeology: the role of agriculture in the rapid growth, florescence, and decline of Cahokia Mounds, the largest prehistoric population center north of Mexico. For years, the archaeological story maintained that Cahokia's ruling class governed via a wealth distribution system that relied mainly on corn grown by the lowest classes of society. Fritz sees this as a vastly oversimplified scenario that misrepresents the status of farmers, who were primarily women and girls of various socioeconomic levels. Further, the narrow focus on corn as the primary crop overlooks the abundant evidence that numerous other plants, including knotweed, chenopodium, and maygrass, were major contributors to the Cahokia diet. Twenty-two color plates add substantially to the text, and each chapter concludes with recipes for preparing the plants discussed. What fun! Highly recommended." —CHOICE

"In Feeding Cahokia, Gayle Fritz has provided new data that leads to new insights about the role of domestic crops and the farmers who grew them in such abundance that they supported Cahokia's population. This readable volume brings together years of research and paints a new and enlightened picture of the United States' greatest ancient city."
—American Archaeology

“A significant contribution both to our understanding of food and farming among ancient American Indians and to our understanding of the largest American Indian polity north of Mexico.”
—C. Margaret Scarry, editor of Foraging and Farming in the Eastern Woodlands and coeditor of Rethinking Moundville and Its Hinterland

“Feeding Cahokia is packed with information in a concise, readable format, and will serve as an excellent starting point for researchers interested in Midwestern archaeobotanical studies. The inclusion of a modern or historical recipe employing Eastern Complex crops at the end of most chapters is an unexpected bonus.”
—Journal of the Iowa Archaeological Society

“This thorough and accessible, beautifully written contribution provides a data-driven account of the agricultural systems of Cahokia. Feeding Cahokia reminds us that our agricultural systems have changed in the past, and they will change again. This epic work raises the intriguing question: could some of the crops grown by the residents of Cahokia have a role to play in the future of agriculture in the American Heartland? Dr. Fritz’s book provides a deep historical description of agriculture in this region, and offers a sense of resilience and hope for future food systems.”
—Economic Botany

“Here, for the first time, dozens of monographs and syntheses are marshaled to deal with the many topics and problems that have arisen over the timing and nature of the biologically diverse agricultural system unique to the central Mississippi Valley.”
—James A. Brown, coeditor of Archaic Hunters and Gatherers in the American Midwest

“I highly recommend Feeding Cahokia for several reasons. First, histories of the native cultivated plants are wonderfully presented in a concise and readable narrative. Anyone interested in native plant cultivation will find this book enlightening. Second, Fritz offers new interpretations of how farming and farmers were part of Cahokian social and political structures—with an emphasis on the roles of women as the farmers—and an interesting alternative to understanding the role of elites in a socially stratified society. A fun addition to the book are the recipes involving the EAC crops. Several of these plants are beautifully illustrated or photographed, as are significant artifacts, such as the female figurines. The extensive list of references cited is a bonus to anyone interested in more details about specific study areas and sites.”
—American Antiquity

“This book is a wonderful resource on plant cultivation in the American Bottom region. I highly recommend it for those interested in food production in eastern North America. Further, this book will be useful for activists in Indigenous food sovereignty, farmers interested in more sustainable agricultural practices, and archaeologists considering ways their research could contribute to policy change.”
—Canadian Journal of Archaeology